Ideas for homemade cookies or chews using leftover hay bits?

[VeeAngel]

I'm wondering if anyone has made a homemade snack chew or cookie out of the leftover bits of hay in a bag (and maybe the pellet dust and crumbles)? I've seen a recipe online for a baked option that used carrot and applesauce as a binder. Interesting, although I was sort of hoping for something no bake (like maybe dried/dehydrated?) and possibly a bit less sweet. My little monkeys are a bit on the pudgy side, so I try to really limit the fruit and sugars. I use timothy hay and orchard grass with botanical grass and oat grass for extra treats...and I always have a lot of leftover bits that are too small, or to dusty, to give to my boys directly. Hoping to find a use for them other than the compost bin. Anyone had success?

 

[Sweet Potato]

Sorry I can't help I tried making some once using a recipe that I think used banana to bind it. My pigs HATED them and they went mouldy in a couple of days.

Let us know if you find a more successful recipe.

 

[4boipigs]

This is a great idea. I buy Oxbow and it has a ton of little bits and crumbs lately. It would be nice if we could put it to use.

Applesauce or blended up apples or bananas are great binders and egg-replacements in general. I know other stuff like chia seed 'eggs' can be used, but this isn't good for pigs.

I looked up some recipies but a lot say to use oats in the cookies...piggies aren't supposed to eat oats, right?

 

[Piggies&buns]

This is a great idea. I buy Oxbow and it has a ton of little bits and crumbs lately. It would be nice if we could put it to use.

Applesauce or blended up apples or bananas are great binders and egg-replacements in general. I know other stuff like chia seed 'eggs' can be used, but this isn't good for pigs.

I looked up some recipies but a lot say to use oats in the cookies...piggies aren't supposed to eat oats, right?

Piggies can have oats but it is most commonly given by way of a plain handful of them as a way to boost weight in a recovering piggy

 

[VeeAngel]

This is the recipe I found online for "gnaw gnaw biscuits". Looks like they added some oat flour as a binder in a recent recipe tweak. I haven't tried this yet, and would like to try something without the oats (and maybe a sub for they applesauce since my piggies are already plump)

I may experiment with blending a base of straw and pellets in the blender, mixing in some more hay bits and straining in a cheesecloth to remove moisture before drying on a cookie sheet on a very low temperature in the oven. I do fear this will result in a crumbly mess, but I feel like destroying my kitchen soon

If anyone tries the gnaw gnaw recipe, I'm curious how it turns out.

 

[VeeAngel]

This is a great idea. I buy Oxbow and it has a ton of little bits and crumbs lately. It would be nice if we could put it to use.

Applesauce or blended up apples or bananas are great binders and egg-replacements in general. I know other stuff like chia seed 'eggs' can be used, but this isn't good for pigs.

I looked up some recipies but a lot say to use oats in the cookies...piggies aren't supposed to eat oats, right?

Yes, I also buy the Oxbow brand, and my piggies like it! Oxbow has several varieties of hay, and it's of consistently decent quality and available year round. Other commercial "pet store" brands look like yellow, stalky garbage...I think i've tried two other brands and basically had to throw them away. I'd love a local hay, but even the fresh hay grown for small animals isn't super local, and I always hear mixed reviews about quality depending on the time of year. It's also 3-4x the cost of Oxbow so I haven't been encouraged to gamble that my boys won't like it!

I think Oxbow can get dried out and more crumbly during the off seasons as it's been on the shelf longer. My last 4kg box of Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay was maybe 1/6 of the bag unusable. My piggies sneeze if their hay is too dry and dusty...not worth irritating their sensitive lungs to try to use the end of the bag, even as bedding, but I'd LOVE to find another way to make some of it usable.

 

[fruutsoop]

This is the recipe I found online for "gnaw gnaw biscuits". Looks like they added some oat flour as a binder in a recent recipe tweak. I haven't tried this yet, and would like to try something without the oats (and maybe a sub for they applesauce since my piggies are already plump)

I may experiment with blending a base of straw and pellets in the blender, mixing in some more hay bits and straining in a cheesecloth to remove moisture before drying on a cookie sheet on a very low temperature in the oven. I do fear this will result in a crumbly mess, but I feel like destroying my kitchen soon

If anyone tries the gnaw gnaw recipe, I'm curious how it turns out.

I regularly make those for my pigs and all 5 love them! I dont give them too often, mostly after nail trims or when i feel they should get a special treat! They take a while to make but its worth it. I also make my own pea flakes and dried carrot! Heres a pic of my girls Page, Luna, and Nori!

 

[Gem789]

This thread might be worth taking a look at

Home-made treat recipes....

 

[fruutsoop]

Thanks! I made the toilet paper roll ones for them a few days ago! They seemed to like it, my Page didn't really get the idea though. She kept just stealing veggies from her friends and made them do the actual work haha!