Hay How much?

[YoPiggies]

Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets my two girls more jazzed than a fresh pile of hay. They go nuts and start popcorning (sometimes inside their little igloo, which means they hit the top of it), making little calls to each other, and then they'll run and dive through it like dolphins - it's adorable. However, they also treat it as their bathroom, which means that I usually end up just changing out the whole pile every day. Something about them burrowing in their own excrement just doesn't sit right with me.

Anyway, it seems like the more I buy, the quicker I go through it. What size do you guys typically end up buying, and how long does it last you?

 

[bpatters]

I buy 40 pound boxes from KMS -- usually one of 2nd or 3rd cut timothy, one of bluegrass. I buy them in rotation, and feed both at the same time. I'll get one, and then about three or four months later, one of the other kind. My pigs eat about 5-7 pounds of hay a month, and I don't put it down for them to play in.

 

[YoPiggies]

Do you think it's a bad idea to put it down for them to play in, or is that just a matter of preference?

 

[Cavylier]

My piggies have a hay-tray and they love to play and jump around in it. However, they also poop and pee there a lot (in fact they've almost stopped doing it anywhere else) so I first put in a layer of bedding (wood shavings) to absorb most of the pee and then put a layer of hay on top. They don't seem to mind, in fact they find the bedding much nicer to jump on, haha.

I went through a 1kg pack in a month and a half so that's 1.5 pounds (of hay) per month or so. However, their hay bin is rather big so I change it out completely every two days minimum (sometimes earlier if they mess it up too much. Usually they pee and poop more in the corners and leave the middle part relatively unsoiled. But after two days they kick it all around and mix the soiled and unsoiled hay.

I tried a hay rack but they enjoyed burrowing in their hay so much that I didn't feel like continuing with that.

I have only two piggies and they're both babies. I would expect that adults eat a lot more. Also, my piggies get fresh grass daily so you will probably end up needing a lot more hay than I did.

 

[mufasa]

My piggies go through an obscene amount of hay, so I use hay trays that they can sit/play/poop in and other feeding methods, like hay balls and cardboard tubes, that ensure they always have a clean supply to eat.

 

[mamajet]

Preference. Although some people don't let them play in it for allergy reasons. I'm just not a fan of the smell of wet hay, so I use hayracks. My girls lose out on potential burrowing. On the upside, it saves me $$$.

 

[Cavylier]

My piggies go through an obscene amount of hay, so I use hay trays that they can sit/play/poop in and other feeding methods, like hay balls and cardboard tubes, that ensure they always have a clean supply to eat.

That's a really good idea! I think I'm going to start with things like that now.

 

[YoPiggies]

My piggies go through an obscene amount of hay, so I use hay trays that they can sit/play/poop in and other feeding methods, like hay balls and cardboard tubes, that ensure they always have a clean supply to eat.

I agree, that's a great idea! I'll definitely do that too.

 

[Mastershroom]

I just dump out a bunch of orchard grass in piles and let them have at it. They'll eat most of it within a day or two. I'm not too worried about them pooping in the hay; they eat their own poop voluntarily as it is. lol

 

[PattyPie]

My crazy pig Fella has the best of both worlds. The pigs have a hay rack that they LOVE but about once a week Fella pulls ALL of it out, just for fun, and lays in it! I have no idea how much hay they go through but it seems like a lot!