Is Anyone Else Growing Wheat Grass?

[Swissgreys]

So it's official - today was the last lawn cut of the year, and this means there will be very little fresh grass for the piggies for the next 5 months
We haven't actually made this official news yet, and they still shriek like banshees whenever we touch the back door.
So starting tomorrow we will be growing wheat grass indoors to see them through the Winter.

Does anyone else grow wheat grass for their pigs?

I would also love to know if you use soil or not, and if you cut the grass first, or just plonk the tray (with love of course) into their cage?

I confess to buying one ready grown tray of grass tonight, but I predict it will last my 4 less than 10 minutes, so from now on I am growing from seed or I will be bankrupt before Christmas!

 

[GPcrazy]

I haven't grown my own wheatgrass, but am considering growing a tray of normal grass ony windowsill. Summer has just set in and we're in the middle of a pretty serious drought so noy allowed to water lawns. So the grass has all died over the past 2 weeks.

I used to buy trays of ready grown wheatgrass. Sometimes id cut it and put that it the cage. Other times I'd plonk the whole tray in buffet style. Both worked well. Ironically they seemed to eat less of it directly from the tray.

Try find a table on calcium content though. I think I saw recently it has a really high calcium content which is why I'm wanting to grow normal grass fory pigs rather than wheatgrass.

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks for the reply @GPcrazy
I did look into the calcium content, and it seems difficult to find a definitive answer.
Most places say it is ok to feed in small amounts, so I think I will go with that and see.

I am also going to try a tray of regular lawn grass too, but I don't now if I can grow it fast enough without turning my whole living room floor into one big lawn area!
I can see DH loving that idea

 

[GPcrazy]

It was this chart on Happy Cavy that I saw the calcium content: Vegetables and Fruits Safe for Guinea Pigs To Eat – The Happy Cavy “Snack” List

But I'm not really sure what level (in mg / 100g) is considered low and what is considered high. Just that 28 seemed rather high to me. But I'm not actually sure what safe levels are.

I'm also not sure how fast lawn grass will grow, but you do get faster growing and slower growing varieties, so i'm hoping to find a fairly fast growing variety.

The ready-grown wheatgrass you buy at the store will normally re-grow 3-4 times before you have to chuck it. I normally keep my tray for about 3 weeks or so. Mine comes in a "punnet" of 6 squares. So I cut 2 squares' worth of grass at a time, feed them that, then by the time I get to the last 2 squares the first two have mostly regrown already. Makes it last a little longer.
I am more hesitant to feed it after seeing that chart though...

 

[acapae]

I am also going to try a tray of regular lawn grass too, but I don't now if I can grow it fast enough without turning my whole living room floor into one big lawn area!
I can see DH loving that idea

You might have discovered this yourself already, but "regular lawn grass" grows much quicker than meadow grass species. This and its hardiness is why it's so often used for lawns, because fast growing means frequent cutting, and keeping it all neat, tidy, and flat to the ground, rather than tussocky. However, "regular lawn grass" species-wise is ryegrass, which is what Readigrass is. So on the one hand the same thingy re. not feeding loads, but equally if you're growing it indoors then getting through it more slowly means less chance of needing to cover your entire house