Hay Hay- saving money

[ktatum]

Just wanted to share something with you guys. I've read a lot about people buying Oxbow and other brand bags of hay. They cost anywhere from $10-$25 for a "big" bag. I would go broke if I used that! I'd have to buy a new bag at least once a week (8 guinea pigs, 3 chinchillas, and a bunny. Hay is their primary food!). I go to the local farm and pick up a bale of orchard grass for $6, like the kind you feed to horses (we have 4 horses so this is easy for me lol). This last months! I just put it in a big trash bag so it doesn't get everywhere. Most of the times the bales are much nicer than what you get in stores. They're fresh and you have your pick. The greener the bale the better! Just thought somebody would find the information useful! The animals also love it much more than the bags (I did buy a bag once when I was completely out). They eat every piece of the orchard grass, it looks like I never put hay in the cage in the morning!

 

[Chritazy]

How much would you say a bale weighs?

 

[Paula]

A lot of folks buy hay by the bale instead of buying small pet store bags. I have 20+ chinchillas, 3 guinea pigs and 3 large rabbits, I agree that buying hay in small bags at retail prices is ridiculous. Occasionally I'll splurge and get 90 or so pounds of third cut timothy from KleenMama's because she's close and shipping is relatively inexpensive but otherwise I just buy a bale of orchard (or timothy if I can find decent quality locally) and alfalfa, usually for less than $30 for two 75-90 lb bales. You can't beat that, for sure!

 

[ktatum]

How much would you say a bale weighs?

Oh boy, I'm never good at judging weights! I can pick it up but it definitely feels heavy to me. More than a 50lb bag of feed. It depends on how tightly the hay is packed in, they're pretty dense. I'd say definitely at least 60lbs and maybe even upwards of 100 lbs (if it's EXTREMELY dense).

 

[Chritazy]

Wow! I'll have to find somewhere local that sells it. I bought 50 lbs of hay for $65at the rescue where I got the pigs (they have a supply store too) and I thought that was a good price!

 

[Paula]

You can call around to feed stores to find out what cut they have and the size of bales, etc. Square bales can be anywhere from 40 lbs to over 100, so it's important to know anyway to make sure it'll fit in your vehicle on the way home.

 

[MochaAndMoo]

I also get hay from the local farm, $10 for a huge bale of Oaten hay.

 

[ktatum]

Wow! I'll have to find somewhere local that sells it. I bought 50 lbs of hay for $65at the rescue where I got the pigs (they have a supply store too) and I thought that was a good price!

It is definitely a money saver! $65 for 50lbs is one of the better prices I've heard from people, but there's probably about a $55 profit to the people that sold it to you!

 

[Chritazy]

@ktatum When you put it that way, it's kind of depressing! LOL...I bought it from a GP rescue and they bought it online, so unless they get a super cheap price I don't think they got that much of the profit. I can't remember where she got it from (it's prob on the box), but I do know that it was shipped to her home and she brought it to the store to sell.

 

[Carissa6729]

I've found most hay in my area is either in bulk buys (have to buy x amount of bales) or they sell a lot of alfalfa or bermuda grass here, I'm not switching my boys to a bale of alfalfa (since they are 5 months old and won't need the extra calcium soon anyway) but they HATE the bermuda. I keep looking but haven't found anything yet.

Most of the bales in my area are around $10 - 12/bale, at about 50 - 75 lbs a bale.

Side note, if anybody has a good hay supplier on the west side of Phoenix, let me know!

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

I paid $12.50 for a 75 lb bail of timothy/coastal mix last time I bought hay. That last my 4 guinea pigs about 6 months. Big, big month saver. My guess is I am saving almost 500 dollars every year by buy just two bails of hay from the feed store instead of multiple bags from the pet store.

 

[KatiesCavies]

I do the same thing! I don't take the whole bale, but they let me take as much as I can fit in my giant rubbermaid tote and it's still very cheap ($5)

 

[KaileighRussell]

I've been looking around for good baled hay from horse farms - as I'm back into horses after a year off. I know that friends with small critters that eat hay swear by the farm hay over storebought hay.

Normally bales of hay are only about 2.50 piece for the farm to buy (at least where I am) - big round bales are obviously more.

And I know, right now I'm buying storebought hay and it's like 20.00 for the big bag of Oxbow timothy hay, which frankly is bombing in quality and lasts me maybe 2 weeks with three guinea pigs. I clean it out daily because they tend to just spread it around and pee on it.

 

[KatiesCavies]

I'm going to start a hay company and sell in pet stores, the markup is insane!

 

[ktatum]

My fiance and I said the same thing! lol!

 

[CanadianComforts]

I buy my hay for 3-4 dollars and the last bale I got was a good 60+ lbs. Well worth it.

Try and make sure you asked all the right questions when it comes to the hay:
How is it stored?
Why type it is?
If Timothy what cut is it?
And so on.

You want nice green hay, little stems and no mold.

 

[MrWhistles]

Ditto, I only have 2 pigs and I buy hay by the bale. 2 flakes seem to last my girls 1-2 months. But I also have 2 senior horses, if I feel the current bale's quality is starting to go down hill, I bring it to the barn and spread it around in 1 of my pastures.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

It is definitely a money saver! $65 for 50lbs is one of the better prices I've heard from people, but there's probably about a $55 profit to the people that sold it to you!

Yes, buying by the bale is definitely cheaper. However, there are things to consider. A normal three string bale of timothy hay weighs around 125 pounds. It's also pretty bulky--where are you going to keep it? It needs to be out of the weather, and away from rodents.

Also, the outside of the bale doesn't always show what's inside the bale. I've found lots of surprises in bales of hay--insects, weeds, dead birds, mold. The places that sell bagged hay (like Oxbow or KMS) actually go through the hay they pack into those bags or boxes for you by hand. They will take out any weeds or bad parts, and you get the best part. For some people, it's worth the extra money.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I'm going to start a hay company and sell in pet stores, the markup is insane!

Don't get the idea that people who sell bagged hay are raking in the cash. I know personally how hard it is. You have to find a good source of hay--you can't rely on feed stores, because they have so many other customers they sell to as well, and even though one shipment is wonderful, the next is barely palatable. You have to find your own grower, who is at the mercy of the weather (and you know how messed up that can be these days). You have to pay someone to truck the hay to your place. You have to have a huge barn to hold the hay, and keep critters away from it (even barn cats will pee and poop on hay), and make sure it doesn't mold.

You have to buy the bags, figure out shipping, etc. To sell through pet stores you have a whole bunch of hoops to jump through. It's just like any business, you have overhead. It's not a way to make some quick cash.

 

[Chritazy]

@foggycreekcavy @CanadianComforts

Those are some good points. I'll keep that in mind when I look into feed stores. One concern I had was whether or not the hay would be green. What I have now is pretty green and the girls love it.

Thanks!