1 acre paddock - sectioning & feeding haylage query

[Overgrown Pony]

Hey guys

I recently had my 2 acre paddock (just moved to new house with land in November) ploughed etc and resown.

While i'm letting it grow and establish i've been given the use of a 1 acre paddock of decent grazing for my horse and his pony chum.

I was finding that they were not getting enough grass (pretty hungry) so i've been providing haylage adlib by putting a big round bale in the field. They're scoffed it within 2 weeks! I'll be using this paddock until mine is established and ready to use. Would you say this is my only option to provide enough fibre?

Also would there be any point at all in splitting the field in 2 or sectioning off say a 1/3 and rotating it to let it rest so that they can get some fresh grass?

I'm new to keeping my horse at home

 

[monkeybum13]

2 weeks is a fairly long time to leave haylage for, especially in the summer with warmer temperatures. Hay would be better.

 

[Tammytoo]

I wouldn't leave a bale of haylage for more than 3-4 days in Spring/summer as it goes off so quickly. Much better to chuck in 2-3 flaps of hay every day. If you do divide the paddock in two, why not spread half a bag of low nitrogen fertiliser on the fenced off part to encourage the grass to grow, give it a couple of weeks and then swap the horses round and do the other half? The grass is starting to grow more now, so you'll soon find they might not eat as much hay.

 

[lazybee]

One acre is too small for two. I think you'll struggle with two. Is it possible for you to keep the other acre as well? You'll probable have to keep feeding adhoc hay all the time.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

Cheers for your replies guys. I agree that 2 weeks is a bit long in warm wet weather for haylage. I'll go for hay this time.

lazybee this 1 acre paddock is only a temporary measure until my field (2 acres) is ready to use. I know it's not ideal but it's all I have the use of until mine is ready.

It's going to cost me a small fortune to keep them in hay all year round. They got through 5 small bales of hay in a week at £3.50 a bale! I tried the big round haylage and it lasts 2 weeks at £25 a time. Think i'll go for a big round bale of hay this time. Think they're about £20/£25.

 

[Enfys]

One acre is too small for two. I think you'll struggle with two. Is it possible for you to keep the other acre as well? You'll probable have to keep feeding adhoc hay all the time.

Nothing wrong with 1 acre, it is perfectly sufficient for 2 horses. They will have a bit of grass to pick at but it will not sustain them without hay, as Lazybee says. It is quite do-able, just bite the bullet and feed ad-lib hay, not haylage.

A round bale lasts 2 x 14.2hs 10 days on a half acre paddock with a bit of grass in it to browse on. Unless your horses are complete and utter pigs then they will eat as and when they want. I feed hay all year round to horses in smaller paddocks.

OP, I wouldn't bother sectioning it off, let them browse on what they can find.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Nothing wrong with 1 acre, it is perfectly sufficient for 2 horses. They will have a bit of grass to pick at but it will not sustain them without hay, as Lazybee says. It is quite do-able, just bite the bullet and feed ad-lib hay, not haylage.

A round bale lasts 2 x 14.2hs 10 days on a half acre paddock with a bit of grass in it to browse on. Unless your horses are complete and utter pigs then they will eat as and when they want. I feed hay all year round to horses in smaller paddocks.

OP, I wouldn't bother sectioning it off, let them browse on what they can find.

This, the field will be more of a turnout area than their main source of food, but that's fine if they are getting hay and a vit and min lick (yellow Rockies last longest and most cost effective from the agric store, safe for horses and all other stock and no molasses in them).

The big round hay ought to work out cheaper if good quality as they shouldnt wolf it quite as quickly as the haylage

 

[TJ&Ozzie]

I have my acre paddock split into 3. one small area of nothing and 2 areas of grass on a rotation. My 2 (14.2 connxTB and 16.2 TB) have plenty of grass. They are in the area of nothing at night and on the grass during the day. 1 acre is fine for 2 if you manage it properly. They have a week on one side and a week on the other.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

Cheers for your replies

TJ&Ozzie - how come you have a section of "nothing"? Is it just all eaten down or poached and not recovered from winter? Also why do you put them on the "nothing" bit at night? Do you give them hay at night? Just picking your brains So it would defo be worth my while sectioning and rotating to allow the grass to grow. Do you find that they still need hay or do you have enough grass rotating it like this?

