Hay Pics of the hay bales and gen info

[kananaka]

Hi. Was wondering if people could post pics and tell what size of hay bales you have posted? After researching the importance of hay in piggies diet I am thinking of ordering it from KMS, but eeek the cost (currently have Kaytee hay for them) and am curious of the size/shape of the bales so I can figure out how much to order (for 3 pigs) and how to store it. I live in a Florida (very humid ) and also would like to share the bales with my daughters 2 new gp and her class pet piggie because we adore him and want the best for all the gp we know . Sorry if this post isn't that coherent, I have been on this site (and Oxbow and KMS) for a few hours reading, cross referencing, and reading some more and its late and I'm getting sleepy :yawn:.

So in a nut shell any info about hay you can give me will be of great help! Thanks bunches!!!! :tearsofjo

 

[bpatters]

The Kaytee hay you're feeding is probably at least double the cost of KM. Figure out the cost per pound. Kaytee is right at $4 per pound. I live 2,000 miles from KM, and my KM hay costs me around $1.50 per pound, depending on the shipping rates at the time. You're farther away, so it would be more expensive, but it's still cheaper than Kaytee, not to mention being much better hay.

Another place to consider is (broken link removed) -- they've got good hay, and are on the east coast, so they're closer. American Pet Diner also has great hay, but they're also in the west.

Some pet stores will also order bales of Oxbow for you which you can pick up at the store. I don't know whether that's any cheaper than ordering online or not.

Two pigs will go through 4-5 pounds of hay a month if you don't put it down for them to pee on, so you can figure out how much you need.

I live in Houston, where it's equally as humid as Florida. I store mine in the garage. When it arrives, I take it out of the plastic bag it's in, put it back in the cardboard box, and poke holes all around the box. I've been doing that for over two years, and have never had any problems at all.

A box of 45 pounds of hay is about 18x18x24.

 

[Sl and S]

how long does hay last?

 

[Petlovr]

Two pigs will go through 4-5 pounds of hay a month if you don't put it down for them to pee on, so you can figure out how much you need.

 

[bpatters]

What do you mean by "how long does it last?"

If you're asking how long it stays good, it lasts a couple of years if properly stored. If you're asking how long it lasts with the pigs eating it, I already answered that.

 

[Nicolene]

https://www.guineapigcages.com/threads/59867/

Here is my post on my hay bale from almost a year ago. We are just now reaching the bottom of our 100 lb bale ($16 at the feed store!) with 2 pigs. We are also quite wasteful with it and also will fill up a trash bag with hay when our humane society has bunnies and we bring it over there.

 

[Sl and S]

https://www.guineapigcages.com/threads/59867/

Here is my post on my hay bale from almost a year ago. We are just now reaching the bottom of our 100 lb bale ($16 at the feed store!) with 2 pigs. We are also quite wasteful with it and also will fill up a trash bag with hay when our humane society has bunnies and we bring it over there.

wow im going to have to check my feed store and see if the have timothy hay. thats a great price.

 

[aislynn99]

Since you asked for hay photos, here's what I have. I found a local hay farmer through the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist. His bales are $5 each. In the first photo, the bale on the left is third cutting Timothy and weighed around 25#. The bale on the right is second cutting Timothy and weighed 40#. I know another local farm that sells them for $3.50 each, but I've not checked them out yet and don't know what their quality is. My pigs like both equally.

I store them inside my apartment, in a freestanding clothes closet I bought at Walmart for around $25. It's cotton and breathable, and fits both bales perfectly.

As I'm sure others have said, Kaytee is pretty crappy hay. It's super dried out and usually first cutting, and not very nutritious. Kleenmama's is expensive when you factor in shipping, but if you don't have a local option and you divide the price by the pound, it's a lot cheaper than Kaytee. I was buying the Kaytee 96oz at the pet store and it was costing me over $20, and I got over sixty pounds of hay for half that price by finding a local grower.

 

[KD006]

I am a little bit alergic to timothy hay so I went to one local feed store to get orchard hay, they carry oxbow and the 15oz bags were marked $7.99, they were actualy mispriced so they were really $5 something but still $12 for less than 2 pounds of hay is absurd. When I had looked up the feed mills phone number I recalled seeing a couple more feed mills in a nearby town so I took the long way home and stopped, first one did not carry bales but pointed me a quarter mile down the road to their compitition. Pulled in there it was a feedmill, horse & tack supply, cowboy/girl clothing and turquoise belt buckle boutique but they had two sheds full of hay. I inquired and the orchard in a small (4' x 2' x 1.5') bale was $18, had to go back next day with my trailer to get it but that is like eighteen cents a pound!

Took two uf us to wrestle it off the trailer and on to a hand truck to get it to the shed but should be a years supply.

 

[kananaka]

Fantastic suggestions! Thanks ever so much for the info and pics! I found a store that sells Oxbow hay and pellets so I did go there and look at the hay and pellets. Wow did it look diff than Kaytee! So much greener. So I bought bags of Oxbow Timothy and Orchard and a bag of Oxbow pellets to get them off the rabbit pellets their previous owner was supplying them. I def will check for a local grower and a hay feed store exhausting all options till I find the best one for my wallet and piggie health. Thanks again.