Hello! I know we all sing the virtues of Timothy hays, but does anyone know anything about the other hays like Brome, Oat or Orchard grass? Are there any other advantages/disadvantages of these, do your bunnies prefer them? Why do we hear so much about Timothy but not these ones? I'd quite like to give them a go and see if the buns like them, but don't really know anything about them :?
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Different types of hays
- Thread starter AlisonA
- Start date
sparklefairy
Wise Old Thumper
Hello! 
I think the hays are roughly the same nutrition wise, some have a different texture. The Oat hay I got from Oxbow was a lot thicker and more " straw like," and had seeds at the top. My bunnies love this! they could eat it all day they also love orchard grass. This feels softer than timothy hay and smells sweeter, this is Gypsy's favourite. Bunny brome is a bit like timothy hay in texture, but is longer and slightly more coarse, if that makes sense. Ever since trying all the hays, Timothy hay is now their least favourite!.
I think the hays are roughly the same nutrition wise, some have a different texture. The Oat hay I got from Oxbow was a lot thicker and more " straw like," and had seeds at the top. My bunnies love this! they could eat it all day they also love orchard grass. This feels softer than timothy hay and smells sweeter, this is Gypsy's favourite. Bunny brome is a bit like timothy hay in texture, but is longer and slightly more coarse, if that makes sense. Ever since trying all the hays, Timothy hay is now their least favourite!.bunny_burrows
Mama Doe
I think grass hays are similar so they are all fine to be fed to bunnies, it's just Timothy that you have to be wary of as it is high in calcium.
racheyrabbit
Alpha Buck
I think the oxbow site gives details about the different nutritional contents. From what I can see, they seem pretty similar, so should all be similar to Timothy hay with regards their nutritional value.
I've tried all the hays that oxbow do, and Kahlo was keen on all of them except Oat hay. Brome seemed to be her favourite, but unfortunately they only do it in the really small bags so it would work out really expensive. She's ended up with a combination of timothy hay and orchard grass because they do them in bigger boxes. I might get her some more Brome as a treat when I put in the next order....
I've tried all the hays that oxbow do, and Kahlo was keen on all of them except Oat hay. Brome seemed to be her favourite, but unfortunately they only do it in the really small bags so it would work out really expensive. She's ended up with a combination of timothy hay and orchard grass because they do them in bigger boxes. I might get her some more Brome as a treat when I put in the next order....
this is a ref on different hays here - but I have heard that oat hay can be high in nitrates - you need a lab test to find out though.
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/hay_grass.html
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/hay_grass.html
KerinTravis
Mama Doe
I've always read that Timothy hay is the most abrasive, therefore, best for their teeth, but that may not be true, it's just what the usual answer is!!! :?
looking at the photos on that site I posted to, the orchard grass seems to be what we call 'cocksfoot' or dactylis glomerata? I've got lots of that in my garden and it's very coarse - rips my hands to shreds picking it - but the bunnies go mad for it. Seem to get a fair bit in meadow hay too, so you could look for a bale with some of that in maybe.
I recently ordered three different Oxbow hays - Brome, Timothy and Oat. Rob is a fussy hay eater, but he did seem to enjoy the Timothy hay, picked at the Brome hay, and I would have to say he seems to love the Oat Hay - his definite favourite
I did worry that with being Oat Hay it might make him put on weight :? , but he's had his pellets stopped so it should be OK.
I did worry that with being Oat Hay it might make him put on weight :? , but he's had his pellets stopped so it should be OK.
Didn't know Timothy hay was high in calcium - does this mean a bun with possible kidney failure shouldn't be getting it? :? The trio have loads of the Timothy chop from BunnyBasics as two have molar problems and none have their incisors. They also get the regular stuff to wear down their molars too.
Elve is right about Orchard hay being Cockfoot, I do have a list somewhere of all the hays and there common names but I cant find it.
Generally the Courser the hay the more abrasive it is. Timothy is normally thought of as the best as it is high in Fibre but low in Protein and Calcium.
Another thing you have to take into account is If the product is a First Cut or Second Cut (First Cut will have more stalk and seed heads, Second Cut is leafy) Also if its Sun Dried, Barn Dried, Machine Dried and if its Morning cut or afternoon cut (Protein is lower in the morning) More complications are if the Hay is put though a crimper and also where it is grown (Our Canadian comes from Alberta that produces a medium Course Stalky hay) whereas Oxbow and our new American is from Nabraska that produces a softer leafy hay. Timothy From South Africa is very Course and almost all Stalk (Fibre is about 45 - 48%) and the Uk produces a Timothy that is almost like Normal Hay due to the climate, Austrailia tends to produce a Timothy that is almost like the Canadian (We have samples here from all over the world)
The funny thing though is if given the choice of all the hays we have here our Buns will ALWAYS go to the Alfalfa First, where as our chin will always go to a medium Course Timothy First.
