Learning More About Hay
Rabbits are so important to the human life because of the meat they provide, the manure that they also provide for the growth of crops and many other benefits and thus making them crucial to every farmer. Just like any other living thing, rabbits also require food and the best food for rabbits is hay. Dried grass or hay is one key component that should be in every diet of the rabbit. Among the many benefits that hay for rabbits come with, boost of the intestinal and dental health of the rabbits are some of the key ways through which your rabbit can benefit from being fed with hay. There are several hay contents which are very crucial when buying hay for your rabbit, cattle or even horse.
Some of the key things that hay for your rabbit should contain are discussed below. Fresh grass is something that hay for your rabbits can have and when buying hay, make sure that it contains fresh grass. There are so many ways of feeding your rabbit with grass and one of them is allowing the rabbit to graze freely. You can also cut the grass on your own and spreading it around the rabbit’s pen for easier feeding. The second component of hay is dried grass. The other common hay components include the legumes, wheat, as well as herbaceous plants which can be cut and dried to be stored as animal fodder.
You might end up getting hay that will be of no benefits to your rabbit or even cause digestion problems to the animal and thus the importance of taking some hay buying tips into consideration. The following are some key characteristics of good hay for rabbit that can help you find the best hay for your rabbit as well as any other grazing animal like cattle, goat and horse. You should ensure that you check the quality of hay you buy before buying it for your grazing animal.
One way of knowing that the hay is of quality is by choosing a hay with all the nutrients starting from crude fibre, crude protein as well as calcium. The other thing to take into consideration when buying hay for your grazing animals is its maturity. Some key things that indicate the maturity of the hay are the seed heads for the grasses as well as the flowers for the legumes. A good hay should have legumes, oats, barley and all the necessary components. Also check the softness of the hay for easier consumption by the rabbit. Hay that has a sweet smell is an incentive for the rabbit or horse to consume as the animals are attracted to it. The color of the hay should also be appealing to the animal.
The most popular hays include the meadow hays, variety hays and many others.