Can haylage be unwrapped and dried?

[GrassChop]

I've got a square bale of haylage left that I won't need now as the grass is finally growing. However, I will need hay for the odd haynet and it'll go off if I open it just to use it for that.

Could I unwrap the haylage and manually stack it in my barn? Will it dry out and still be edible for the horses?

 

[Gloi]

I wouldn't do it. I'd sell it and buy some hay.

 

[GrassChop]

I wouldn't do it. I'd sell it and buy some hay.

It's a big bale, I'm not sure who would be able to collect it without a tractor that has the ability to reach over the fence and pick it up! I get them dropped over my fence usually as tractor access can be difficult.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It will be OK for a few days but won't dry out that much it can still heat up and go horrible in the summer.

 

[Gloi]

It's a big bale, I'm not sure who would be able to collect it without a tractor that has the ability to reach over the fence and pick it up! I get them dropped over my fence usually as tractor access can be difficult.

A local farmer might. I'd be afraid of dust and mould forming as it dried.

 

[GrassChop]

A local farmer might. I'd be afraid of dust and mould forming as it dried.

Hmm good point. Maybe I'll have an ask around. I'm not actually sure if it can be picked up over the fence as they normally get dropped a couple of feet above the ground as the top of the fence restricts how low the tractor can go.

 

[GrassChop]

It will be OK for a few days but won't dry out that much it can still heat up and go horrible in the summer.

Thanks, I did wonder that as it'll still be packed together technically so the air won't be able to get into all of it to dry.

 

[eggs]

If it is stored wrapped out of direct sunlight and somewhere cool it should be fine for when you need it again come the winter.

 

[9tails]

As eggs said, just hold onto it until winter. It should be fine as long as the wrapping isn't pierced.

 

[GrassChop]

If it is stored wrapped out of direct sunlight and somewhere cool it should be fine for when you need it again come the winter.

As eggs said, just hold onto it until winter. It should be fine as long as the wrapping isn't pierced.

Thanks both. Annoyingly, I have them dropped in one corner of my field as it's easier for me during winter so ideally, I need it off of that area so I can let the ground recover.

 

[Highmileagecob]

No. As soon as you unwrap it, it will start to sour and decay. I had the same issue during lockdown, when our landowner asked us to turn out in mid March to restrict footfall to the farm. I thought I could save the unopened bale for next winter, but when I finally opened it, it was a stinky mess. If you can get someone with a telehandler to hoik it over the fence and take it away it will save you the effort next winter.

 

[meleeka]

If you want it to dry you need to open it fully and shake each fold out. Unless you have a massive barn, it’s not really doable. I’d leave it until the winter and find some strong people to move it if needed.

 

[ycbm]

No. As soon as you unwrap it, it will start to sour and decay. I had the same issue during lockdown, when our landowner asked us to turn out in mid March to restrict footfall to the farm. I thought I could save the unopened bale for next winter, but when I finally opened it, it was a stinky mess. If you can get someone with a telehandler to hoik it over the fence and take it away it will save you the effort next winter.

I routinely used to buy 2 years stock because of the minimum delivery quantity. So I've had bales unopened from 2 years before, eg cut in 2022 and fed through into the spring of 2024, 2 years after cutting, with no issues at all. If there's enough wrap on it, it should keep, though the vitamins will decrease.

ETA stacked in full sunlight.
.

 

[Squeak]

I used to have the odd bale left over summer and if it was unopened it would last until the next winter. They weren't particularly out of sunlight either.

 

[GrassChop]

Thank you everyone. I was going to try and roll it over and keep for the winter or if we have a drought but the youngster decided to bite a hole in it last night as I'd let them into the area to eat some of the surrounding grass. Turned my back for 5 minutes. I've taped it up but doubt it'll last now so I'll just open it fully but continue to put some out I think. It'll probably sweat and go off quicker with the time it'll take me to get through it at one slice a day if I only open the front so hoping it'll last a bit longer if fully exposed to air out during use!

 

[honetpot]

What would world do without gaffer tape? I had a pony that took bites out of five bales when they where first delivered. Gaffer taped the holes and they suffered no damage at all.
Sometimes I would get a hole where they had been stood on the ground, perhaps made by a stone. The bale would be fine apart from a small black area where the hole was.

 

[GrassChop]

What would world do without gaffer tape? I had a pony that took bites out of five bales when they where first delivered. Gaffer taped the holes and they suffered no damage at all.
Sometimes I would get a hole where they had been stood on the ground, perhaps made by a stone. The bale would be fine apart from a small black area where the hole was.

Horses That's really good to know, thank you! Maybe it'll be okay then...

 

[Squeak]

If I had a bale open over summer, I used to open the whole thing up and it did last longer than with a cover but ultimately would still go off.

 

[pinkypug1]

I had one large round bale of last years haylage left and only 2 horses rather than 4 left in to feed. I opened it fully inside a 20ft container shook it all out and it lasted for almost a month went really dry but no mould, dust, foul smell etc and horses ate it no probs. It was quite dry to start with when wrapped so not sure if that made a difference.

 

[tda]

I would say yes, but you'd need a huge area to lay it out on
Like pinkypug, ours is quite dry already so would be ok

 

[Fieldlife]

Horses That's really good to know, thank you! Maybe it'll be okay then...

IME sometimes pierced bales are okay if covered immediately, and sometimes not. No hard and fast rule. Sometimes wrapped haylage keeps years, and sometimes the older bales are starting to go off. You may be lucky / unlucky.