Below are a set of Lab Reports, One for American Timothy and another for American Alfalfa. As you can see the Calcium is a lot lower in the timothy
Timothy Hay
Typical Analysis
MOISTURE % 7.70
DRY MATTER % 92.30
PROTEIN - CRUDE % 12.80
PROTEIN - AVAILABLE % 12.10
ADICP % 0.70 0.80
PROTEIN - ADJUSTED CRUDE % 12.80
PROTEIN - SOLUBLE % CP 34.00
PROTEIN - DEGRADABLE % CP 60.00
NDICP % 3.50
FIBRE – ACID DET % 34.40
FIBRE – NEUT DET % 53.20
LIGNIN 4.80
NFC 18.40
NSC 10.40
STARCH 0.40
SUGAR 9.90
CRUDE FAT 2.30
ASH 9.08
TDN EST % 53.00
NE LACT,MCAL/LB 0.50
NE MAIN, MCAL/LB 0.48
NE GAIN, MCAL/LB 0.25
RELATIVE FEED VALUE 97.00
PHOSPHORUS (P) % 0.24
CALCIUM (CA) % 0.52
POTASIUM (K) % 2.34 2
MAGNESIUM (MG) % 0.22
SULPHUR (%) 0.15
CHLORIDE Ion 0.39
LYSINE 0.50
METHIONINE 0.18
Alfalfa
Typical Analysis
MOISTURE % 9.50
DRY MATTER % 90.60
PROTEIN - CRUDE % 19.20
PROTEIN - AVAILABLE % 17.70
ADICP % 1.60
PROTEIN - ADJUSTED CRUDE % 18.60
PROTEIN - SOLUBLE % CP 43.00
PROTEIN - DEGRADABLE % CP 72.00
NDICP % 2.90
FIBRE – ACID DET % 29.20
FIBRE – NEUT DET % 37.30
LIGNIN 6.70
NFC 29.90
NSC 11.70
STARCH 1.40
SUGAR 10.30
CRUDE FAT 2.20
ASH 8.37
TDN EST % 55.00
NE LACT,MCAL/LB 0.58
NE MAIN, MCAL/LB 0.53
NE GAIN, MCAL/LB 0.30
RELATIVE FEED VALUE 165.00
PHOSPHORUS (P) % 0.24
CALCIUM (CA) % 1.44
POTASIUM (K) % 1.54
MAGNESIUM (MG) % 0.28
SULPHUR (%) 0.24
CHLORIDE Ion 0.43
LYSINE 0.98 1.08
METHIONINE 0.30 0.33
Generally the Courser the hay the more abrasive it is. Timothy is normally thought of as the best as it is high in Fibre but low in Protein and Calcium.
Another thing you have to take into account is If the product is a First Cut or Second Cut (First Cut will have more stalk and seed heads, Second Cut is leafy) Also if its Sun Dried, Barn Dried, Machine Dried and if its Morning cut or afternoon cut (Protein is lower in the morning) More complications are if the Hay is put though a crimper and also where it is grown (Our Canadian comes from Alberta that produces a medium Course Stalky hay) whereas Oxbow and our new American is from Nabraska that produces a softer leafy hay. Timothy From South Africa is very Course and almost all Stalk (Fibre is about 45 - 48%) and the Uk produces a Timothy that is almost like Normal Hay due to the climate, Austrailia tends to produce a Timothy that is almost like the Canadian (We have samples here from all over the world)
The funny thing though is if given the choice of all the hays we have here our Buns will ALWAYS go to the Alfalfa First, where as our chin will always go to a medium Course Timothy First.
