Oat Hay or Oaten Hay is a popular feed for rabbits and other hobby farm animals. And while Timothy Hay and Orchard Grass Hay seem to be preferred by many hobby farmers who are feeding a variety of farm animals, quality oat hay is often a welcome alternative and is sometimes less expensive than timothy hay and orchard grass hay.
Adult rabbits will eat oat hay with joy and receive enough high fibers, moderate proteins, and a bit of calcium that helps keep them healthy and happy.
Oats For Hay
Yes, across America oat hay for rabbits and other farm animals is harvested when the oat kernels begin to form, or when the grass stalks begin to “boot” or “head out”.
Most rabbits are fond of oat hay if it is harvested before the oat kernels fully form. Oat hay is sold commercially for feeding many types of farm animals, from oat hay for rabbits to oat hay for goats and other livestock.
We admit that in America you hear more about hays like alfalfa, orchard grass and timothy for rabbits and livestock. But you can find oat hay at most hay auctions, local pet stores and online retailers. Many rabbit owners and hobby farm enthusiasts, including us, feed oat hay for rabbits and their other hobby farm animals!
Fun fact: Oat hay is more popular in Australia where timothy hay and orchard hay are significantly less available and therefore much more expensive than oat hay. And another Fun Fact for Rabbit owners and hobby farmers: You cannot get both quality oats and quality oat hay out of the same harvest of oats.
Why not? you ask. Well, if feeding rabbits and other hobby farm animals oat hay, then the time to harvest oat grass is when the flowering leaves are present, and the oat kernel is just starting to form; just beginning to “head out”.
During this stage of growth, the oat grass which becomes oat hay for rabbits, is much more palatable and nutritious for rabbits and other hobby farm animals.
If a farmer waits and harvests the oats when the oat kernel is fully formed and hard, “gone to seed”, then the oat grass is long past its prime for both nutritional content and palatability (unappealing texture and bad taste to rabbits and hobby farm animals).
Growing Oats for hay also provides the grass farmer with another option as he rotates crops to help preserve the fertility of his farm land.
What is Oat Hay?
Oats is a type of cereal grain and is part of the grass family of plants. The grain is the edible seed that grows on top of the oat grass stem.
Oat hay is the grass that grows to eventually support the oat seed. When oat grass is harvested, it becomes oat hay. Oat hay is most palatable and most nutritious for rabbits when the oat grass is harvested just as the oat grain begins to form.
Oat hay can be grown in early spring or late summer. Oats can grow in colder weather than many other grasses such as timothy hay or orchard grass. Additionally, oat hay can be grown and harvested in the higher altitudes of some lower latitude regions of the world.
What Does Oat Hay Look Like?
The video presents a brief discussion of Oat seeds in some Oat hay and wether or not the seeds may be harmful to your rabbit. The video also provides a great view of what Oat hay looks like.
Rabbit Oat Hay
Rabbit oat hay is oat grass that is harvested and fed to rabbits as hay.
Oat Hay vs Meadow Hay
Compared to meadow hay, oaten hay has the same protein content, a little less fiber, and half the calcium. Hobby farmers may find oat hay for a better price than meadow hay.
Can Rabbits Eat Oat Hay?
Rabbits can can eat and thrive on oat hay when it is provided as part of a balanced bunny diet. Unlimited oat hay for rabbits is part of a healthy rabbit diet when augmented by a measured number of rabbit pellets, and green leafy vegetables.
Oat hay is good for bunnies, including wearing down bunny teeth. Oat hay ranks with to timothy and orchard grass hay in the amount of fiber it provides to rabbits.
Some rabbit vets say that the different structures of various kinds of hay cause bunnies to chew one hay a little differently than another hay; and that this is beneficial because it helps wear down the rabbit’s teeth.
The fiber in hay helps wear down the bunnies ever growing teeth. Yes, all 28 of the rabbits teeth keep growing. Chewing on hay helps wear down the teeth so the rabbit can eat and remain happy and healthy. If the rabbit’s teeth do not wear properly then they may begin to pinch the rabbit’s tongue, or grow into the rabbit’s cheek, or create abscesses in the rabbit’s jaw. A plethora of rabbit illnesses stem from rabbit teeth problems. Oat hay can help keep rabbits strong and reduce health problems related to rabbit teeth.
Is Oat Hay Good For Rabbits
Yes oat hay is good for rabbits throughout the year!
