• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Hay colour green/yellow

TeflonsShadow

Wise Old Thumper
I know alot of people say buns should have green fresh hay, but my guys seem to like really yellow hay, like timothy and oat hay.

Whats the difference between the colours of hay?

Are they losing out on anything from not eating much green hay?

The only green-ish hay they eat, is the excel forage, which isnt overwhelmingly green. Im thinking of getting some ready grass??

In the summer, I actually make my own hay for them, when I can. I cut long bits of yummy grass, and dry it upstairs. That 'hay' is green? But I only do it in the summer :?

Hmmmmm..........hay!!
 
Some grasses colour differently, I wouldn't worry :)

I never need to worry about Winni, she scoffs hay like there is no tomorrow!!

I swear these guys are eating me out of hay and home!!

And I am soooooooo wrapped around their paws!! A fresh handful of hay, at least 3 times a day, not to mention they get a handful of treat hay in the evenings. They cost me a bomb (but dont tell the bf!! He has nooooo idea!)
 
I'm going to perform a regurgitated quote from PrettyLupin (sorry if i get this wrong!)

She told me that yellow hays are often just that colour as they have been out in the sun for longer, and so the 'green' is kind of 'burnt out of them' if you see where im coming from?

Coincidentally, my current bag of hay is VERY yellow and has barely any green in at all, yet is so stalky and long they adore it.
 
I'm going to perform a regurgitated quote from PrettyLupin (sorry if i get this wrong!)

She told me that yellow hays are often just that colour as they have been out in the sun for longer, and so the 'green' is kind of 'burnt out of them' if you see where im coming from?

Coincidentally, my current bag of hay is VERY yellow and has barely any green in at all, yet is so stalky and long they adore it.

Really??

But oat hay is always very golden (and thick/stalky, the babies love it!!), alfalfa and timothy is usually quite green, but the babies arent mad for it.....

Mind you, it cant be colour that they prefer.... because they LOVE yellow oat hay (thick and nommy!) but HATE welsh meadow hay!! (thin yellow strandy stuff). Took them ages to eat that bag :roll:
 
Really??

But oat hay is always very golden (and thick/stalky, the babies love it!!), alfalfa and timothy is usually quite green, but the babies arent mad for it.....

Mind you, it cant be colour that they prefer.... because they LOVE yellow oat hay (thick and nommy!) but HATE welsh meadow hay!! (thin yellow strandy stuff). Took them ages to eat that bag :roll:

I think its the way its grown and how long its out there for. Perhaps Oat hay takes longer to grow and so is out in the light for a lot longer perhaps?

You've got me interested now so im going to research :lol:
 
I always use the same hay for mine but i noticed the new bag, the hay is much greener and less compacted. They love the stuff whether green or yellow though. :lol:
 
I always use the same hay for mine but i noticed the new bag, the hay is much greener and less compacted. They love the stuff whether green or yellow though. :lol:

:thumb:

What do you get yours then?

I have to buy bagged as I dont have storage room........

I dont know what 'normal' hay to get mine now.... I used to buy pets at home 'timothy' hay.... but now I refuse to go in there after the Pi incident :cry:

I dont mean to be a meany mummy, but its good to have a 'cheaper' hay and then more decent hay, as I always use more of the 'cheaper' hay, for changing the litter boxes every day, and dont mind when its wasted....

Urgh, I wish I could have a bale!!
 
:thumb:

What do you get yours then?

I have to buy bagged as I dont have storage room........

I dont know what 'normal' hay to get mine now.... I used to buy pets at home 'timothy' hay.... but now I refuse to go in there after the Pi incident :cry:

I dont mean to be a meany mummy, but its good to have a 'cheaper' hay and then more decent hay, as I always use more of the 'cheaper' hay, for changing the litter boxes every day, and dont mind when its wasted....

Urgh, I wish I could have a bale!!

I currently buy it from either a) our local garden centre or b) a slightly further away garden centre :wave: Both bagged, but the new one is less compacted and yellow and stalky!
 
