Downgrading hay

Kancil

New Born Pup
Joined
Oct 31, 2022
Messages
27
Reaction score
14
Points
140
Location
Indonesia
Hi guys, I’ve been thinking of downgrading my boys’ hays this past few months. I’m currently on small pet select and am thinking of changing to oxbow. I have tried changing them beforehand but the boys didn’t like it that much. They were leaving so much behind so I went back to small pet select. Has anyone ever successfully downgraded their hay before and what are the tips on doing it? O still can afford small pet select but I would save more if I can use oxbow and both are of the same ingredients so I see no difference in terms of nutrients. Thank you!
 
I used to go to my local plant nursery and buy meadow hay by the bale. Mine were outdoor pigs though so I always expected lots of waste as it was for bedding and insulation as much as for eating
 
You aren’t downgrading as such! Hay is hay.

I used to have mine fully on meadow hay and timothy hay from an online supplier here in the UK, Haybox, but I have recently changed to getting meadow hay by the bale from a local farm and I still get the timothy from haybox.
 
I always get my hay from a variety of sources, and tend to mix various types together.
Sometimes they will go crazy over a bag or bale and sometimes they prefer cheaper hay.
I think it all depends on the cut and quality, which will vary depending on the time of year and weather etc.
As long as they have access to unlimited amounts of a decent quality hay then I don't think you have anything to be worried about.

Maybe try transferring them slowly and mixing the two at first?
 
I go to the local equine/farm shop and buy a bale of their own organic hay, it costs £6 I also get smaller bags of more expensive hay and to be honest they enjoy both
If you can find a local farm shop you might find this far cheaper
 
I get pretty cheap hay from a big pet chain store but I basically try to get hay which looks nice and smells nice. If it still has a bit of green colour that makes me happy - if it looks really old, brown and sun-fried I don't get it unless I have to! I get a mix of thinner and thicker stalks ('meadow' and 'Timothy' over here) because the pigs like both.
Sometimes the same brand varies a lot because it is seasonal and it just depends what you can get. They are often wary of new foods but like the other poster said you can put two piles in and they will focus on one but will try the other bit by bit. Once one pig tries it and is OK the other will probably tuck in too!
 
Back
Top