Storage how long will a 115 pound hay bale last?

[hielly5120]

i know it sounds alot but i bough 115 pound hay bale from my local barn. it was no refund too so now what? where do i store my hay and how...?


How long do you think it will last for 2 guinea pigs if i stored it properly...

will it lose a lot of nutrition value =( pleasee answer! thanks

 

[Onetwo]

I've been told by multiple farmers that it should stay ok for 2 years if stored properly but it will get more and more brown over time so there will be more waste. You can break it up and store it in large cardboard boxes with holes punched into it in a cool dry place. Or you can get a plastic bag (similar to a duffel bag) for christmas trees but its not the season for that yet so you might have to wait. Or you can get some large plastic totes and break it up into those and keep the lid ajar.

For 2 piggies we usually go through +/-50lbs a year and they are very wasteful and pee, kick and not eat a good 1/8 of what they are given. The best hay rack in the world for piggies is:

http://www.amazon.com/Inch-Under-Shelf-Storage-Basket/dp/B002OJHRCO

Holds lots and doesn't waste much. Sits great on the cage too!

 

[Duffinvt]

That is a lot of hay !! Unless you broke the bank buying it, perhaps you could share some with another guinea pig or rabbit owner or donate some to the local rescue? I'd think after a year or so you'd want some fresh hay.

 

[pinky]

I go through 50 lbs. in about 4 to 5 months for 5 guinea pigs. It fills about 5 to 6 of those large brown paper lawn waste bags, depending upon how tightly I pack it. 115 lbs. is a LOT of hay. It might be a good idea to share or donate some of it. Did you get a good price for it?

 

[hielly5120]

I got it for 22 bucks! ummm do you guys know if hay barn let you get a section of the bale or what? btw i go to daves hay barn in Sanjose CA! thanks if you guys can continue on answering =)

 

[pinky]

I can't answer that but just make sure it's timothy or orchard grass, not alfalfa.

 

[Onetwo]

You'll have to ask THEM if they will break a bale for you. Probably not since no one else will want it. $22 is a lot of money. I pay $3 for a 65lb bale of hay from a local farmer. The average is $2-7 for 45-65lbs. I would keep shopping around.

 

[lissie]

I buy hay from Dave's Hay Barn too. It's a good price for around here. There's another hay barn in San Jose, Sam's Downtown Feed & Pet Supply. Their hay is about the same price.

I like Dave's Hay Barn a lot more because they help break the bale and put into separate plastic bags. It's easier for me to take it home. At Sam's they just shoved the whole bale in my trunk. It took me a lot of time to vacuum out the hay after wards.

I have a huge cardboard box at home. When I get home, I just dump the hay into the box. The box I have is a wardrobe moving box.

There's another hay barn in Half Moon Bay. I think the price is about the same too. Maybe $3 cheaper. But it's quite a long drive. I don't know about their service. I've never been there.

There are not that many hay barns around here. These are the only ones I can think of.

 

[Travelingirl916]

I would guess that it would last ~2 years if stored properly.

 

[pinky]

I'd be thrilled to pay $22 for that much hay. There are no timothy or orchard grass farmers around here. I'm happy to pay $60 for 50 lbs. of Oxbow hay.

 

[lissie]

Pinky, there are no horse stables around there? You could ask them where to get hay.

 

[pinky]

The only thing around here is alfalfa. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and there's nothing rural around here at all. I've even looked it up on internet to see if I could find something within a reasonable driving distance. Besides that, we drive small cars and if we found something, we could never fit it in. The Oxbow hay even had to be removed from the box to fit into our cars.

Pinky, there are no horse stables around there? You could ask them where to get hay.

 

[Onetwo]

Wow pinky. I drive a tiny car (a dodge neon) and I can fit a bale of hay in my trunk without folding the back seats down too! You must have Geo's or something... Haha A bale of hay is MUCH smaller than a box of oxbow. Oxbow doesn't compress their hay like farmers do. A 45-65lb bale is roughly as long (tall) but about 2/3 the width and depth of the sides of the box. So much more slender so its easier to lay flat in a trunk or backseat or passenger seat.

 

[pinky]

I assumed that a 115 lb. bale would be bigger than a 50lb box of Oxbow. It must be really compressed because the Oxbow is packed pretty tight in the box. I have a Sebring and my back seat goes down but the height of the box won't fit in my trunk. The last time I ordered, the stock box squeezed it in my back seat and we had a really hard time getting it out. We took it out of the box the time before that. We also have an Intrepid, another Chrysler and a Saturn but the box is too big. It's besides the point, though, since there's no farms to be found around here......

Wow pinky. I drive a tiny car (a dodge neon) and I can fit a bale of hay in my trunk without folding the back seats down too! You must have Geo's or something... Haha A bale of hay is MUCH smaller than a box of oxbow. Oxbow doesn't compress their hay like farmers do. A 45-65lb bale is roughly as long (tall) but about 2/3 the width and depth of the sides of the box. So much more slender so its easier to lay flat in a trunk or backseat or passenger seat.

 

[pinky]

I assumed that a 115 lb. bale would be bigger than a 50lb box of Oxbow. It must be really compressed because the Oxbow is packed pretty tight in the box. I have a Sebring and my back seat goes down but the height of the box won't fit in my trunk. The last time I ordered, the stock boy squeezed it in my back seat and we had a really hard time getting it out. We took it out of the box the time before that. We also have an Intrepid, another Chrysler and a Saturn but the box is too big for all of the cars. It's besides the point, though, since there's no farms to be found around here...... It's very suburban around here.

Wow pinky. I drive a tiny car (a dodge neon) and I can fit a bale of hay in my trunk without folding the back seats down too! You must have Geo's or something... Haha A bale of hay is MUCH smaller than a box of oxbow. Oxbow doesn't compress their hay like farmers do. A 45-65lb bale is roughly as long (tall) but about 2/3 the width and depth of the sides of the box. So much more slender so its easier to lay flat in a trunk or backseat or passenger seat.

 

[lissie]

I think California bales are larger than bales from other places. If you look up hay bale bags, some are smaller, some are larger. The larger ones accommodate California bales.

I've never measured my hay, but based on the size of the bag on this site, it's: 44" x 22" x 18"

http://tackwholesale.com/product_info.php?products_id=1796{98}4941

I usually ask the guy at the hay barn to

 

[hielly5120]

Thanks guys so much for all these answers and extra info And lissie! does that mean they can break the bale?! That would be great. Sorry guys i have been busy much these days so answering and questioning is gonna be slower than usual

 

[hielly5120]

Thanks guys so much for all these answers and extra info And lissie! does that mean they can break the bale?! That would be great. Sorry guys i have been busy much these days so answering and questioning is gonna be slower than usual

 

[lissie]

Sorry! Didn't notice my post was cut off. I usually ask the guy at the barn to break the bale in four plastic bags. Put two in the trunk, one in front passenger seat and one in the back seat.

 

[lissie]

I think they don't sell half bales though. You've got to buy the whole bale. I usually give one bag to my friend.