Feeding Varieties of Grass Hay

[HannahEllen]

I bought a bag of oxbow timothy hay and inside was a little pamphlet advertising the importance of variety in grass hays for a piggies diet. Recently my vet had also recommended trying some orchard grass in my pig's diet on top of the timothy hay that they always get, and i passed at the time but then later I bought some orchard grass at the store and mixed some in with their timothy hay and they already seem to love it! Is it very important to provide a variety instead of just timothy? If so, could it upset their tums and should it be introduced slowly since they've never had it?

 

[Abi_nurse]

Ive never had problems introducing new hay and having any upset tums. I dont think its necessary but i do think it makes life a bit more interesting. Ive tried lots of different ones, camomile, birch bark, orchard grass, timothy, ready grass. Varity is the spice of life and the piggies love them all.

x.

 

[LordBernieBouffant]

Mine love the variety. They get a small handful of Timothy hay per day, plus one day the "hay for pets" hay, the next our local feed merchants hay (which is top quality), then some very mixed herbage hay from the farm next to my mums which contains lots of dried herbage along with the grass. They eat masses of it, but if I feed the same every day, they seem to get bored and don't eat as much.

I suppose there are different tastes for different areas

I mix hay and all my piggies tummies have been fine so I don't think you can go wrong if it's good quality.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Talking of variety, does anyone feed the Burgess herbage, the Dandelion & Marigold one? I wondered if their piggies liked it, assuming it's okay to give them it? Thanks

 

[RolyPolyPigs]

My pigs have herbage hay from time to time it's quite nice although the way it is cut can leave the hay quite stubby and short but it's still nice to mix in with what you normaly give your pigs.

The hay experts have a really good choice, I can highly recommend oxbow orchard grass, the smell is just yum!...oh and the pigs enjoy it too