Could someone PLEASE tell me the difference between straw and hay??

[Funky Feathers]

Yes, straw is way cheaper for bedding. Why waste good money on expensive hay just for bedding? Horses will not eat straw unless they are starving. They are picky eaters. Cows will eat poor quality hay, horses will not. My horse turns her nose up at less than the best quality hay (like the hay in your pics). That hay looks dry & brown & old. I would never buy my horse that kind of hay.

 

[joan1708]

OK, hay for eating/straw for bedding. But I've seen posts where the chickens ate the straw and got it stuck in their crop, and it had to be cut out! Is that uncommon?

 

[Moogie]

I just looked at the receipt for the hay my DH bought. It wasn't $12 a bale. It was $15.99

The huge bag of shavings was only $4.99. We're switching to shavings...

 

[daddy_roo]

When you put straw in a muddy pen it does not bread down, and decinigrate nearly as quick as hay will. Hay also has a very high rate of molding which if enough is introduced in the wrong type of environment can cause illness in chickens. That is just one theory out there. My personal reason is because here in KY, straw is 3 Bucks a bale. Hay (depending on type, but for referance sake) alfalfa is almost 7 a bale. IM a tight wad.

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
Looks like great cow hay, lol. Like has been stated, they are dif plants. My parents pay 17 bucks a bail in cali, it went up like 5 bucks just this past year.

 

[Funky Feathers]

Over here we pay $5 a bale for good quality horse hay and $2 a bale for straw. Wheat straw makes much better bedding than the other kinds (barley, etc).

 

[Aria]

We have a neighbor that sells us first cut HAY in the square bale $1.50 a bale. And it is clean and smells great and our Silkie Chickens love it. Aria

 

[kuntrygirl]

Never thought to use straw as bedding. Not even sure our feed stores sell straw. I have only seen hay.