Bugs in oxbow hay!

[Tillygizmo]

Hi all. I have made two recent disturbing discoveries. There have been 1 large ciccada (sp?) corps (dried up) and 1 large cricket shell (dried) in my oxbow lately. At first i thought it was a fluke until I found the second one. I am disturbed about it because they were so big.... I know chins eat bugs in the wild but we are obviously feeding this hay to domesticated chins whom we do not know if they can digest these types of things well. I love Oxbow usually.. and now I am feeling down about it!

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Siylvat]

I have never personally found anything. That being said, I can't say I can blame them too much. It is probably hard getting all the bugs out, and if you were to get hay directly from a farm, i can't see how they would get them all out. I'd just be worried if it were moldy or something like that.

 

[addictedtochins]

Don't worry, chins wouldn't eat the bugs. I would call and complain though and try to get a replacement. Yes, it's true baled hay has bugs, But I get a 75lbs bale for $10, The same you pay for 10 pounds of bagged hay. For that price I would expect it to be perfect.

 

[Essentia]

I wouldn't bother complaining about 1 bug per bag. Hay is grown outside, just like the fruits and veggies we eat. That being said, I always find a bug or two with my fruits & veggies, especially if I buy organic.

 

[Tillygizmo]

That all being said, I would like to try some farm hay if maybe it is going to be similar and cheaper but I am from a metropolitan area (near NYC) and cannot find a hay supplier ANYWHERE

 

[addictedtochins]

I bet you could find someone on here who could ship some yummy hay. Locally we have Kleenmama's http://www.kmshayloft.com/catalog/index.php
Hmm, looks like all she has now is bluegrass. Well maybe you can contact her and get on a mailing list. Earlier she had beautiful timmy.

 

[amberlin]

Don't worry, chins wouldn't eat the bugs. I would call and complain though and try to get a replacement. Yes, it's true baled hay has bugs, But I get a 75lbs bale for $10, The same you pay for 10 pounds of bagged hay. For that price I would expect it to be perfect.

Do be so sure of it. I found mine munching on a huge grasshopper or cicada leg. It was Oxbow's Western Timmy also.

 

[mishellyshel]

tilly--check rosedale mills on 31 in Pennington. its the feed store i get my mazuri from, prob bout 30 min from you.

http://www.rosedalemills.com/index.htm

I have never found bugs in my hay but my chins really dont like Oxbow. I got a huge bag from the feed store for 9.99 and they mostly just toss it around. i am going to order from American Pet Diner since many members on here have recommended them.

 

[AZChins]

Years ago I had problems with bugs in the very expensive hay I would buy and have sent to me. It happens, but that doesn't matter - they need to replace it with bug free hay!

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Kleenmama's blue grass is AWESOME!!! And, my boys LOVE it!!!

 

[alli713]

Hay is grown in a field... There's plenty of bugs in fields, I honestly don't worry if I find a stray dead bug in my hay. It's bound to happen.

Just remove the bug, it's not like the hay is moldy or something. A bug isn't going to harm your hay.

 

[rach_leigh]

I have never found bugs in my hay but my chins really dont like Oxbow. I got a huge bag from the feed store for 9.99 and they mostly just toss it around. i am going to order from American Pet Diner since many members on here have recommended them.

What kind of American Pet Diner? The Timothy Gold hay?
It seems mine are wasting more Oxbow than eating it I toss out handfuls at time! I just spent a lot on a 40oz bag too. I was on American Pet Diner's site and was not sure if Timothy Gold was the right kind to buy and try?

 

[Tillygizmo]

I am wondering the same thing Racheleigh... I think I am going to order that one

 

[mishellyshel]

if i remember correctly the person who recommended it said to get the bigger bag because they hay is longer and not cut down. not the huge bag but not the smallest bag either. if you have multiple chins it is worth it. i think it was the timothy gold.

 

[6Dusters]

I've found a grasshopper in Oxobw and in my feed from a farmer. Not a big deal. I always check each handfull when I give it out. Just a habit after working on a horse farm and checking for mold.

 

[addictedtochins]

I asked Kleenmama if she was getting any more timmy, and if her pelleted food was made from her hay. Here is her answer;

Hi Theresa!
New 2nd cutting timothy will be delivered next week! I am trying to get
the site ready for sales, but I have been swamped. I should have it ready
within a day or so.

The Timothy Choice pellets are made from the absolute best premium timothy
hay. It is not from the hay I sell, the price would be prohibitive if I
had to ship the hay from here to Montana (the mill) so the mill gets his
own timothy hay, but he has sent me samples and it is very nice. We use
1st cutting, which is way more coarse than the 2nd or 3rd cut I sell, but
it makes the pellets have a great fiber content, and once it's ground up,
you don't know that it had stems )

Take care,

Linda

>
> Hello Kleenmama, so I guess there will be no more timmy till next year?
> How are your timmy pellets made, is it from your choice timmy hay?
>

 

[amberlin]

I don't care about finding bugs in my hay. I just don't want my chins to be feasting on dead bugs.

 

[eycamry]

I ordered some 3rd cut hay from Kleemama a while ago. The hay was very green, but with a lot of dead grasshoppers in it. I tried to pick them out. My chins might've eaten a few of them already.

 

[Rickman]

Don't know if dead grasshoppers would necessarily be bad - I'm sure they can catch them in the wild - kind of a treat!

 

[addictedtochins]

hmm, so no doubt there are bugs ground up in the pelleted food. All brands I'm sure