Guide: Timothy Hay good vs. bad quality

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chingo66

Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
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Location
Canada
For anyone that uses Timothy Hay...

Below is a breakdown on what to look for when determining if you have good quality Timothy Hay or not...

Good quality: Bad quality:
Green in color Brown or yellow in color
Smells sweet & fragrant Little or no smell
No sign of dust or mold Dusty and/or mold spots (black or white specks)
Pliable fibrous stalks Stalks break or crumble to the touch
Contains only hay Contains foreign matter such as stones, dirt, earth and other plants

(source: smallpetselect.com/rabbit-hay)
 
As far as color goes Hay is hay is hay. Green, brown, yellow. If its a late cutting after the grass had turned brown, usually in drought or the last cutting in the fall. Yellow or light brown was cured in the sun for longer than the green. White or light brown may be because the bale was the top one in the sun. It should smell fresh and not musty.

It's whatever your chins will eat. It is well known that most small pet hay manufacturers dye their hay green.
 
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