Grass in fridge?

[Pantalaimon]

Hi, I’m going away for a few days in a few weeks and am struggling to find a way of ensuring my pigs maintain their routine with feeding.

They usually get a big pile of hay in the morning, a big tub of freshly picked grass at lunch time, a few pellets in the evening, then a bit of veg to keep them quiet while I go to sleep late in the evening.
If I do manage to find a pet sitter (and don’t have to be left behind by my family to care for them) they will almost certainly only be checked on twice per day, I will however be getting a pet camera so that I can watch them remotely.

I am concerned that by cutting grass in advance and leaving it in tubs in the fridge that it may begin to break down (even if it looks the same) and the contents of it will change and cause problems?
It would all be picked in the early evening then sit in the fridge, the last tub to be used would be sat for almost three days)

The veg should be fine as I have done this before but I’m really worried about the grass, how do people who give grass regularly get around this?
(I don’t feel comfortable asking the pet sitter to collect the grass as I am very specific about the quality)

 

[Claire W]

They will be fine for a few days without grass All they really need is their hay, a few pellets and their veg. Personally, I wouldn’t put it in the fridge. Grass should be fed shortly after it’s picked

 

[weepweeps]

I’ve left grass in the fridge for 2 days and it’s been fine. I’m sure one more day would be ok. Make sure it’s not cut up fine though. Keep it long.

 

[piggieminder]

I leave grass in the fridge for up to 2 days. I normally pick it and feed it straight away but if the weather forecast is particularly bad I pick extra.

 

[Claire W]

Sorry if I’ve given out false information, just when I was picking grass for Ella, I was told it should be fed straight away? Sorry x

 

[piggieminder]

You may well be right @Claire W . I know you shouldn't keep it long out of the fridge as it ferments but that would be if it was getting warm.

 

[Claire W]

You may well be right @Claire W . I know you shouldn't keep it long out of the fridge as it ferments but that would be if it was getting warm.

Oh right, I knew it ferments but didn’t know it was safe to keep in the fridge. I wish I knew this when I was picking it for Ella

In that case, I’m sure it will be fine to leave a 3 day supply in the fridge @Pantalaimon

 

[Pantalaimon]

Thanks for the responses!
I think I will give it a try this week so that I can see how well it keeps and also make sure they don’t have a reaction to it.
I’m mostly concerned that the pet sitter may not be able to tell if it has gone funny and then there’s no one there to see any unusual behaviour.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I have kept grass in the fridge “for the following day” but I’m not sure about keeping it for much longer than that. What about giving some dried forage instead or a bit of oat hay or ready grass?

 

[piggieminder]

Thanks for the responses!
I think I will give it a try this week so that I can see how well it keeps and also make sure they don’t have a reaction to it.
I’m mostly concerned that the pet sitter may not be able to tell if it has gone funny and then there’s no one there to see any unusual behaviour.

I wouldn't leave it for 3 days, that's a bit long.

 

[Pantalaimon]

I have kept grass in the fridge “for the following day” but I’m not sure about keeping it for much longer than that. What about giving some dried forage instead or a bit of oat hay or ready grass?

I’m mostly just concerned about drastically changing their diet (that has been unchanged for nearly a year) while I’m not there to notice any behaviour changes. One of my pigs is seven and has become very sensitive, if grass is late a few times (or slightly less in quantity) then she can become fluffed up and not great looking (only for about a day). She’s also extremely sensitive to temperature so that in itself is going to be a nightmare to manage.
I don’t have oatgrass or redigrass, and I’m fairly certain these are quite high in calcium (?).

 

[piggieminder]

Redigrass is a bit higher in calcium than fresh grass but it would be okay for a few days. Mine get it a couple of times a week during the winter while I'm trying to make my fresh supplies last or if the grass is frozen.
Mine have had fresh grass almost daily for years up until this winter when my crop has been in short supply. I've not had any health problems by them missing a few days a week. When I go away (5 days every 6ish weeks) my partner doesn't pick grass everyday as he doesn't always get a chance to do it, again no problems with health, he does however complain about them 'shouting' at him!

 

[eileen]

If the grass has been cut with scissors,or ripped out,not lawn mower cuttings.i keep in the fridge for 2 days.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

If the grass is cut with sharp scissors, to avoid bruising, dry and losely packed it should be OK. Wet, tightly packed grass would be a problem as it would start to generate heat and ferment. Trying it this week is a great idea to see how well it keeps.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Thank you all. I think I have a plan! I will try it out this week to see if it can go three days without going bad, if not then I will just do 2 days worth and the sitter can give them something else (either redigrass, oats or I will do a tub with a little extra veg).

 

[Pantalaimon]

Sorry to revive an old-ish thread. I just wanted to update this for anyone else who may be considering doing this.

I tested out the grass in the fridge and it actually worked really well.
I picked longish grass (probably 10-20cm long) and spun it thoroughly in a ninny spinner (not sure what other people call them, maybe a salad spinner) until completely dry. I then carefully put it in the containers so that it wasn’t compact. The containers were then kept in the fridge around 5°C. The grass was still perfectly good after three days, I didn’t test it for any longer though.

If someone is going to attempt this I would suggest testing it in advance as it would be different with different grass species and at different times of the year (the outside temperature my grass was coming from was very low though not frozen).

 

[eileen]

readi grass is 0.5 per cent calcium.it is not any more then timothy hay.

 

[Pantalaimon]

readi grass is 0.5 per cent calcium.it is not any more then timothy hay.

All of the information I have seen on this forum suggests that it is high in calcium so should be fed sparingly, or not at all to those with mineral related bladder issues.