Has anyone ever received timothy hay this thin?

[channeltool]

I just received this timothy hay from American Pet Diner. It is very thin and doesn't smell like timothy but they told me it was timothy hay. It is very thin, in the photos it looks a bit thicker. Has anyone purchased hay like this before.

 

[Jawramik]

Honestly, it looks all right from the pictures. What do you mean by "thin"? Do you know what cutting it is (1st or 2nd)? I know that 1st cut, sometimes called "soft cut," tends to have less of the harder crunchy stalks and tends to be more leafy. Is that what you mean by "thin"? I've gotten soft cut timothy before on accident. It's not as good for their teeth since it's softer, and I've heard it's higher in sugar, so it's not the greatest staple hay, but I give it to my girl as a treat sometimes.

 

[Amethyst]

Honestly, it looks all right from the pictures. What do you mean by "thin"? Do you know what cutting it is (1st or 2nd)? I know that 1st cut, sometimes called "soft cut," tends to have less of the harder crunchy stalks and tends to be more leafy. Is that what you mean by "thin"? I've gotten soft cut timothy before on accident. It's not as good for their teeth since it's softer, and I've heard it's higher in sugar, so it's not the greatest staple hay, but I give it to my girl as a treat sometimes.

I think you mean 3rd cut which is the cut with mostly leaves, and I agree it looks like it could be 3rd cut hay to me too. If it is, it's not good for everyday feeding hay, but can be mixed in to encourage hay consumption since most chins like it, and can be good if your chin is underweight. It's much softer being mostly leaf, as well as lower fiber, and higher in sugars, fat, and protein. 1st cut is mostly stems, it's very crunchy with very little leaf, it's high in fiber and low in protein and fat making it great for tooth wear, but most chins wont eat it. The ideal hay for daily feeding is second cut, which is a nice mix of crunchy stems and soft tasty leaves. A lot of the bigger companies don't sell hay in specific cuts though, so most are a mix of whatever they have on hand when they are bagging up the hay, so earlier in the season it's going to be bags of mostly 1st cut, then mostly 2nd, then mostly 3rd.

 

[Jawramik]

I think you mean 3rd cut which is the cut with mostly leaves, and I agree it looks like it could be 3rd cut hay to me too. If it is, it's not good for everyday feeding hay, but can be mixed in to encourage hay consumption since most chins like it, and can be good if your chin is underweight. It's much softer being mostly leaf, as well as lower fiber, and higher in sugars, fat, and protein. 1st cut is mostly stems, it's very crunchy with very little leaf, it's high in fiber and low in protein and fat making it great for tooth wear, but most chins wont eat it. The ideal hay for daily feeding is second cut, which is a nice mix of crunchy stems and soft tasty leaves. A lot of the bigger companies don't sell hay in specific cuts though, so most are a mix of whatever they have on hand when they are bagging up the hay, so earlier in the season it's going to be bags of mostly 1st cut, then mostly 2nd, then mostly 3rd.

Whoops, you're correct, I meant 3rd cut! Mea culpa.

 

[channeltool]

It is suppose to be second cut. The stems are very thin.