In particular, the high fibers in oat hey is very important to the rabbit digestive system. More on that below when we focus on fiber and the percentage of fiber found in various popular types of rabbit hay.
In fact, if you transition slowly from one type of hay to another, you may rotate through several types of quality rabbit hay throughout the year. For example, you may feed timothy hay for 3 months, meadow hay for 3 months, oat hay for 3months, and orchard grass hay for 3 months.
Alternatively, every month you might transition to a different type of hay. You may cycle through 6 or more different types of hay, including oat hay, each year. This rotation feeding strategy helps ensure that your rabbit is eating a more diverse but rabbit appropriate diet.
Eating several types of hay seasonally throughout the year aligns better with how the rabbit would eat in the wild. It aligns with how the rabbit evolved. This rabbit feeding strategy may also save you some money. As you find quality hay on sale throughout the seasons of the year, you can buy it and transition your rabbit to it.
This rotating hay strategy, including oat hay, can be good for your rabbit and good for your wallet.
Do Rabbits Eat Oat Hay
Yes, most rabbits enjoy oat hay and it is healthy for them in unlimited quantities.
Another oat hay bunny feeding strategy is to mix oat hay in with other rabbit hays, such as timothy, or orchard grass hay.
In the wild, rabbits eat many types of grasses, hays, herbs, twigs, etc. Similarly, as they nibble and graze, they experience many different textures and smells. Some bunny owners, homesteaders and hobby farmers argue that the diversity of tastes, textures and smells helps keep the rabbit interested in eating hay.
Feeding your rabbit a diverse spectrum of quality hay, including oat hay, helps ensure that your rabbit is getting all the micro-nutrients it needs. This in turn, benefits the rabbit’s immune system.
Can Rabbits Eat Oat Grass
Yes, rabbits can eat green oat grass. Oat grass, like all grasses, goes through different stages of development in its lifecycle.
New green oat grass is soft and much like a sprout. Although not as fibrous as more mature oat grass or oat hay, the new oat grass is tasty and appealing to bunnies. As the oat grass grows, the grass stalk will begin to “boot” or “head out”. This is when a small seed head begins to form.
This is the maturity stage when oat hay is typically harvested. In this stage the oat grass is most palatable and nutritious for rabbits.
As the oat grass seed head grows it becomes a fully formed and mature kernel, the oat seed. In this stage the oat grass is tougher, not as palatable to our bunnies and also no longer as nutritious for our bunnies. Oat grass hay is what the harvested oat grass becomes as it dries out.
Oat Hay Pellets
Feeding some Oat Hay Pellet to rabbits can be an interesting journey into the concept of feeding a more diverse diet to your bunnies.
Oat hay pellets are good for bunnies and can readily be part of a balanced rabbit feeding plan. In fact, quality Oat Hay pellets are very similar to an alfalfa hay or timothy hay pellet, except oat hay is used as the primary ingredient in lieu of another grass hay. Further, this means that the protein, fiber, and calcium content of the pellet will reflect the protein, fiber and calcium levels found in oat hay.
We always recommend that you read and understand the guaranteed ingredients label before feeding oat hay pellets, or any manufactured rabbit food, to your rabbits!
Oat Hay vs Timothy Hay For Rabbits
Below is a Table of Hay Nutritional Value adapted from House Rabbit Society.
| Hay | % Protein | % Fiber | % Calcium |
| Alfalfa | 15.3 | 27 | 1.4 |
| Barley | 4.0 | 38 | 0.3 |
| Meadow | 7 | 33 | 0.6 |
| Oat | 7.3 | 29.5 | 0.3 |
| Orchard | 9.8 | 30 | 0.3 |
| Rye | 7.4 | 26 | 0.5 |
| Timothy | 6.3 | 30.2 | 0.5 |
| Wheat | 7.4 | 25 | 0.2 |
Alphabetical order: popularity not implied by order.
Relative outliers in this table include: (list)
Alfalfa hay is relatively high protein and calcium.
Barley and Meadow hay stand out for their relatively high fiber content. Fiber is very important for rabbits. It is a primary ingredient that keeps the adult rabbit’s digestive system healthy and working properly.
Nutritionally, oat hay aligns closely with both timothy hay and orchard grass hay.
Oat Hay Calcium and Oat Hay and Other Rabbit Hay – Calcium Levels
One could argue that Timothy has 66% more calcium than Oat hay, and for adult male rabbits that is a strike against timothy hay. Truth is, even the timothy hay calcium level is small enough for it not to be a long term concern.
