One hay for rabbits and goats?

[savingdogs]

We are adding rabbits to our farm, and we currently have goats. We will not have a large quantity of either and buy our hay in small amounts due to storage and transportation issues.

I generally buy one bale at a time, in fact.

Is there one hay I could feed BOTH that is healthy for males and females, meaning goats and rabbits? I'm thinking possibly Orchard Hay. At times the females are pregnant or lactating. Both would also have other feed, of course, we plan to feed the rabbits pellets as well and the does get grain.

I could also just go to the hay barn for hay more often, but if I were out of BOTH, is there one hay to feed all these animals?

I normally have been feeding the goats alfalfa/orchard mix. In the past I have always fed rabbits straight Timothy, but I don't see that as a choice at our hay barn we prefer. There is a grass hay and a orchard/alfalfa and straight alfalfa, but I've heard that the rabbit can't really have straight alfalfa.

 

[FarmerDenise]

When we got our rabbit our vet told us not to feed too much alfalfa, and I forgot exactly what the reason was. He said to feed timothy, because it is high in silica and helps keep their teeth worn down.
There are times we cannot get timothy, he suggested oat hay or orchard grass for those times.

So I am sure that your rabbit will be fine with orchard grass. Try to supply apple tree twigs for him/her to chew on and maybe you can occasionally find a source of timothy in small quantities. It happens to grow in my DD's backyard and I go and cut it and dry it for our rabbit. I little bit goes a long way.
I also dry a lot of other stuff that grows in our yard to feed to all my critters. Our rabbit eats mostly fresh stuff from the garden/field. Sometimes I have to go scavanging for greens for my critters in friends yards and fields, but that is kind of fun.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I would go with orchardgrass or an OG/alfalfa mix.

 

[Bettacreek]

The alfalfa has too much protein for adult rabbits who are not nursing. It can be used to feed babies and pregnant/nursing mothers. I'd stick with the orchard or the mix. I always fed orchard grass until the neighbor gave us timothy.

 

[savingdogs]

Well my goats like Orchard! I can always get timothy periodically as well, but it would be nice to know what to bring home especially if I am out of both.

I don't really understand what the different hay names mean. For instance, "orchard" and "grass" hay, aren't they really both just cut grass? And first cutting, second cutting, those terms have been explained to me but I don't really understand what makes those different cuttings more or less nutritious.

 

[Denim Deb]

Well my goats like Orchard! I can always get timothy periodically as well, but it would be nice to know what to bring home especially if I am out of both.

I don't really understand what the different hay names mean. For instance, "orchard" and "grass" hay, aren't they really both just cut grass? And first cutting, second cutting, those terms have been explained to me but I don't really understand what makes those different cuttings more or less nutritious.

There are different types of grass, I don't know all of them, never bothered to try and learn them all. As for 1st, 2nd, etc cutting, that tells you when the hay was cut. And, depending on the weather, etc, the cutting will have more sugar or what have you in it.

Personally, I'm happy if I can get descent hay at a good price. As long as the horses like it, and it meets their nutritional needs, I don't care what cutting it is, and as long as it's not alfalfa, I don't care what kind it is.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Well my goats like Orchard! I can always get timothy periodically as well, but it would be nice to know what to bring home especially if I am out of both.

I don't really understand what the different hay names mean. For instance, "orchard" and "grass" hay, aren't they really both just cut grass? And first cutting, second cutting, those terms have been explained to me but I don't really understand what makes those different cuttings more or less nutritious.

Orchardgrass is a type of grass, just like timothy is a type of grass. Alfalfa is a legume, and has more protein than grass hay, same as clover or lespedeza or trefoil.

As far as cuttings go, usually first cutting is more stemmy and mature than later cuttings. Second and third cuttings are usually more leafy and tender because first cutting is all the uneven grasses that start growing unevenly at the beginning of the season. Most first cutting hay has seed heads in it, which means the grass is more mature, and most times not a desireable thing, but it's usually cheaper. You usually want to buy the nicest hay you can afford, and usually second or third cut is better than first. Sometimes it's good to have coarser first cutting, like when you're drying off an animal, or when it's really cold in the middle of winter. You can get away with feeding less expensive hay because the animals don't have a need for more nutritious stuff. When you have lactating animals, it's better to get the best quality stuff you can afford, and a legume or grass/legume mix hay is best.

I better stop. I could talk about hay for forever.

 

[savingdogs]

No, don't stop...thank you very much for explaining all that to me. You must have worked with hay? Or fed alot....but thanks. It is so nice to have a way of educating myself on the internet, I really appreciate being able to learn all this stuff.

 

[Henrietta23]

I have goats and an indoor pet rabbit. I feed them both timothy.
ETA:Martha, the bunny, also gets a small amount of timothy based pelleted rabbit food in the morning and some fresh veggies or small pieces of fruit in the evening. Hay is not her only food.

 

[BarredBuff]

I think hay for both would be fine. I feed my rabbits hay my dad had leftover from his cattle. They seem to like it. And it has a nice smell, its plain ole timothy/grass/weed hay too.