Written by The Rabbit Hole Hay Team
We are beginning the transition of changing our Timothy Hay product names to new ones. Up until now, we've used the product names: First Cut, Second Cut, and Third Cut Timothy Hay. We'll soon be replacing these product names with: Coarse, Medium, and Soft Timothy Hay.
The main reason behind this transition is because we want your experience with our products to be more consistent and for you to receive what you expect with each box of Timothy Hay. While referring to a cut of hay by the order in which it was harvested from the field (first, second, and third) is an accurate and precise way to reference it, it does nothing to describe the quality and texture you want to buy.
We have found over the last six years that we often used terms like soft, coarse, and leafy to accurately describe the texture of the hay to our customers. It got us thinking, what if we change the name to something everyone understands?
Soft Timothy hay can be harvested from the second or third cut depending on where it was grown and harvested.
Moving forward we will provide you with the highest quality hay we can find that meets the standards for what a Soft Timothy Hay should be, regardless if it’s from the second or third cut.
Harvest: Second or third cut of pure Timothy Hay
Color: Described as hunter or deep green. Soft Timothy Hay should be noticeably darker green than Coarse or Medium Timothy Hay.
Stems/Stalks: The stems of Soft hay should be very thin, less than 1/32nd of an inch, if any at all. Generally when stems are found within Soft Timothy Hay they are almost completely wrapped in leaves, making them appear thicker, but if you peel off the leaves you will find that they are very thin underneath. Any stems (stalks) that are present should be solid, almost ‘wiry’ in feel.
Leaves: Soft Timothy Hay should be almost entirely leaves, at a glance it should look to just be leaves. Only upon closer inspection can you find a few seed heads and/or stems.
Seed Heads/Flowers: The seed heads, also called flowers, should be rare. But, if you do happen to find some they will either be underdeveloped and a bright light green in color, or they will be fully developed with purple wisps, generally no longer than 1-2 inches. Generally the seed heads in Soft Timothy Hay should be few in number, if any. If the hay is from a second cut,you may find more than if the hay is from a third cut.
Our goal is to offer the highest quality hay, however, all naturally grown and harvested hay holds minor imperfections such as dust, weeds, leaf crush, and brown leaf. The ideal version of Soft Timothy Hay would have none of these.
The 2021 Ultra Premium Soft Timothy Hay we have in stock is currently a second cut. This hay was specifically chosen from a high mountain field for its unique qualities that allow it to be a really great Soft Timothy Hay.
Here is the report on what we have in stock:
Overall Rating: 7/10
Harvest: Second cut of pure Timothy Hay, it was harvested in September of 2021.
Location: Northern California
Color: Deep Green
Stems/Stalks: Averaging 8-10 inches long and are very thin in diameter.
Leaves: Made up of mostly leaves with the leaf length up to 6-8 inches. They are nice and broad. While they seem to be a little on the short side, they are maintaining their structural integrity and are not breaking into leaf crush.
Seed Heads/Flowers: Medium volume of seed heads on their respective thin stems, most are on the short side..
Leaf Crush: Almost none
Weeds: None
Brown Leaf: Medium, this is why we rated the hay at a 7, there is a fair amount of brown leaf. The rest of the hay looks so good! However, there is a brown leaf in it that is noticeable.
Dust: None
Summary: This year's Soft Timothy Hay is an okay example of what Soft Timothy Hay should be. It does have a medium volume of seed heads on the shorter side in it, however, because of the high amount of leaves and the stem size, we find it works well for Soft Timothy Hay loving pets. The only reason it doesn't receive a 10/10 is the fair amount of brown leaf scattered throughout and presence of seed heads.
This year's Soft Timothy Hay is an okay example of what Soft Timothy Hay should be. It does have a medium volume of seed heads on the shorter side in it, however, because of the high amount of leaves and the stem size, we find it works well for Soft Timothy Hay loving pets. The only reason it doesn't receive a 10/10 is the fair amount of brown leaf scattered throughout and presence of seed heads.
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