I don't mind having to feed hay. Whatever they need they will get. But if I can manage it well so I don't need to feed so much hay then alls the better

 

[TJ&Ozzie]

Cheers for your replies

TJ&Ozzie - how come you have a section of "nothing"? Is it just all eaten down or poached and not recovered from winter? Also why do you put them on the "nothing" bit at night? Do you give them hay at night? Just picking your brains So it would defo be worth my while sectioning and rotating to allow the grass to grow. Do you find that they still need hay or do you have enough grass rotating it like this?

I don't mind having to feed hay. Whatever they need they will get. But if I can manage it well so I don't need to feed so much hay then alls the better

The nothing bit is where they have lived out all winter and is most sheltered area so they have stood there and poached it.

They come off the grass at night as they are both getting a tad tubby now the grass is growing. They have a deflating session! I also don't want them full of grass as they have a small feed each at night with supplements in (both oldies so have various bits all year round) if they are too full they won't eat feeds. They have been having a slice of hay each last thing at night but since the warm weather the grass has grown well and they don't need it.

 

[WelshTilly]

The nothing bit is where they have lived out all winter and is most sheltered area so they have stood there and poached it.

They come off the grass at night as they are both getting a tad tubby now the grass is growing. They have a deflating session! I also don't want them full of grass as they have a small feed each at night with supplements in (both oldies so have various bits all year round) if they are too full they won't eat feeds. They have been having a slice of hay each last thing at night but since the warm weather the grass has grown well and they don't need it.

I do the same as you with my good doer of a mare I have an acre for 1 to manage as I want so it's split in 4 she always goes on the nothing area at night to have her deflating session then on grass in the day or in the stable, I rotate between 2 x areas of nothing & 2 areas of lush grass I also can extend the fence line from the nothing areas to lush areas to strip graze it works really well and If anything I have too much grass .....

 

[TJ&Ozzie]

I do the same as you with my good doer of a mare I have an acre for 1 to manage as I want so it's split in 4 she always goes on the nothing area at night to have her deflating session then on grass in the day or in the stable, I rotate between 2 x areas of nothing & 2 areas of lush grass I also can extend the fence line from the nothing areas to lush areas to strip graze it works really well and If anything I have too much grass .....

I find it works well too. Will work even better next summer as they will have stables this winter and the field should be able to have a good rest.

 

[AngieandBen]

Agree with 1 acre is plenty especially this time of year. I manage my two ponies on quarter of an acre ( If you think a football pitch is 1.8 acres, thats pretty big! ) from April to October, and thats strip grazed.

They have the run of 4 acres in winter though

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I do the same as you with my good doer of a mare I have an acre for 1 to manage as I want so it's split in 4 she always goes on the nothing area at night to have her deflating session then on grass in the day or in the stable, I rotate between 2 x areas of nothing & 2 areas of lush grass I also can extend the fence line from the nothing areas to lush areas to strip graze it works really well and If anything I have too much grass .....

or you could do it the other way round if you want to minimise sugars in grass as they are much lower at night time (ie on grass at night, on bare patch in the day). Depends on the horses needs re weight and sugars....

 

[pachypach]

I have a 14.2 good doer cob and a 10hh shetland on 5000m² of grazing (about an acre I think).
It is divided into four. One part has water & shelter in and theres not much grass (eaten down)
I rotate between the other three, approx one strip a week as it is good grass.
it is still growing, and by the time they get round back to the first strip, the grass has grown well again.
no hay needed to be fed this time of year (if anything they are a bit porky).
I do have a winter paddock nearer home where they come from dec-march, and are fed hay once the grass is eaten down.
then back on the other grazing for spring summer.
works well.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

Cheers for the info guys!

It's a 17.2hh WB that I'm putting condition on and a 14hh Welsh type that's on th porky side.

Il get th electric tape out and section it into 3 and rotate. It's an acre sectioned off from a huge 10 acre field. The rest of the field has fantastic lush grass but my acre is eaten right down. I can see it's growing though, just not enough for my WB lad.