Good Hay Bad Hay?!?

[KittyandNancy]

I don't know if I am ultra picky about my hay color or what.

I went to two shops yesterday and wasn't that impressed with any of their hay. One had a bit greener bag, even the oxbow Timothy was more like a light green with some brown mixed in. There orchard and meadow were nice and green so that what I got.

How green should Timothy hay be?!?Picture please. Where is a good place in the states to order it from? We have a lot of farms around here and I have seen some in Craig's list, but I don't want a whole bale! Or how could I store a bale over the winter?!?

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Good timothy had should be a dull green/grass green.

 

[KittyandNancy]

Yeah see I can find none this color. Somewhat green but not that bright at least not Timothy.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Yeah see I can find none this color. Somewhat green but not that bright at least not Timothy.

Put it this way. There should be no brown. Can cause a fungal infection if a piggy eats brown hay.

 

[Hermes]

I would expect most hay to be somewhat golden brown with green leafy bits in. As well as quality the colour will vary according to types of hay and with the cut which gives different leaf:stem ratios (affecting fibre content amongst other things).

I just came across Small Pet Select which is a US site selling timothy hay. It looks good on the site but I don't know anything about it.

 

[biscandmatt]

it depends on the weather and the cut. and also what they prefer. some like the more yellow hay. some more green. aslong as it's not too brown then it will be ok.

 

[helen105281]

It really depends on the harvest. I feed Timothy hay from Alfalfa King and my latest bag is very different to the last. The thing you need to check for is whether it smells musty or not as this can lead to fungal.