Difference between wrapped hay and haylage

[Debsflo1]

Please can you explain the difference.
Horse is asthmatic, doing lots better on haylage but I'm struggling to find big bale meadow haylage,( don't want rye )
Small bales are expensive.
Been offered large bale of wrapped meadow hay but assume it wil be drier than haylage but less dusty than normal hay

 

[ponynutz]

It's less dusty than hay but higher in fibre than haylage, so you need to feed less of it than you do haylage to fulfill their fibre needs. It also stores for longer.

 

[Cragrat]

My forage supplier sent me wrapped hay instead of halylage. It was bone dry, a nice green colour, decent smell - and my horses wouldn't touch it at all, not even the mare who thinks she's a labrador and inhales everything on sight incase she never gets fed again.
I had to ask him to come and take it away and bring haylage.

Haylage is usually baled sooner whilst damp, and undergoes a degree of fermentation which preserves it. Wrapped hay is much drier, so your're not feeding water. As PN says, your should need to feed less.

 

[Fieldlife]

I had wrapped hay 5 years ago. Some was a bit grotty some was nice. Harder to make than Haylage hence some bales not as nice. IME.

 

[ycbm]

I didn't find wrapped hay any less dusty than normal hay. A horse who never coughed on haylage coughed on wrapped hay. I think all wrapping it does is mean you can store it outside, so it's as dusty as the hay that went into the wrap.
.

 

[BBP]

My wrapped meadow hay seems to be part way to haylage. It has a slightly more fermented smell than hay and is way less dusty, drier than haylage but not as dry as hay and keeps better once open than haylage. Doesn’t agree with one of mine at all though and has given them free faecal water for the first time ever.

 

[GoldenWillow]

I've bought haylage that was pretty much wrapped hay and although it appeared to be less dusty than traditional hay it triggered my equine asthma pony. I've seen some big bale wrapped hay which is very dusty.

 

[rabatsa]

I make hay and then have it wrapped. It is hay with all the drawbacks of hay but it will store far better than unwrapped hay. I sell it to people who have to keep it outside and it does not weather, get wet or go off.

 

[Goldenstar]

It's less dusty than hay but higher in fibre than haylage, so you need to feed less of it than you do haylage to fulfill their fibre needs. It also stores for longer.

I would not use hay for an asthmatic horse .
It will contain spores and they are smaller in hay than in haylege and that’s why haylege is so much better in asthma
You should seek out Timothy haylege that would do the trick you should be able to get it in small bales from a local feed store .

Never assume than haylege will be lower fibre than meadow hay I know personally that analysis can show meadow hay has lower fibre and higher protein than haylege .

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I used it for years from a supplier and it was what I would call light haylage it's much drier and keeps longer once opened, although in very hot weather I did used to have to pull it all apart or it would heat up.

 

[Debsflo1]

Thanks all. Will stick to haylage which was my gut feeling but good to know