Below are a set of Lab Reports, One for American Timothy and another for American Alfalfa. As you can see the Calcium is a lot lower in the timothy
Timothy Hay
Typical Analysis
MOISTURE % 7.70
DRY MATTER % 92.30
PROTEIN - CRUDE % 12.80
PROTEIN - AVAILABLE % 12.10
ADICP % 0.70 0.80
PROTEIN - ADJUSTED CRUDE % 12.80
PROTEIN - SOLUBLE % CP 34.00
PROTEIN - DEGRADABLE % CP 60.00
NDICP % 3.50
FIBRE – ACID DET % 34.40
FIBRE – NEUT DET % 53.20
LIGNIN 4.80
NFC 18.40
NSC 10.40
STARCH 0.40
SUGAR 9.90
CRUDE FAT 2.30
ASH 9.08
TDN EST % 53.00
NE LACT,MCAL/LB 0.50
NE MAIN, MCAL/LB 0.48
NE GAIN, MCAL/LB 0.25
RELATIVE FEED VALUE 97.00
PHOSPHORUS (P) % 0.24
CALCIUM (CA) % 0.52
POTASIUM (K) % 2.34 2
MAGNESIUM (MG) % 0.22
SULPHUR (%) 0.15
CHLORIDE Ion 0.39
LYSINE 0.50
METHIONINE 0.18
Alfalfa
Typical Analysis
MOISTURE % 9.50
DRY MATTER % 90.60
PROTEIN - CRUDE % 19.20
PROTEIN - AVAILABLE % 17.70
ADICP % 1.60
PROTEIN - ADJUSTED CRUDE % 18.60
PROTEIN - SOLUBLE % CP 43.00
PROTEIN - DEGRADABLE % CP 72.00
NDICP % 2.90
FIBRE – ACID DET % 29.20
FIBRE – NEUT DET % 37.30
LIGNIN 6.70
NFC 29.90
NSC 11.70
STARCH 1.40
SUGAR 10.30
CRUDE FAT 2.20
ASH 8.37
TDN EST % 55.00
NE LACT,MCAL/LB 0.58
NE MAIN, MCAL/LB 0.53
NE GAIN, MCAL/LB 0.30
RELATIVE FEED VALUE 165.00
PHOSPHORUS (P) % 0.24
CALCIUM (CA) % 1.44
POTASIUM (K) % 1.54
MAGNESIUM (MG) % 0.28
SULPHUR (%) 0.24
CHLORIDE Ion 0.43
LYSINE 0.98 1.08
METHIONINE 0.30 0.33
just a comment for Racheyrabbit - the Oxbow brome hay is sold in 4.05kg boxes - so you don't have to buy it only in the smaller bags - it works out cheaper in the boxes!! Bugs BUn lurves it - so just as well we can get it in bigger boxes - he he goes mad for the seed heads in the Oat hay too. You can get both of these in the boxes from www.sphsupplies.co.uk
Hayyiy (?) grins (well it can't be cheesey grins can it) all round
lol Bugs Bunny and friends :wink:
Hayyiy (?) grins (well it can't be cheesey grins can it) all round
lol Bugs Bunny and friends :wink:
Timothy isn't high in calcium, it is the alfalfa which is. :wink:
My bunnies have mainly meadow hay, but I add timothy and orchard grass and every other day add in a handful of oat hay. They love the orchard grass which has a lovely smell to it! The oat hay goes down well too and they eat the timothy and meadow.
Mine didn't really take to the brome hay at all. :roll:
My bunnies have mainly meadow hay, but I add timothy and orchard grass and every other day add in a handful of oat hay. They love the orchard grass which has a lovely smell to it! The oat hay goes down well too and they eat the timothy and meadow.
Mine didn't really take to the brome hay at all. :roll:
meadow hay is just general hay - farms grow long grass, make it into hay and sell it to a hay merchant - the merchant sells it on to branded company.
Sometimes it's good (I've had lovely hay from Wilkos once!) and sometimes it's rubbish, full of thorns and all sorts - the hay merchant might not be too fussy, if he's just selling on to a big chain of pet suppliers.
I get non branded meadow hay from my grocers at the moment - he gets it from a hay merchant, so it's pretty much different every week - you can tell it's from different farms by the number of types of grasses in it, and how green it is, and sometimes dusty, sometimes not - making hay is an art! There is occasionally timothy grass in it, but it's usually just fescue grass, which they aren't so keen on - quite a bit of cocksfoot in this latest batch so they love it! It's pot luck really.
I used to get timmy hay online, at great cost, but it says on the box 'timmy rich' - there was a lot of other grasses in it too, and the last batch had so much mud, docks and thistles in that I never bought any more. My meadow hay is much better quality than the expensive 'timmy hay' at the moment, but all that could change next week :roll:
Sometimes it's good (I've had lovely hay from Wilkos once!) and sometimes it's rubbish, full of thorns and all sorts - the hay merchant might not be too fussy, if he's just selling on to a big chain of pet suppliers.
I get non branded meadow hay from my grocers at the moment - he gets it from a hay merchant, so it's pretty much different every week - you can tell it's from different farms by the number of types of grasses in it, and how green it is, and sometimes dusty, sometimes not - making hay is an art! There is occasionally timothy grass in it, but it's usually just fescue grass, which they aren't so keen on - quite a bit of cocksfoot in this latest batch so they love it! It's pot luck really.
I used to get timmy hay online, at great cost, but it says on the box 'timmy rich' - there was a lot of other grasses in it too, and the last batch had so much mud, docks and thistles in that I never bought any more. My meadow hay is much better quality than the expensive 'timmy hay' at the moment, but all that could change next week :roll:
