What Exactly Is Orchard Grass?

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luckyandsammy

luckyandsammy

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I'm getting a hay order ready so I can order as soon as I get paid and I came across oxbow orchard grass. I know people on here and on other forums recommend it but what exactly is it?
Is it just meadow grass?
Why is it so expensive?
 
:D Someone previously asked about the difference between Timothy hay and orchard grass. Timothy hay is quite course and stalky and gives the teeth a good work-out. Orchard grass is a lot softer and thinner. They are expensive because most of it comes from the US of A.
 
PiggyOwner said:
You won't regret buying some Orchard Grass @luckyandsammy ! I give mine a small handful every evening as a treat and they are queuing up for it !
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Aww, I might add it to my basket then :)

I'm trying to get a variety, we get through about 13kg of hay a month so for April I decided to get a 10kg bale from timothyhay.co.uk and then a 1.8kg bag of alfalfa king timothy, a 450g bag of alfalfa king oat, wheat and barley and a bag of readigrass.

I think the orchard grass might be a good addition :D How green is it and is it in long or short pieces? :)
 
Where do you guys buy Orchard Grass? Is it just Oxbow's, or are there some alternatives?

Orchard Grass hay is made of dactylis glomerata - i.e. the hay is made from a single species of grass. In contrast, meadow hay is made of a grass mixture, including naturally growing non-grass vegetation and herbs. The nutritional content of meadow hay is therefore highly variable, and one might unintentionally give too much calcium - if there's a lot of naturally growing alfalfa, clover, or dandelions. That's not the case with hays from a single grass species like timothy, bermuda, bluegrass, orchard grass, etc.


 
RosieMaia said:
Where do you guys buy Orchard Grass? Is it just Oxbow's, or are there some alternatives?

Orchard Grass hay is made of dactylis glomerata - i.e. the hay is made from a single species of grass. In contrast, meadow hay is made of a grass mixture, including naturally growing non-grass vegetation and herbs. The nutritional content of meadow hay is therefore highly variable, and one might unintentionally give too much calcium - if there's a lot of naturally growing alfalfa, clover, or dandelions. That's not the case with hays from a single grass species like timothy, bermuda, bluegrass, orchard grass, etc.
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Thank you, that's a lot of interesting information :)
 
luckyandsammy said:
I'm getting a hay order ready so I can order as soon as I get paid and I came across oxbow orchard grass. I know people on here and on other forums recommend it but what exactly is it?
Is it just meadow grass?
Why is it so expensive?
Click to expand...

Meadow grass is called orchard grass in the US. It is softer than timothy and ideal for hay trays to lie and bury in or as a topping layer for disposable bedding.

Meadow/orchard grass for small pets is first cut grass; while horses do better on second cut. Shop grass is also treated so you are not quite as likely to end up with skin parasites like hay/fur mites or mange mites. But that comes at a price.

I would have a look for online providers and - if you have got space for storage in a cool, dry area with stable temperatures, buy a larger quantity, as that is always cheaper.
 
I'm waiting for my orchid hay to arrive , I tell you one thing ... It's bloody expensive ! Hope my piggys don't like it to much don't think I can afford to find that addiction !
 
Wiebke said:
Meadow grass is called orchard grass in the US. It is softer than timothy and ideal for hay trays to lie and bury in or as a topping layer for disposable bedding.

Meadow/orchard grass for small pets is first cut grass; while horses do better on second cut. Shop grass is also treated so you are not quite as likely to end up with skin parasites like hay/fur mites or mange mites. But that comes at a price.

I would have a look for online providers and - if you have got space for storage in a cool, dry area with stable temperatures, buy a larger quantity, as that is always cheaper.
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Thank you.

I was thinking about buying the small 425g bag as a treat. I don't use hay as bedding for my guinea pigs and using expensive hay as bedding for my rabbits would be silly :D
 
Mine love orchard grass but it is given as a treat once a day and not as their main hay. They also get dust free hay as their main bedding and food hay, green oat hay, readi grass ( handful a day) and Timothy hay cubes from oxbow. I then Sprinkle their hay every evening with dried herbs from rosewood so that they forage overnight. They are extremely spoilt!

I love the Hay experts, they have everything you need to spoil your guineas rotten!
 
Guinea Slave said:
Mine love orchard grass but it is given as a treat once a day and not as their main hay. They also get dust free hay as their main bedding and food hay, green oat hay, readi grass ( handful a day) and Timothy hay cubes from oxbow. I then Sprinkle their hay every evening with dried herbs from rosewood so that they forage overnight. They are extremely spoilt!

I love the Hay experts, they have everything you need to spoil your guineas rotten!
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I was going to get some hay from dustfreehay but I wasn't sure how big the boxes were :( I will get some from timothyhay.co.uk instead :)

I want the orchard grass as a treat too :) mine love green oat hay and readigrass! I try to give them at least 3 different hays every day. I tried sprinkling stuff on their hay but they were not too bothered.

What kind of herbs do you use?
Mine refuse to eat any flowers. We have chamomile, sunflower petals, dandelion, rose petals and a few others but it always gets thrown out of the bowl when I put some on top of their pellets. They will eat dried leaves though. We got some blackcurrant and dandelion leaves in our bunny box and they love that. :)

I found the hay experts quite expensive. My last hay order was from there and I was disappointed with the quality of readigrass I got.

My next order is from viovet and just to see if it's any cheaper I put the same items in my basket on both websites. Viovet turned out about £3 cheaper, delivery was also cheaper, so I will be ordering from them :)
 
Hiya, I sprinkle the herb salad I think it is, from rosewood, they love it and dig through the hay to get it!

I may try viovet, good idea. Hay experts are expensive I agree but I like the variety they have. . With dust free hay I buy 5 bags of soft hay, you get loads and it's always excellent quality. We've just got used to it now and won't dare try anything else, I think the guineas would be very upset!
 
Guinea Slave said:
Hiya, I sprinkle the herb salad I think it is, from rosewood, they love it and dig through the hay to get it!

I may try viovet, good idea. Hay experts are expensive I agree but I like the variety they have. . With dust free hay I buy 5 bags of soft hay, you get loads and it's always excellent quality. We've just got used to it now and won't dare try anything else, I think the guineas would be very upset!
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Aw, we have natures salad by rosewood and it gets ignored. My piggies just don't get that there are treats in the hay :D

How big are the bags? Do you know how much they weigh?

Yes, I like the variety on hay experts, I will probably use them again in the future. I also like how neat their website is compared to viovet :)
 
Wiebke said:
Meadow grass is called orchard grass in the US. It is softer than timothy and ideal for hay trays to lie and bury in or as a topping layer for disposable bedding.
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Wiebke, that's interesting! So for UK farmers, meadow grass is the same as orchard grass, i.e. dactylis glomerata and nothing else?

From what I've read, in the US, meadow and orchard are two distinct hay varieties. For example, Oxbow has two separate products: Orchard grass (which they advertise to be single-species hay) and Meadow hay (which is a mixed hay: 'Organic Meadow Hay is composed of a variety of naturally occurring grass hays providing an enticing combination of textures, fragrances and flavors.') I'm also reading the following two websites and arriving at the same conclusion: in the US, meadow hay is a mixed hay as opposed to timothy and orchardgrass: http://animals.mom.me/difference-between-timothy-hay-meadow-hay-rabbits-6461.html and A Brief Guide to Meadow Hay for Guinea Pigs - Online Guinea Pig Care. I do however strongly disagree with the conclusion that meadow hay, being generic, is inferior to timothy and orchard.

In any case, thanks for the information, I certainly didn't know that in the UK, the terminology is different. In that case, I could get in touch with some British meadow hay providers online, and problem solved :) I think read excellent reviews on Dean's Meadow hay, so I may try it.
 
My pigs are in such a strop at the moment as their orchard grass has run out. It arrives today from the Hay Experts but is going to my Mum and I can't pick it up until tomorrow as we have the vets tonight so they have to wait another day. Their digestive vitamins have also run out so they are in a strop about that too.
 
RosieMaia said:
Wiebke, that's interesting! So for UK farmers, meadow grass is the same as orchard grass, i.e. dactylis glomerata and nothing else?

From what I've read, in the US, meadow and orchard are two distinct hay varieties. For example, Oxbow has two separate products: Orchard grass (which they advertise to be single-species hay) and Meadow hay (which is a mixed hay: 'Organic Meadow Hay is composed of a variety of naturally occurring grass hays providing an enticing combination of textures, fragrances and flavors.') I'm also reading the following two websites and arriving at the same conclusion: in the US, meadow hay is a mixed hay as opposed to timothy and orchardgrass: http://animals.mom.me/difference-between-timothy-hay-meadow-hay-rabbits-6461.html and A Brief Guide to Meadow Hay for Guinea Pigs - Online Guinea Pig Care. I do however strongly disagree with the conclusion that meadow hay, being generic, is inferior to timothy and orchard.

In any case, thanks for the information, I certainly didn't know that in the UK, the terminology is different. In that case, I could get in touch with some British meadow hay providers online, and problem solved :) I think read excellent reviews on Dean's Meadow hay, so I may try it.
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I talked to a farmer a while ago when I was buying vegetables at a farm near me. They were selling hay. I asked what type of hay it is and he said meadow and that it's just a mix of grasses from fields that are left to grow - they don't sow any seeds so whatever grows naturally is what's in it.

I wasn't sure if orchard is the same but after reading your reply I did some research and it does seems like orchard is just one type of grass :)

I got Dean's farm meadow hay last month and all of my pets loved it. It was very green and in nice long pieces. There's wasn't a lot of dust either.
 
RosieMaia said:
Wiebke, that's interesting! So for UK farmers, meadow grass is the same as orchard grass, i.e. dactylis glomerata and nothing else?

From what I've read, in the US, meadow and orchard are two distinct hay varieties. For example, Oxbow has two separate products: Orchard grass (which they advertise to be single-species hay) and Meadow hay (which is a mixed hay: 'Organic Meadow Hay is composed of a variety of naturally occurring grass hays providing an enticing combination of textures, fragrances and flavors.') I'm also reading the following two websites and arriving at the same conclusion: in the US, meadow hay is a mixed hay as opposed to timothy and orchardgrass: http://animals.mom.me/difference-between-timothy-hay-meadow-hay-rabbits-6461.html and A Brief Guide to Meadow Hay for Guinea Pigs - Online Guinea Pig Care. I do however strongly disagree with the conclusion that meadow hay, being generic, is inferior to timothy and orchard.

In any case, thanks for the information, I certainly didn't know that in the UK, the terminology is different. In that case, I could get in touch with some British meadow hay providers online, and problem solved :) I think read excellent reviews on Dean's Meadow hay, so I may try it.
Click to expand...

I think that our British meadow is generally more of a mix, but like you, I don't see it as inferior! My piggies certainly love it!
My hay comes from via a good local independent pet shop (which does not sell guinea pigs) from a local farmer, who sells his first cut hay to the pet shop and his second cut crop to an equine outfit; I am happy to use a locally sourced product. It is a bit cheaper, generally good quality and my piggies prefer it to the chain shop or online hay - the tray with the local hay was eaten up much more quickly when I trialled two sorts of meadow hay and one of timothy hay next to each other. I have not had any more health issues in the three years I have been using it when it comes to UTIs or bladder stones and the quality overall has been more consistent and better than similar priced chain shop hay. With the number of guinea pigs I have, I need to strike a sensible balance between cost and quality. Comparable large bale online UK hay costs about the same. ;)

Several years past, you could only get orchard hay from chain suppliers in the US and meadow hay in the UK; they were comparable in texture and quality. With the mounting interest and delivery worldwide, the variety of hay being sold has obviously grown in the last couple of years.
 
Tigermoth said:
My pair love Deans Meadow, and for us that is a local hay too so really happy to use it.
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I wish we could get deans hay locally :(
The pet shops near me don't sell it.
I can't get hay from farms because I don't have a car and carrying big bags of hay home is not fun so online is our best option. It's not bad though because we can get a nice variety. :)
 
luckyandsammy said:
I wish we could get deans hay locally :(
The pet shops near me don't sell it.
I can't get hay from farms because I don't have a car and carrying big bags of hay home is not fun so online is our best option. It's not bad though because we can get a nice variety. :)
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There are several good online hay providers with courier service delivery if you can source hay locally!
Several of our forum members swear by the Ings hay, from hay for pets, for instance!
Hay for Pets supply best quality Hay - organically grown hay, and straw for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, chinchillas and other animals - Hay for Pets
Deans Meadow Hay | Hays & Grasses | The Hay Experts
 
Wiebke said:
There are several good online hay providers with courier service delivery if you can source hay locally!
Several of our forum members swear by the Ings hay, from hay for pets, for instance!
Hay for Pets supply best quality Hay - organically grown hay, and straw for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, chinchillas and other animals - Hay for Pets
Deans Meadow Hay | Hays & Grasses | The Hay Experts
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I actually made a post asking about ings a few days ago :)
I also read about it on a rabbit forum and it's good but a few people said its not that good for teeth because it's a soft hay.
In the end I decided to go for the 10kg bag from timothyhay.co.uk :)
 
I wish I was able to source hay locally. Everyone around here refuses to sell anything below 100 kg of hay. As a matter of fact, 100 kg of hay is ridiculously cheap, but still. I buy wonderful meadow hay from a German organic farm, but it has lots of herbs and legumes, so ideally I'd like to mix it with a single-grass low calcium hay to make sure I don't give too much calcium.
 
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