Hay is usually grown just once a year, with June or July being the ideal time for cutting, when we hope for a hot, dry spell so the fields can be mown. It is naturally grown, with no pesticides or herbicides used, and it dries naturally in the hot sun retaining its smell. You will often find flowers, cow parsley, and other natural herbage within the hay. These plants grow in the field and dry during the haymaking process, which is a clear testament to the organic-based regime under which the hay is produced.

The hay takes around three days of constant turning to ensure every last strand receives its share of sunshine. Once it has dried sufficiently—reaching around 10% moisture content—it is ready to be baled. This is usually done in very large round or square bales, which is the modern method and far less labour-intensive.

The bales are then transported to the barn, where they are stored for up to 12 months. We break down the large bales and repack them into our own bales just a couple of days before dispatch, ensuring the hay reaches you in top condition.

Please be careful how you store the hay, its very important, a cool airy and dark place is the best with good fresh air circulation. Plastic storage containers like dustbins are not a good idea unless the lid is has a gap to help the air circulate, a warm damp environment will assist in the formation of mold and encourage bugs. To be on the safe side we recommend you buy smaller amounts more often and suggest our hay should be used within two months of purchase. Very occasionally, the hay may feel damp this happens when its been packed on a foggy damp day, there’s no harm in this just open and keep in a warm room for a couple of hours.

The aim of our business is to supply quality forage that has the dust removed. Something that is often claimed but often just a sales line.
We started this business based on our unique dust removal process, which over the years we have learnt to make more efficient. we don’t think anyone else removes dust like we do. Indeed, most have no dust removal process at all and is sold out as it comes off the field. You should know it’s the very fine dust that you may only see in a shaft of sunlight that is the real danger affecting both animal and keeper, an animal in an enclosed space has little choice but to breathe this in.

Rabbits are renowned to be fussy eaters and very occasionally animals will not eat the hay, it’s impossible to guarantee this and although understandable to think there is something wrong with the hay there usually just be a simple explanation, hay from different fields/suppliers etc will have a different taste or smell from a previous batch as its always changing and usually just need time to get used to it. Of course your animal may just be of its food.

We suggest you cut the bag to get the hay out especially soft meadow hay, its compressed into the bag and pulling it out will tear the hay into short strands.

You might be surprised just how much there is in our bales once you have emptied it out, a small bale will easily fill an 80 litre household dustbin and weigh around 2kg while Large bales are around 7kg. Straw is slightly lighter but the same volume, its best illustrated in the videos on the cart pages showing the contents being emptied out. We suggest you cut the bag rather than pull it out as this can lead to tearing the hay into smaller lengths. You can watch the video on the more info page.