What do we need here at the Sanctuary by the ton, you may ask?
Hay, lots and lots and LOTS of Hay.
Little Hamish Highland is already loving hay to supplement his bottles!
Every 6-7 weeks we receive 10-12 tons of timothy "first cut" hay to feed almost everyone here. (I tell every Sanctuary Tour 'what goes in, must come out'!) Every 12-14 weeks we get 6-7 tons of grass "second cut" hay predominantly for the alpaca and some older animals, including goats.
(There are all kinds of hay - we don't usually use alfalfa here, but there is timothy hay, grass hay, chopped hay, cubed hay, pelleted hay.... you get the idea!)
Everyone with hay-eating animals here in the northern climates rests easier when we have full hay lofts as winter approaches. In fact, winter can be a tough time to receive a delivery if it is icy or muddy from snow. This time of year, the last haying is done and much of it is stored in huge warehouses. Our hay mostly comes from Canada, sometimes upstate New York. We are grateful for the priority commitment from Dave Ferestien of Ferestien Feed in Foxborough MA to get our frequent and large hay deliveries brought up here.
As most of you might know, we don't have 100 acres of rotational fields of grass for our rescues to graze on in the summer months, so we must bring in baled hay to keep everyone well fed and healthy every month of the year Thank you to the hay farmers, and thank you to our supporters who all make it possible to feed our hay-loving friends: horses, donkeys, goats, alpaca, llamas, sheep, bovines, and pigs!