I have been buying KMS Hayloft (aka Kleenmama's) hay for many years. Their bluegrass and 3rd cut Timothy hay is beautiful stuff. I had to switch over to bluegrass just over a year ago, when I discovered I'm allergic to the Timothy. KMS Hayloft recently changed their source of bluegrass and it turns out I'm allergic to the latest bluegrass cut as well. Serious sadness.
For now, I seem to do alright with straight orchard grass. I did a temporary test with Kaytee hay earlier this year. It was terrible stuff and so expensive - $5 per pound! But I was desperate to see if another source would stop my coughing. There's so much local baled hay that's inexpensive, but the few places I checked either have first cut only, very brown hay or a Timothy mix. Here I am, surrounded by farms, and have to deal with funny looks from the FedEx guy as he delivers a box of hay to my doorstep.
So now, I'm attempting another test with Small Pet Select orchard hay. It takes at least a month for my sinuses to adjust to a new hay, so I'm starting off with a 20lb box. The hay arrived late last week and looks like decent stuff. What I've fed them so far has been medium-to-long strands and has a slightly rough texture. There is some brown, more than KMS hay, but a lot more green than most other hay I've seen lately. I'm hoping the rest of the box continues to be the same quality. Cannoli and Boadicea haven't thrown themselves into it like they have with a fresh delivery of KMS hay, but it has been steadily disappearing. Some of it is left spread all over the floor, but probably no worse than usual. So it passes their inspection. If my sinuses clear up in the next few weeks, I'll be doing a major happy dance!
If you're interested in trying a box of Small Pet Select hay, you can get $10 off (good until August 7th).
I just started my piggies and buns on SmallPetSelect's timothy hay this year and they LOVE it. With automatic shipping too it was the best decision ever. Have you read their article on storing hay? (https://smallpetselect.com/how-should-i-store-my-timothy-hay) Maybe that could help out your sinuses? Anyways hope you are feeling better and it will all work out:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. That is pretty much how I story my hay. I've been doing pretty well with the orchard grass - I'm not reacting to it as badly as I did the Timothy or the last batch of KMS' bluegrass.
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