Pregnant and nursing Does, and their kits, are healthier and stronger when they have a higher source of calcium such as alfalfa hay. This is because pregnant and nursing Does pass a lot of calcium to their kits. If they do not eat enough calcium, then the calcium may leach out of their own bones to be available for the growing kits.
Oat Hay Protein and Oat Hay vs Orchard Grass For Rabbits – Protein Levels H3
Additionally, we see that Oat Hay has 16% more protein per unit weight than Timothy Hay, and for adult rabbits, this is another strike against timothy hay. However, even the orchard hay protein level of 9.8% is a bit low.
Pregnant and Nursing Doe Protein
Science has shown that pregnant and nursing Does, and their kits, do better when the Doe has access to feeds that provide her with about a 16% protein level.
Similarly, bunnies weaning bunnies, at about seven weeks, through to six months of age need high protein and high calcium levels. Truth is, most owners will augment any hay, except perhaps for alfalfa hay, with some quality rabbit pellets.
A quality rabbit pellet is especially formulated to ensure that the rabbits are getting the right level of protein, vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients for health and longevity.
Oat Hay Fiber and Oat Hay vs Timothy Hay – Fiber Levels
When considering fiber content, oat hay, timothy hay and orchard hay all score well and the difference between the them is very small.
Additionally, barely hay and meadow hay both score well compared to oat hay fiber content. Remember that fiber in Hay is a key element for the rabbit for various reasons:
- Fiber is what keeps the rabbit’s digestive system active, healthy, and operating properly.
- Fiber is what pushes indigestible items, such as hair from grooming, through the digestive tract.
- Fiber helps keep the rabbit from experiencing GI Stasis.
Emphasizing the very important role of fiber in a rabbits diet, we offer the following from the peer reviewed article entitled, Rabbit Gastrointestinal Physiology – “Lack of fiber is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disturbance in the rabbit…. Breakdown of the normal physiological processes leads to disease.” Further, the article provides some great figures and schematic diagrams of the rabbit digestive system.
Oat Hay Nutritional Value
Oaten hay nutritional value is a key concern if you intend to feed oaten hay to your rabbits. Overall, the nutritional value of oat hay parallels that of timothy hay and orchard grass hay.
Is Oat Hay Good For Baby Rabbits?
Baby rabbits that are weaning or newly weaned need a high protein and high calcium diet. The extra protein and calcium are necessary for the fast growth of strong bones and muscles. Similarly, as they begin to process more and more solid food, baby rabbits need a high fiber diet.
Many rabbit owners and hobby farmers feed their young rabbits alfalfa, from weaning through to about six months old, because it is relatively high in protein and calcium. However, Oat hay is good for baby rabbits if their diet is augmented with an alfalfa pellet that helps provide the necessary boost in protein and calcium.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We often hear these questions at our local feed store and on the rabbit feeding and rabbit health internet forums.
- Do Rabbits Eat Oat Hay?
Yes, many rabbits eat oat hay and are fond of it. - Is Oaten Hay Good for Rabbits?
Yes, Oaten hay is good for rabbits. Nutritionally, oaten hay is very similar to orchard grass hay and timothy grass hay. - How Often Can Rabbits Eat Oat Hay?
Rabbit can eat unlimited amounts of oat hay. - Is Oat Hay vs Timothy Hay Better for Rabbits?
Many will say that timothy hay is better for rabbits, but we say that oat hay and timothy hay are very similar and both are good for rabbits. - Oat Hay vs Orchard Grass for Rabbits?
Many will say that orchard grass hay is better for rabbits, but we say that oat hay and orchard grass hay are very similar and both are good for rabbits. - Can Oat Hay Replace Timothy?
Yes, oat hay can replace timothy hay. Oat hay and timothy are very similar. Nutritionally, oat hay may be said to be better for adult rabbits. Oat hay has 16% more protein and 40% less calcium than timothy hay.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, quality oat hay is very good for rabbits. The Table of Nutrients for Rabbit Hay shows that nutritionally oat hay is very close to both timothy hay and orchard grass hay. Without a doubt, oat hay has plenty of fiber to provide for your rabbit’s digestive system!
Although oat hay is less popular and less well known than timothy hay and orchard hay, it is a good feed for rabbits and many hobby farm animals. In fact, you may find that quality oat hay for your rabbit is less expensive than the more popular rabbit hays!