Readigrass

[BB3]

Hi guys, so I worked out I'm allergic to Timothy hay, so I started to buy my piggies oxbow orchard grass. If you have seen the price of this you will know it costs a fortune! So unless I win the lottery I don't think they can be on this permanently lol. I am now feeding readigrass. My allergies don't seem so bad to this and the pigs go nuts over it. Trouble is I ran out the other week and got them some meadow hay to be going on with and they hardly ate any of it. Is it OK to feed readigrass all the time or do they need a mixture? Has anyone got allergies and found a hay they were not allergic to that doesn't involve getting a small mortgage to pay for it

 

[Beans&Toast]

I sympathise, I have severe hayfever and I'm allergic to grass/hay But Readigrass should only be fed occasionally in small portions as its high in calcium.. have you had a look online you can usually find it quite cheap, I got a massive bag of orchard grass hay for about £12, still pricy I know but it's lasted weeks. There's green oat hay as well have you tried that?

 

[sport_billy]

Readigrass is loved by all pigs but cant be fed as main hay.... It is very high in calcium - I would suggest biting the bullet with some orchard grass to wean them off the readigrass as they probably wont just go off it that easy ,it is like pizza to humans it seems and fed ordinary hay at the same time. Then cut down the orchard grass once they have forgotten about the readigrass! Have you tried the dustfree hay company. They do a good soft hay that comes in a box and lasts a while....
The big bag or orchard grass along with a decent meadow hay tend to last us a month too. Expensive tastes the little blighters have eh!

 

[BB3]

Ahh thanks, good job I asked, so I'll keep the ready grass as a treat and have a look for orchard grass hay cheaper. Or oat hay can they be fed that as a main hay? X

 

[Eriathwen]

Do you have a 'just for pets' near you? The 2 big bags they do at ours are either a 1m ish tall non compressed bag of local green meadow hay which our lot go mad for, thats about £4 or they do a similar sized compressed bale for £2.49.

I'm allergic to hay too and these 2 have been quite good at not setting it off. The dust from readigrass makes me come out in blisters! Having to use the last of it up usuing gloves.

 

[Beans&Toast]

Ahh thanks, good job I asked, so I'll keep the ready grass as a treat and have a look for orchard grass hay cheaper. Or oat hay can they be fed that as a main hay? X

According to the hay experts website it says oat hay can be fed daily. Mines get 2 big handfuls daily x

 

[BB3]

Brilliant, thanks for your help, only have a pets at home and a couple of independent pet shops by me but I could order online, I'll get them some meadow to be going on with till my fetch order comes. Has anyone used fetch, it's excellent!

 

[Rae13]

I'm really curious where the idea that Readigrass is high in calcium comes from.

Orchard Grass Hay is very similar to Readigrass except it's longer stranded and everything I see on sites that sell it says that's low in calcium.

This is the analysis of Readigrass

Typical Analysis
Crude Protein 15%
Crude Fibre 21%
Crude Oil and Fats
3%
Calcium 0.55%
Phosphorus
0.27%
Ca : P Ratio 2 : 1
Equine Digestible Energy
10 MJ/kg

so Readigrass calcium is less than the calcium in Cavy Cuisine which everyone recommends?

Cavy Cuisine Analysis

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 14.00%
Crude Fat (min) 2.00%
Crude Fiber (min) 25.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 28.00%
Moisture (max) 10.00%
Calcium (min) 0.35%
Calcium (max) 0.75%
Phosphorus (min) 0.25%
Vitamin A (min) 10,000 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vit C.) (min) 250 mg/kg
Vitamin D3 (min) 900 IU/kg
Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg

 

[BB3]

Oh thanks for that info, I would prefer to feed it as I am not so allergic to it. Seems like it is quite low in calcium x