When I buy bales of hay, if the hay has been freshly cut then it is green, soft and smells almost good enough for me to eat. Older hay bales (like the one I have now) are yellow and stalky - which fits in with what PL said. I'm sure I've heard though (and more than likely on here!) that the stalky hay is really good for their teeth, I guess as it requires more mouth action :?
 
We used to get P@H Timothy hay but it's become really short and 'bitty' recently so we've switched to bales from a local farm - greener and thinner. They scoff both. We also had Alfalfa Kings Timothy hay for a while, which was green and fat - they loved that too but it's too expensive. I'd be really interested to know what the difference is!
 
Ive got a stalky greenish bale at the moment - which they love cause its stalky...the last bale was all thin and too grass like...they ate it but much preferred a handful of stalky timothy hay.....and yes that was more yellow too.
Im sure stalky hay is better for their teeth too...and they do seem to prefre it than softer hay....not sure if they prefer different colours though!:D

Just had a quick search on why hay is different colours and didnt come up with much...bit short on time though.....Im sure it may also have to do with the time of harvest perhaps? obviously also the different types of hay will vary Id imagine...:?
 
Hey colour very much depends on the 'type' of hay that you buy. Different types need to be cut at different times of year as cutting too early or late can ruin the hay.
Timothy hay for example is at a more mature stage than some hays as it is sensitve to being cut too early. This allows other varietys of plants to grow so it usually contains lots of extras as well. Lots of timothy hay is also 2nd or 3rd cut which means that it is usually very leafy and is therefore low in fibre and high in protein and energy. Due to the leafy-ness it also contains more chlorophyll which makes it greener.

Oat hay will always be yellow in colour because of the water content within it, it is very course and dry and so turns yellow and is cut much earlier within the year to rest. Even though it is yellow and 'dry' it is good hay as it very nutritious and high in protein and energy as well as full of fibre this is because the grass is still 'young' when cut.
God im a right hay geek :lol:
 
Last edited:
I give mine a bale for toilet bases ontop of megazorb and bale some in hayracks, then top over with oxbow western timothy - £36 a bag :oops: and then Burns green oat on that, every now and then redigrass too, Tinks eats redigrass as well:lol:. We have tried Burns welsh meadow but my lot haven't taken to it.
 
I try and give my bunnies greenish hay because it is more grassy.
something that I dont like using though is the browny hay it is just so dry, I wouldnt want to eat it!
 
Use your nose rather than your eyes to tell if hay is good...
If it smells nice, fresh and like hay it will be fine..
If it is old, musty or doesn't smell like you think hay should, it is probably best avoided.
The stalkier... the better for keeping teeth worn down.


BTW.. a nice clean bunny should smell of nothing but hay.... try sniffing yours - that's the way they don't get discovered in the wild!
 
eric loves the really dry looking stalky stuff. the only green-ish one he likes is the bagged stuff with dandelion or mint in it but even then he picks out the toughest looking bits.

baled hay gives him the runs and he doesn't seem to like fresh grass:oops:

esme will eat anything:lol:
 
Hey colour very much depends on the 'type' of hay that you buy. Different types need to be cut at different times of year as cutting too early or late can ruin the hay.
Timothy hay for example is at a more mature stage than some hays as it is sensitve to being cut too early. This allows other varietys of plants to grow so it usually contains lots of extras as well. Lots of timothy hay is also 2nd or 3rd cut which means that it is usually very leafy and is therefore low in fibre and high in protein and energy. Due to the leafy-ness it also contains more chlorophyll which makes it greener.

Oat hay will always be yellow in colour because of the water content within it, it is very course and dry and so turns yellow and is cut much earlier within the year to rest. Even though it is yellow and 'dry' it is good hay as it very nutritious and high in protein and energy as well as full of fibre this is because the grass is still 'young' when cut.
God im a right hay geek :lol:

Does this mean that I should be giving more than timothy hay?
Jenson is currently into P@H timothy hay (he's gone off the excel herbage but I think it's because the bag I have is cut too short, I might just look for a new one). He gets through quite a lot of hay and I figure this is a good thing, for his teeth and his tummy, but if timothy isn't high enough in fibre?
Should I be doing more?
 
Back
Top