Hay KM Hay & Pellets - How much to order for two GPs

[PinkPanther]

Hello,
I would like to place my first order of KM Hay. Now my question: I have two piggies, one about 6 month old, the other about 3 month old and she just had surgery (recovering well). Both are very good eaters. What type of hay should I get (I read KM is currently out of bluegrass) and how much. How long will 25lbs of hay last for two GPs ?
I also would like to order pellets. I was thinking 10lbs of Timothy Pellets and 10lbs of Alfarfa Pellets. Would it be a good idea to mix them ?

Thank you

 

[LauraK]

I just got two 3-month old sisters and recently ordered from KM's as well (I thought about the same issue you're having). I got a 10lb bag of alfalfa pellets and a 10lb bag of timothy pellets and plan on feeding them all alfalfa, until the bag gets near the end and will mix the timothy then feed them solely timothy pellets from there on out. The wouldn't eat the Oxbow pellets, but they LOVE the KM's, so I'm sure they won't have any problem finishing off that bag!

I also ordered 5 lbs of the bluegrass-alfalfa to tide them over and there isn't much alfalfa in my box, so they will get that until I can go pick up a bale of timothy or grass hay from a local feed store around here. KM's timothy is beautiful, but I simply can't afford the shipping, and less than $10 for 60+ pounds is a lot more feasible for me. Best of luck figuring out what to order, hope this helped a little bit!

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Get 2nd or 3rd cut timothy hay if KM's got it, 3rd cut preferably. I'd go with just timothy pellets and then supplement the younger one with a bit of parsley every couple of days.

I'd go for larger quantities if you can. It will be cheaper in the long run. Say 35 lbs. of hay and 25 lbs. of pellets. You can freeze the bulk of the pellets.

 

[RoxieJo]

Like Ly said, I think 3rd cut timothy is generally the best. However, in an e-mail conversation with Linda at KM's before I placed my most recent order she actually advised me to order 2nd cut this time around. She said that hay crops were problematic this season and that her 2nd cut is actually her best one available right now. I recieved my order of 2nd cut today and it is BEAUTIFUL, very green and very soft... and smells wonderful. So, though 3rd cut is usually the best of the best... 2nd cut may be a better choice for now.

 

[Beverly Thacker]

Where do you get KM products?

 

[RoxieJo]

It's only available online- at (broken link removed) The shipping can be a bit shocking, but comparing it to store bought, it's actually a great deal. When I first got my pigs I was using Kaytee hay and pellet (yuck). A 24 oz. bag of Kaytee hay was $3.50... and 1.5 pound bag of pellet was $5.99. I paid $53.00 for 14 pounds of hay and 10 pounds of pellet from KM's, that includes shipping. So I was paying somewhere around 80 or 90 bucks for an equal amount of junky food from the store compared to $53 for top of the line KM's good stuff lol

 

[Beverly Thacker]

Yea i told my fiance how much it cost after searching for the site and finding it. He went pale on me. Ok now looking for alternatives.

 

[Cogni]

If you total up what you pay for the same amount of hay from a pet store, I think the KM hay is a better deal. From a pet store you get smaller quantities and the shipping is included in the price, plus you have the retail markup for all their store overhead (and shareholders, since most pet stores are now part of corporations). With the KM hay, you pay for the larger quantity up front and you see the shipping broken out, so it seems like more money, but it is less for the same amount of hay, plus it is fresh and well-lagered: it has not been sitting in poor conditions in a warehouse. I have done the math for the two best online places (KM in the west and and Sweet Meadow Farm in the east) and they both come out ahead.

 

[SFailed186]

Like Ly said, I think 3rd cut timothy is generally the best. However, in an e-mail conversation with Linda at KM's before I placed my most recent order she actually advised me to order 2nd cut this time around. She said that hay crops were problematic this season and that her 2nd cut is actually her best one available right now. I recieved my order of 2nd cut today and it is BEAUTIFUL, very green and very soft... and smells wonderful. So, though 3rd cut is usually the best of the best... 2nd cut may be a better choice for now.

I ordered the 3rd cut before I heard about the crop. It is quite brown and dusty, but the girls still eat it. The bluegrass is by far the best, but that won't be in until Summertime.

 

[Cogni]

I got 45lb of KM's second cut because of the problems with this year's 3rd cut crop that KM's owner reported on her site (she was very upfront). But then later when I needed to get pellets, I thought I'd sample the 3rd cut and got 15lbs. Above posters are right: this year the 2nd cut is way better. The batch of 3rd cut I got is about half brown, and the strands are not nearly as long as usual. My piggies are eating from the 3rd cut selectively. They LOVE the batch of 2nd cut. Usually their preference is the other way around (except that Badger is wild about the seedheads in second cut, which 3rd cut always lacks. So I usually keep some of both on hand just for his Royal Fatness's dining pleasure.)