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Cheapest way to buy good hay
- Thread starter Alicia
- Start date
The cheapest way to buy nice hay is either direct from a farm, or from your nearest equine supplier. Bales of horse hay are decent quality (or horse people won't buy it) and costs about £6 a bale - which just fits in a standard 240 litre wheely bin. You may be able to get it delivered as well, although a bale (in a duvet cover to keep the bits in) will fit in most cars.
i only have 2 rabbits so buy online from HayforPets/Dustfree/The Hayexperts. I think you have to be pretty careful with buying bales - and i like to have several different kinds. I just worry about it getting a bit musty when you buy a bale with only two rabbits. I had a very bad experience in the 'early days' when i had an outbreak of mites which i think came from a not too special bale supplier.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
I buy most of my hay from an Equine Feed Supplier/Farm. It is baled and as long as it is stored correctly (on slats in a cool dry shed/garage/barn) it will last for months. Some hay sold in Pet shops can be over a year 'old' !! If it is sold in plastic bags and stored (by the retailer) in a too warm environment the hay can 'sweat' and get mouldy.
I used to buy pet shop plastic wrapped hay for the rabbits, until one day I'd run low and gave them some of the baled hay that I buy from an equestrian feed supplier for the goats. They loved it and ate far more, and I realised as Jane said it was being stored correctly and therefore was probably fresher tasting to them. Ever since then I have only bought baled hay. I do use it fairly quickly as there's 4 goats and one rabbit eating it!
Hay that is stored properly will keep for months. It's designed to last all winter until the grass starts to grow again. Keep it somewhere cool, dry, airy and off the ground. It doesn't need to be covered particularly, as long as it doesn't get damp or is allowed to sweat in direct sun. Towards the end of the season, it may get a bit dustier and not smell as 'green'. It shouldn't be used if it is damp, mouldy or smells musty.
keletkezes
Wise Old Thumper
I store mine in the garage on metal racks, with a mesh-type shelf. It's not a fully waterproof garage as water gets under the doors but my hay lasts months if I pack it relatively loosely on the racks. I bought three bales last trip (my little car is very boxy!) in April I think, and after giving one away I have just over one bale left.
That's what I was going to do with my hay supplies (not a bale, but from the Hay Experts/Hay4Pets) but apparently it needs to be able to breathe. I've just ordered some hessian sacks from Amazon so I can keep a variety. If you look at the Hay Experts website, it tells you how to store.
