BIIIIIG hay fix!

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Lisajazz

Lisajazz

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I normally buy my bedding hay from a local shop. It's £4 for a HUGE bag. But this last was a different brand and was full of thorns and I cut myself loads of time picking them out and spent ages going through it making sure it was okay.

I lost the plot with it today and took it back and swapped it for my other brand - there was one lonely bag of it on the shelf.

Opened it and it smells a wee but musty! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :o:o

I'm fed up of it so convinced my husband that a 10 pack of the dust free hay co soft hay was worth the money. It works out a teeny bit cheaper per KG than my other stuff. BUT it's dust and parasite free and free of nasties like thorns!!

I was going to go down the farm route but was worried I'd get the same issues but on a bigger scale!

Only problem now is where to store it ?/?/
 
You and your hay what are you like! Although i can sympathesise with you after getting some hay from my mum pony which had thistles in and it drove me bonkers trying to sort it out for giving it to the piggies, and the last lot i got from my normal place had a few twigs of something that i had to keep picking out!
 
The other brand (my preferred one) had twiggs and stuff and I don't mind that so much it was these thorns. OUGH! I wear latex gloves to clean out and even through them it was hurting!

I have decided to make to half of the top floor in the C&C all a hay box. So a 2 x 2 area that all 8 can get in a forage if they want. Going to do it tomorrow!
 
Lisajazz said:
I normally buy my bedding hay from a local shop. It's £4 for a HUGE bag. But this last was a different brand and was full of thorns and I cut myself loads of time picking them out and spent ages going through it making sure it was okay.

I lost the plot with it today and took it back and swapped it for my other brand - there was one lonely bag of it on the shelf.

Opened it and it smells a wee but musty! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :o:o

I'm fed up of it so convinced my husband that a 10 pack of the dust free hay co soft hay was worth the money. It works out a teeny bit cheaper per KG than my other stuff. BUT it's dust and parasite free and free of nasties like thorns!!

I was going to go down the farm route but was worried I'd get the same issues but on a bigger scale!

Only problem now is where to store it ?/?/
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#

Any idea how they get it parasite free?

*Note to self must ask if DustFreeHay co. can supply a sample for Roger and Nelly to try*
 
Good question - maybe it is heat treated and kills them off that way? my hay area is 2x2 the piggies love burrowing in it!
 
I just read the stuff on the website - it doesn't state it's parasite free I was maybe assuming as they get ALL dust out?

They don't explain the two stage process they do.

But it won't be musty and wont be full of thorns!
 
Hey finding a good quality dust free hay is a boon beggar whether all the wee microbes and bugs are there or not.

Nelly came with a large bag of Pets at home hay and I can tell you I was not impressed with it, so she's munching the Orchard grass and botanical, I figure start as you mean to go on.

Just emailed the dust free company to ask if they would supply the wee ones with a smidge of soft hay to taste, being the fussy beggars they are and they have already turned their wee noses up at the Oxbow Timothy!:))
 
Meadow hay

My girls clearly prefer the small bags labelled "meadow hay" from the local Spar shop. Of all the hay to favour - the one from a local corner shop/ convienience store?! They don't seem to mind Pets at Home but don't stuff their faces like with the Spar one.
 
Modwyn said:
Hey finding a good quality dust free hay is a boon beggar whether all the wee microbes and bugs are there or not.

Nelly came with a large bag of Pets at home hay and I can tell you I was not impressed with it, so she's munching the Orchard grass and botanical, I figure start as you mean to go on.

Just emailed the dust free company to ask if they would supply the wee ones with a smidge of soft hay to taste, being the fussy beggars they are and they have already turned their wee noses up at the Oxbow Timothy!:))
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NELLY?

Whose nelly? What have I missed now?

(off to look)
 
Abi-snail said:
My girls clearly prefer the small bags labelled "meadow hay" from the local Spar shop. Of all the hay to favour - the one from a local corner shop/ convienience store?! They don't seem to mind Pets at Home but don't stuff their faces like with the Spar one.
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Funny aren't they!

Mine aren't fussed on the dust free stalky hay but will eat it in their run.

This is beddding hay and if they eat some great.
 
I've had one or two bags from Dust Free (usually the soft stuff) that has contained a thistle :x. Always a pleasure plunging your hand into the sack to be met with a spikey thistle! But I suppose that's going to happen if they don't use pesticides on their pastures. They do everything possible to ensure all the weeds are removed but nature is nature and some are going to creep in. I've just bought a bag of 'meadow hay' from my local pet shop and the piggies love it. It's nice and green and smells very sweet and doesn't appear to be too dusty either. Result!
 
If you live near the DFH company ask if you can pick up direct as it works out cheaper and also watch them at work - you will be amazed what gunk comes out of that machine from the hay as they are dust extracting it. We have a bag of the gunk here to show people when they ask what dust free means. They are like:o when they see it.
 
Talking of the DFH co.... one of my rabbits, Bibble, has always been a bum about eating hay whereas Smudge will happily munch on it all day. However since trying them on the stalky stuff (piggies rejected it) Bibble has become a hay fiend! To the degree that she will walk away from her much loved veg to tuck into it. There is also minimal amount of wastage as she hoovers it all up. Seriously impressed I have to say! It has taken me 3 years to find a hay she will eat rolleyes

The piggies also seem addicted to the DFH soft stuff. I am getting through oodles of it! The only thing I do wonder is how come it still has mud in it sometimes when it has been through all this processing ?/
 
The odd thistle I can cope with but this last lot of hay was just riddled with thorns. It was nasty.

I wish my lot had loved the stalky stuff, but they just wont do it. When I make the hay box bigger today I may add another rack and put the stalky stuff in again, try and get it used. I have 3 bags left!
 
Holidayhutch said:
If you live near the DFH company ask if you can pick up direct as it works out cheaper and also watch them at work - you will be amazed what gunk comes out of that machine from the hay as they are dust extracting it. We have a bag of the gunk here to show people when they ask what dust free means. They are like:o when they see it.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see how they do it and what comes out. Whereabouts are they? Nowhere near cardiff I bet!
 
Expecting my delivery today - very excited!

They are due a clean out and I would normally be doing it now but I am waiting until I get the hay to use it in the lofts and trays when it arrives.
 
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