Farm Hay...

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CaymanCavy

CaymanCavy

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Hey there...

I've recently started buying Alafalfa hay from a local farm. Is there any thing i should look out for in terms of bugs or insects to further protect my pigs and myself? In addition, how should i store the hay?
 
Hay needs to "breathe" so I suggest you keep it in large cardboard box or old duvet . Please bear in mind that Alfalfa is not the best hay for adult guinea pigs so you may wish to see if the farm sells Meadow hay or Timothy when you buy your next batch.
 
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I agree with Piggy Owner re. storing hay.

Alfalfa (lucerne) is not a grass, but a much more protein and calcium rich legume. Ideally it should only be fed to pregnant and nursing sows. Fast growing young babies below 4 months can get a handful of alfalfa on top of their timothy or orchard(US)/meadow(UK) hay, but it shouldn't be more than that and you also need to limit the amount of pellets you are feeding to 40g max., as most widely available pellets are alfalfa based. Alfalfa is too rich for adult piggies and can contribute to the formation of bladder stones if overfed.
 
I called them and they said they only sell timothy alfalfa (which is the one i bought and bermuda hay. Not sure is bermuda hay is okay for guinea pigs?
 
Thanks so much lisasli, from now on i will purchase the Bermuda hay and mix with the timothy hay. It seems the Bermuda hay is good for guinea pigs as it is low in calcium and phosphorous. I do have 3 pregnant sows so they will need the alfalfa hay that i already have!
 
CaymanCavy said:
Thanks so much lisasli, from now on i will purchase the Bermuda hay and mix with the timothy hay. It seems the Bermuda hay is good for guinea pigs as it is low in calcium and phosphorous. I do have 3 pregnant sows so they will need the alfalfa hay that i already have!
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Glad to see that the Alfalfa hay is going to be put to good use
 
Feed one handful of alfalfa hay per pregnant sow per day on top of the normal everyday hay until about 5-6 weeks after birth; that covers the extra protein and calcium they need during the second half of their pregnancy and the nursing period in view that you have to limit the pellet intake to make sure that your babies are an ideal size for a smooth birth.
 
CaymanCavy said:
@Wiebke thanks so much for the information...i will make sure that they recieve the right portions of pellets and hay from now onwards!

@PiggieOwner i'm glad too because i bought enough to feed a horse LOL
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You may want to have a read through our pregnancy diet guide at the top of the pregnancy section. We have had generally a good success rate re. pup size and fitness with it.
 
Wiebke said:
You may want to have a read through our pregnancy diet guide at the top of the pregnancy section. We have had generally a good success rate re. pup size and fitness with it.
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I've actually just started reading through it now (which i should have already done). Thank you Wiebke, it really has some proper guidance which will help me help my sows!
 
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