How long does hay last YOU

[Jessi B]

hey guys, I was just wondering how long you stretch your hay supplies. I have four boars and five pounds lasted me (first time I got kms hay) about a month. I just got 25 pounds and I was just curious if I go through it too fast. They like to pull it out of their hay racks and sleep in/on it. I got plenty so its not really a big deal, I just refill their racks probably every other day (whenever they empty it). How much hay do you go through with how many pigs and how quickly?

Thanks for all your input ahead of time!

 

[Trega]

I have two pigs and I buy so much hay it's insane. They'll go through a big bag of oxbow hay in a week or so. They do the same thing you describe, they pull some of the hay out and lay on it. They think it's funny for mommy to have to clean it up.

 

[Percy's Mom]

That sounds about like my rate of consumption for the hay as well. I have 3 sows and a boar, and 45lbs lasts me about 5 months. Some days they eat a lot. Some days they don't.

 

[Jessi B]

yeah I think they enjoy it too, its like the game that babies play with you when they throw stuff on the floor so you can pick it up. I think its funny though when they pull on the bottom so the ENTIRE pile of hay falls on them and then they just sit there looking at you guiltily. Then they just sit there and eat their way out or just give up, lie down and go to sleep. Silly piggers!

 

[JarBax]

I just added a third hay rack for my four girls. They now have two grid racks, and one wee-er one. I cram the hay in, so they don't run out, but they don't half get through it quick! (Mix 3 or 4 different grasses/hay together, so it's hard to say how much in weight we get through).

 

[fairysari]

I have three pigs, who are all housed individually right now. Two of them are skinny boars, who have faster metabolisms, so they eat more hay. And one of them, Costanza, is a hay-waster extraordinaire! The other I cleared all the hay off the floor, refilled his hayrack, and went back half an hour later to find the hayrack empty, and a pile of peed on hay underneath him. Silly boy. I definitely need to figure out some sort of new hayrack for him. Maybe the kind that mounts on the outside would work best.

Anyway, I go through a ton of hay because of this. Maybe 2 and a half pounds a week.

 

[fourbwabbys]

I have 5 pigs and I go through 5 lbs of hay in about 2-3 weeks.

 

[this_lil_piggy]

I have 2 adult pigs and 5 babies that range in age from 1 1/2 mths - 2 1/2 mths. They eat on average about 1 lb of timothy hay per week in total.
They used to pull their hay out and sleep/poop on it too, and I went through 3x the amount of hay. I bought a bale of bermuda grass and i stuff some of it under their hideys to sleep on, and then i made them vertical hay racks using grids--so that they cant crawl into them anymore. This has fixed the problem. We have next to no wasted timothy hay now.

 

[aqh88]

A 35-40lb box lasts ~1 month with 9. I don't use hayracks since I think they enjoy playing in the hay too much and hayrack are just a pain but we have very little waste. I'm good about judging how much they will eat in 12hours and they clean up pretty much all of it before I throw another pile in for the next 12hours.

 

[Slave to the Wheek]

I love to waste hay. Makes me feel like I'm a good mom. I went through a 25lb box of KMS hay in only 3 months with 2 wee piggies, I give them a "haybox" that I put a grid that is bent so that they can go under it. Then I pile the hay on top. They only eat about 40 percent of it, because once they "touch" it I guess it isn't worthy to eat. hehe.

I like when they smell of timothy and orchard grass...mmmmmmm

 

[WEAVER]

My pigs all have hayracks they eat their hay from. I ordered 90lbs of bluegrass to feed nine pigs in the beginning of August and it is time for me to order again.

 

[Rachy1412]

A 35-40lb box lasts ~1 month with 9. I don't use hayracks since I think they enjoy playing in the hay too much and hayrack are just a pain but we have very little waste. I'm good about judging how much they will eat in 12hours and they clean up pretty much all of it before I throw another pile in for the next 12hours.

I too use about 35lb a month but I have 7 pigs now and two rabbits. My pigs eat every last scrap and they also pull it out of their hay racks to sleep in. I completely empty out their hayracks twice a week as they like to sleep in them and sometimes use them as a potty!

 

[fairysari]

I just bought a hey rack that goes on the outside of the cage for my haywaster Costanza. one of these: Super Pet Hay & Salad Hopper Small Animal Supplies. I also bought another 2 and a half pounds of hay at the same time, so hopefully it will last longer than before. It is working well so far. Of course Tanuki dumped his hay yesterday...

 

[cavylover103]

I give my two piggies 2 handfuls each day and other things like carrots and oranges so they dont pig out too much on the hay

 

[weta!]

I go through about two and a half bales a year for four boys. They get two big handfulls twice a day because they love to sleep in it. A lot of it ends up in the compost bin though. I get meadow hay, and it is so cheap I can afford to provide extra fodder for the tiger worms in my compost.

 

[Jessi B]

There was a few times while revising their cage that I tried to eliminate all the wasted hay and the hay on the fleece so I put the hay in something that they could not climb into, but they just looked so sad when they found out that they could not lay in it...I guess thats the highlight for my pigs, being able to play with their food and then sleep in it. Last night when I was putting the fresh hay in their bins they just all started popcorning like crazy, even Checkers who doesn't seem to ever get excited about anything but his daily piece of carrot that he carries around like a trophy. hehe sorry got a little bit off topic there...

 

[this_lil_piggy]

cavylover,
Pigs need a constant supply of hay. There is no such thing as them pigging out too much on it. Hay should be the large majority of their diet as it keeps their digestive track moving properly, and it keeps their teeth worn down. A baby carrot sized portion of carrot per day per pig is great, but the oranges aren't so great for them on a daily basis.
The best diet you can give them is unlimited hay, 1/8th cup pellets, and then a cup a day per pig of veggies. Fruits should be a treat.
Ly&Pig's has posted a great set of charts as a guideline for veggies/fruits you can find here: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/about-guinea-pigs/22156-cavy-nutrition-charts.html#post254730

Just a little FYI

 

[aqh88]

I give my two piggies 2 handfuls each day and other things like carrots and oranges so they dont pig out too much on the hay

It's impossible for them to eat too much hay. Their diet should be nearly all hay with only a small amount of pellets, around 1 cup per day of good veggies(not always carrots), and a bit of fruit on occasion. Too many carrots and oranges can be bad but there is no such thing as too much hay. Oranges can especially cause problems because they are so acidic. You should also read Guinea Lynx :: Diet.