Hay Switching from KM hay to a local bale of hay.

[Amanda&Pigs]

I do have to say I absolutely love Kleenmama's hay and so do the piggies. I ordered the 45lb of 3rd cut timothy back in August and am now running very low. I had intended on ordering more from Kleenmama's but the shipping makes me want to find something a little more budget friendly.I went from five to ten guinea pigs in that time otherwise I'm sure the hay would have lasted me longer and the costs wouldn't be as big of an issue.

I want to try a local bale of hay. My brother-in-law's family lives on a farm they own where they bale their own hay. I know I can get a square bale from them without any issues. I have seen the actual hay. The hay itself smells wonderful, it is fairly green (not as green as KM's though) but it is definitely not as soft as KM's. Thats is what worries me. My guinea pigs are so used to the higher quality of the KM hay that I'm unsure of how they will take to the baled hay.

They eat the hay from KM very well, and have from day one. But I'm worried if I try to switch they may refuse to eat the hay as much, or possibly even not at all. I want to do whats best for them but also whats better for me cost wise. I feel confident in the quality of this hay except for it not being as soft. I'm afraid that will cause the piggies to eat less.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever been in similar situation as switching off of KM hay and what were the results. How long would/could it take them to get used to the idea of the new hay? Also, how long should I allow for them to get used to the new hay so that they were eating the same amount from the bale as they were from KM's hay? I will closely monitor them to keep track of how much they are eating and such I just don't want to cause any potential problems as I know how important hay is in their diet. I have also considered SweetMeadow as it is a little cheaper then KM for me but will go back to ordering KM if all else fails. I just wanted to try and get some input before I did any switching.

 

[sdpiggylvr]

I feed Kleenmama's and a local hay farm (I alternate between orders), and have found that the pigs are at first a little annoyed with the difference but soon recover. I get really nice, soft orchard grass (which feels and looks similar to KM's), so I think they do pretty well with it. I don't think guinea pigs require much of a "getting used to it" period with new hays--hay is hay, after all. Whether it's KM's or not, they usually just dig in. This post might help some.

Good luck!

 

[Amanda&Pigs]

Thanks for the reply and for the information. The link you posted I did actually look at before I ordered KM's or sometime thereafter. I actually contacted a few individuals that were within driving distance from me about hay from the internet hay exchange. I never got any replies so just continued feeding the KM and hadn't thought about it much since. Until my number of piggies doubled and I realized how fast I was going through the 45lbs from KM.

I hope my pigs are like yours and do just simply get annoyed and move on shortly after to eat the new hay as they would KM's. I guess my concerns were them plainly refusing to eat it (not that likely I don't believe), taking a long period of time to get used to the new hay, or just never eating it in the amounts they should. I will definitely give it a try as it certainly can't hurt. I was just posting my concerns to get any feedback from anyone who has made a switch.

The bale of hay is a mixture of timothy, orchard, and something else (fesuce maybe ?). It does have more of and aroma then KM and is green enough for me to be happy with that quality. The texture is what I thought could cause problems with the pigs not eating what they should.

 

[Amanda&Pigs]

I will have to double check the blend of grasses that are in the bale of hay I had an intention of feeding the pigs. I am certain it does not contain alfalfa and does contain timothy but the fescue I'm not sure either way. I just know there was something other then timothy and orchard but it wasn't alfalfa and fescue sounded right. But after doing a forum search I read that fescue isn't safe because of it potentially harboring a toxic mold.

If the bale does indeed contain fescue I will maybe search for something else locally, continue feeding KM, or maybe switch to SweetMeadow. I won't feed that bale or any bale that contains fescue, as I don't want to risk my piggies health. I am glad I did more research and a forum search beforehand.

 

[cfoster1966]

I went from KM hay to local hay and the piggies actually eat MORE of it! I buy 2nd cutting hay for $3 a bale from a horse farm. The hay is soft, just as green as KM hay, and smells great. The piggies adore it! I would advise you to shop around, go look at the hay, be picky. It took me three different hays from 3 different farms before I found this place. I will say that even some of the not so great hay I bought before I found these guys was still a hit with the piggies.

 

[andrea90]

If you live anywhere near a farm store, you can probably buy bales there. Just watch the blends (a lot of times they sell alfalfa) but you could probably get timothy as well. Good luck!

 

[Amanda&Pigs]

Thanks for the replies.

I will look around and see what I can find as soon as I figure out where to look. I would definitely be picky. I would love to find local bales as close to the quality of KM's hay as possible. I know my piggies would appreciate it.

I know to check the blends and alfalfa was my concern when I had asked about the last bale until I found out about the risks of fescue.

 

[sdpiggylvr]

I also think that if the hay they have available is the only hay offered, they'll eat it. If you would give them two different piles, one with local hay farm hay and one with KM's, they would probably for the KM's. I'm sure they'll do fine with the switch. Let us know how it goes!

 

[Amanda&Pigs]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I was able to find a bale of hay through some family that is a timothy and orchard blend. It isn't as green or soft as KM but has been the best quality and mixture that I've came across so far.

I'm sure the pigs would prefer KM but so far they have been eating this hay pretty well in fact. I was kindly surprised. They go through it a little bit slower but are still eventually finishing what is in their hayracks in about a day as they were before, then I refill of course.

I still plan on searching more to hopefully find hay that is still of better quality if possible. But I'm unsure of where to go to do so. I've searched online everywhere I know how but no luck so far. I know there has got to be somewhere closer to my location that has higher quality 'horse' hay. I would be willing to drive a reasonable distance if I knew the hay was going to be what I'm looking for.

I've noticed people mentioning feed stores as a place to look or maybe just get information. I have to say I'm not sure what exactly qualifies as a feed store. The only stores in my area that I would consider a feed store would be Tractor Supply and two others that I believe are more locally ran one being called Princeton Supply. I'm not sure of the name of the other but its similar to the Princeton Supply. Both of the locally owned stores sell a lot of the same merchandise that Tractor Supply would but aren't as large of a store.

I will be fine on the bale of hay I have now for a while, and still may order some KM, but would love to find a better quality bale around me. So if anyone would know where to try my luck with finding bales of hay in my area I'd love to hear the ideas.

 

[andrea90]

Amanda, a feed store is typically just that, a place where you can buy feed for your animals. Rural King and Tractor Supply are larger scale stores, but the same general idea. The Princeton Supply you mention sounds like it's probably what I'm thinking of. I would either call both Princeton and Tractor Supply to see if they carry hay...you could also ask them if they know of other sources of hay. I've seen bales of alfalfa at Rural King, which is basically the same as Tractor Supply, just a different selection of products available.

 

[Amanda&Pigs]

Thanks I will definitely give Tractor Supply and Princeton Supply a call or stop by one. I'm hoping they'll carry what I'm looking for or can at least lead me in the right direction.