UK Hay

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devonguineas

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I have read with interest another thread about hay and which type to get. Following a recommendation I went onto PP to look at the mountain hay recommended there and clicked through to the website. It looks lovely, but surely it is absolutely bonkers to buy hay that is grown in POLAND? Particularly at the moment with all the info and news about global warming and fuel costs etc! I want to feed my piggies heathily but this just seems very very silly!?

Can someone recommend something similar that is UK grown / produced please?
 
I go to a non selling animal pet shop and get local hay for £1.75 for a large bag that lasts my 10 and 2 buns 4 days. :) Can't grumble with that! x
 
Well I have to admit that I have just been buying a bale of hay at a time from our local farmer's merchants up til now. Partly because it makes a mess all over the garage, but also because of reading on here about different types and what is heathiest for the piggies etc I thought I might try something a bit more specialist if you all think it is worth it. But am not buying imported hay lol!
 
I would just carry on using the farm hay if you're happy with it, buying a bale is always more cost effective anyway. It's local and hopefully good quality.

I buy lots of different hays from Pampered Piggies and then mix them all up in a great big box. Each piggy has a small handful of this each day as a little bit extra treat, much the same way I suppose we would eat something like strawberries (?) The mix contains Timothy Hay, Brome Hay, Oat hay, Alfafa, Meadow Hay each one everso slightly different. The piggies absolutely love it too. I'm also fortunate to be able to grow and cut a very small area of my own hay and this is simply delicious - it doesn't last long either. Yes some of the mix I use is imported but it is quite difficult to get homegrown hay such as Timothy Hay (considered the very best hay for piggies) However, I feel the extra expense is justified. If you want me to send you a little bit of our own homegrown stuff just pm me O0 Norman at dustfreehay usually has UK timothy hay which I try to buy too. Sadly, for whatever reason I'm not sure, the uk doesn't provide different types of hay to choose from.

I like to keep alfafa hay in stock here as it's great for baby/pregnant piggies but I've never seen a uk version anywhere :(

The way I look at it is the life of a guinea pig could be a pretty boring one if it just ate the same old hay day after day. Yes it does the job but it isn't quite the same as every day having something new to smell and nibble at. All the piggies here (my own and the rescues) get really excited when they have their mix. This time of the year though there is so much to be had from the hedgerows and the fields I don't give them quite so much of my hay mix.
 
I have a local farmer that is happy for me to just buy one bale from him at a time for £5.

I am really excited because he promised that he would be cutting and baling (hope that's the right spelling) within a fortnight, and that was nearly two weeks ago. I can't wait for the "wheeking" from my piggies when they smell that lush fresh hay!
 
Goldie said:
I have a local farmer that is happy for me to just buy one bale from him at a time for £5.

I am really excited because he promised that he would be cutting and baling (hope that's the right spelling) within a fortnight, and that was nearly two weeks ago. I can't wait for the "wheeking" from my piggies when they smell that lush fresh hay!
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Does the hay have to be stored for 4/5 months before being fed like it has to for horses or can it be fed as soon as it's baled
 
Little M said:
Does the hay have to be stored for 4/5 months before being fed like it has to for horses or can it be fed as soon as it's baled
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I always wait for the new hay to be cut and baled. It is soft, green and smelling so sweet.
I rang my usual farmer today but unfortunately he has only baled really large bales this year. When I asked him what he meant by really large ones, he said about the length of a large car. So I had to drive further "a-field" but only managed to get last years hay. But this farmer has lovely soft hay which is keep nicely in an enclosed barn. It still smells sweet and is soft ... and at a cost of £4 is a bargain.

From my experience, the petshop hay that is pre-packaged is usually short and dusty and even if you manage to get long hay, it can be hard hay and obviously can be an expensive purchase if you have a number of piggies.
But it depends where you live in the country and if you have access to a farm.
 
When I first got my piggies last year (whom I adopted from my vet nurse) I bought the hay that they sell at the vets, which is Oxbow Timothy Hay, having been told it's the best. Umm .... I continue to buy it, even though I've discovered it comes from Nebraska, USA! But theylove it, and as they live in our living room, it's a lovely fresh smell in the room always. So even if I'm not very environmentally friendly (sorry) I know it's good for them, and more to the point they enjoy it. I've been told I spoil my piggies.
 
I get hay from a local feed shop near me - they sell things like cages, toys etc, then food for farm type animals, and also food for small animals. I can get a bale, or little bags...I get the little bags because I have no where to store a bale, but they still last a while and it's good quality O0
 
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