Could new hay cause squishy poops?

[Dwarfpotato]

I've had my pigs for nearly a year and I'm still trying to find my favourite supplier for things. Up to now they've been having a mix of meadow hay from either hay-and-straw.com or vale bale, and some hay-and-straw timothy. I decided to try hay box for timothy because everyone rates it so highly (and my pigs LOVE it). However, since roughly the time I started giving them the hay box hay I've been having a battle with slightly weird poops.

Cookie started with mucus poops - they started having a cut in, with sort of mucus in the cut? Tico's have been very variable in size. Neither have been noticeably squishy or pointy, but they're definitely Not Right. I've cut out veg and things are improving but I've not felt confident restarting veg yet. I'm giving them pro C. I only have two pigs so can't make poop soup. Both of them are steady/increasing slightly in weight - they're both a tiny bit underweight for various reasons so the gain is good news.

Is it possible that hay box hay is much richer than the other hay I was giving, and is causing the problem poops? Should I cut it out and reintroduce it more slowly?

 

[Spaniel]

Is it the timothy hay blend? If so, it could be causing the issue as the soft cut is third cut timothy which is richer and higher in protein and fat.

I don’t think they make this clear enough on the website though.

 

[Dwarfpotato]

Yes, it is the blend. I'll put them on just their meadow hay for a few days and see if it helps. Thanks!
Here's some pig tax of Cookie practicing for feet out Friday.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Generally speaking hay is less likely to cause issues but that doesn’t mean to say it won’t.

Perhaps try just the stalkier timothy rather than the blend which contains both stalky and soft cut, and see if that helps.
I buy boxes of meadow hay and boxes of soft cut timothy from Haybox.

 

[Spaniel]

Yes, it is the blend. I'll put them on just their meadow hay for a few days and see if it helps. Thanks!
Here's some pig tax of Cookie practicing for feet out Friday.

View attachment 197111

Very cute piggy.

Try gradually introducing it after letting their tummies rest and see how you go.

 

[Dwarfpotato]

Update: no hay box hay for two days and their poops are absolutely perfect! I'll reintroduce veg in a day or two, and then start worrying about the hay. The problem is the hay box hay is so delicious they gorge themselves on it, so I'm going to have to be VERY stingy! Of course they still have mounds of meadow hay, but it's just not the same...

 

[Spaniel]

Update: no hay box hay for two days and their poops are absolutely perfect! I'll reintroduce veg in a day or two, and then start worrying about the hay. The problem is the hay box hay is so delicious they gorge themselves on it, so I'm going to have to be VERY stingy! Of course they still have mounds of meadow hay, but it's just not the same...

Good news about the poops