The Alfalfa Debate: Many people ask about feeding alfalfa hay. My response as posted on FB.
Usually the alfalfa is the most expensive hay so we did not normally buy that. Alfalfa is the primary ingredient in most rabbit pellets because it is cheaper in bulk and has a high protein content for use in the formula. So obviously it is not bad for rabbits. Sometimes we were given alfalfa hay or it was all that was available. So we fed alfalfa hay at times. Sometimes it is not necessary to feed such a premium hay to all animals. "That's why we don't feed alfalfa to burros" was a proverb from Mexico. We preferred the oat hay or grass hay for rabbits. We tried to use "horse quality" whenever we purchased any hay since it did not have as much weeds. One more thing, we stopped buying straw for bedding and nest boxes when a friend said "just use hay." One less bale to store at the backyard homestead.
Usually the alfalfa is the most expensive hay so we did not normally buy that. Alfalfa is the primary ingredient in most rabbit pellets because it is cheaper in bulk and has a high protein content for use in the formula. So obviously it is not bad for rabbits. Sometimes we were given alfalfa hay or it was all that was available. So we fed alfalfa hay at times. Sometimes it is not necessary to feed such a premium hay to all animals. "That's why we don't feed alfalfa to burros" was a proverb from Mexico. We preferred the oat hay or grass hay for rabbits. We tried to use "horse quality" whenever we purchased any hay since it did not have as much weeds. One more thing, we stopped buying straw for bedding and nest boxes when a friend said "just use hay." One less bale to store at the backyard homestead.
