Cost effective way to feed haylage for one horse

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Georgia_peggy

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Hiya all,

Looking desperately for some advice and suggestions to a predicament I have.
I have a horse with COPD so she has to have haylage as hay, even soaked triggers a bad cough and breathing for her but no symptoms with haylage.
We are on a yard now where she is the only one on haylage so we are not getting through a bale before it’s going mouldy.
It’s lasting about a week, maybe just over before going mouldy.
We are unwrapping it and have 7 nets made up at a time to make sure it’s not all compact.
Unfortunately this is still leaving us with a lot of waste that cannot go on our muck heap so we are seeking an alternative to using big bales.
20kg bags at about £7/£8 each will cost a fortune as she gets roughly a 4-5kg in the morning in the field and a 8-9kg for all night. But I’m feeling like this is my only option.
Does anyone have any solutions or advice?
Based North Yorkshire for reference.
 
My big bale is lasting 3 weeks (2 horses adlib) unwrapped but as my supplier warned me it is more like wrapped hay. Although not damp or moist baggins doesn't cough on it which he does even with soaked hay.

I have had to pull the bale apart as it was threatening to get warm in the middle which isn't surprising considering it's been 14 degrees here in Somerset and the bale is short chopped so very compacted.

One of my suppliers does the half bale size, this should suit one horse and you might be able to keep it wrapped and just take the end section each time. The other option is small bale made by a farmer, they are usually substantially bigger than shop bought !!

Lots of ringing and asking around required ..

I take any haylage waste in the car in sacks to recycling centre to empty into the green waste to save a huge muck heap !!
 
I get small wrapped bales which are the size of a large hay bale (so substantially bigger than the bagged stuff- they are still £8 each but I'd say have more than double the amount in a bag) - for next year, if you have a local farmer who makes for the yard you could ask them to make a quantity for you and commit in advance to what you need for the winter.

If you are currently using large round bales, you can unroll them if you have space, they definitely keep longer this way - or make as many nets as you can and unroll the rest
 
Another one here who cannot have a COPD near hay in any shape or form. I used to get quadrant square bales and open from one end. Wrap tightly after removing each day's ration, and it would last 17 days. When Old Dobbin could no longer chew the long stalks, I moved him onto Equilage Veteran. Think they are 25kg bags, so it does go further. I was using two or three per week. This winter I am sharing big bales with another livery. So far, so good......
 
marmalade76 said:
You'll have to shop around suppliers, one here does three different sizes of square bales, the small ones are bigger than Horsehage. I take it you're using rounds? Square are easier to use.
Click to expand...
Hi, yes we currently have round. Have looked and spoke to suppliers for square and smaller bales that deliver to my location but a lot aren’t taking new customers or don’t do small bales :(
 
meesha said:
My big bale is lasting 3 weeks (2 horses adlib) unwrapped but as my supplier warned me it is more like wrapped hay. Although not damp or moist baggins doesn't cough on it which he does even with soaked hay.

I have had to pull the bale apart as it was threatening to get warm in the middle which isn't surprising considering it's been 14 degrees here in Somerset and the bale is short chopped so very compacted.

One of my suppliers does the half bale size, this should suit one horse and you might be able to keep it wrapped and just take the end section each time. The other option is small bale made by a farmer, they are usually substantially bigger than shop bought !!

Lots of ringing and asking around required ..

I take any haylage waste in the car in sacks to recycling centre to empty into the green waste to save a huge muck heap !!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much. I will try find more suppliers, although I have spoken to all that I’m aware of in my area and non of them can help.
The weather still being double figures in December certainly isn’t helping!
 
I would see if there is another/ couple of others that might like to share your haylage, perhaps at a slightly reduced cost for their share to encourage
 
If you're North Yorks based, speak to Skerne Leys (they're based in Driffield) - they do a 3/4 bale which isn't very big, but bigger than the small ones.... midi bales:
Our haylage products are available in three sizes:

  • 20kg pack – available through our network of stockists
  • Midi-bale – 150kg (approx.) square bale suitable for up to 4 horses or for those with limited stoarge/access
  • Large Square Bale – 300-350kg square bales suitable for the larger user.
  • Large Square bales of top quality hay also available

Haylage – Skerne Leys

skerneleys.co.uk skerneleys.co.uk
 
I would expect a bale to last longer than a week, maybe it's just the warm damp weather that's causing problems. Are you covering it back over with a tarp or something once you've unwrapped it? I can't remember what I used to do but I'm sure I either went for covering it back up tightly in winter or uncovering it in the summer but throwing a tarp over it if it was going to rain.
 
I have one horse on haylage (well he also gets the one net of hay that comes in his livery but he just picks at that!)

I bought a pallet from Yorkshire online. It was £320 for 40, each bale is lasting 2-3 days as you said. With the price round here in Brum for horsehage in the shops being £11 something I just tell myself I’ve saved 3 quid and try not to cry. 😉😝 to be honest it’s lovely stuff and worth every penny. It means he gets consistent forage and I put a bit in the paddock with him each day as well as it’s already a bog!
 
I would add to the people above about small square bales - bigger than the bagged stuff but usually about the same price. So much cheaper.
 
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