Feeding haylage that is more like silage

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AbFab

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What are the likely effects? We have disgusting haylage at the moment. It reeks to high heaven and is soaking wet. I'm sure it is pretty much silage, although it has been a long time since I have actually seen silage so I can't be sure.

Anyway, is it really bad for them to feed stuff that is like silage? From the smell of it I'm sure it can't be good for them :(
 
AbFab said:
What are the likely effects? We have disgusting haylage at the moment. It reeks to high heaven and is soaking wet. I'm sure it is pretty much silage, although it has been a long time since I have actually seen silage so I can't be sure.

Anyway, is it really bad for them to feed stuff that is like silage? From the smell of it I'm sure it can't be good for them :(
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Yes, silage is bad for horses. I would not feed really wet haylage, sorry. The drier the better if feeding horses.
 
A well known racing yard feeds silage or used to, I'm out of touch now. Supposedly with no problems. It will come scooting out the other end tho.

I expect there will be a lot of wet stuff this year due to the year.
 
The yard I work at got sent a load of this stuff last winter, the horses wouldn't touch it, farmer didn't want it back, did get it all replaced though with the good stuff. I'm betting your horses wont touch the stuff, never mind if it's good for them or not.
 
Silage is a fermenting product... as such it can cause colic. You only need to think about how much cows burp and fart! (We have a dairy farm!)

Also, silage is chopped, in a similar way to grass clippings....a bit longer but you get the idea.

We have got some 2 year old silage at the moment which we are feeding to horses but that is because it dried out a lot before it was baled and when we opened them up it was dry and golden and smelt lovely. The stuff we feed to cows which sounds like what you have described goes to cows and cows alone.

Can you return the bales you have got?
 
Lots of horses are fed silage over here. I wouldn't feed it, it's far too acidic and will upset the gut dramatically. Feed some gut support if you have no choice. Something like pink powder or yea sacc. If your horse is prone to laminitis definitely don't feed it.

ps. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
Haylage has a very narrow band of acceptable moisture content to be true haylage.
 
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Unfortunately I'm stuck with it - the farmer that owns the yard makes it and we have to use that. They have been on it just under a week now and my 2 seem fine on it, normal droppings etc, so maybe it is just really manky haylage. I need to get weight on my TB, so I need some lovely quality haylage....which this blatantly isn't!
 
I would get feed in if it isn't right for your horse eater than just going with what is on offer. The horses welfare is more important.
 
I think there is going to a lot of problems with haylage this year. I am on my 5th bale so far and they are bales made before is starting raining, so it is May haylage. It's beautiful grass but it is actually too dry and has a fair bit of dust in the outer two layers.

I was thinking about asking for later made stuff, but reading this thread I don't what to do next.
 
Last year at our yard we had some "haylage" which stank like sick. It was still long cut, but wet and stinky. As we had no choice, we had to feed it and my horses absolutely loved it - no side effects at all. This year I've only had two haylage bales up to now - the first one was amazing - lovely and dry, wonderful smell, second bale dry, but heating up inside so I had to pull it off and leave it cool down before I netted it, but not too bad. If I get any really wet ones this year though ( we have to buy our own this year - in previous years it was included) I will not be accepting it and will feed hay instead and just have to accept that it's going to cost more. I have a native and a barefoot TB - wet stinky stuff isn't going to do either of them any favours!
 
That's just what it smells like! It's revolting. I've washed my hands 6 times since I got home and I can still smell the vile stuff.

We're not allowed to get our own hay or haylage in on the yard. If we were, there's no way I'd be feeding that!
 
Ive found good hay that im soaking, id rather feed that than dodgy haylage, a few years ago i left a yard i was on rather than feed the rubbish fodder that the farmer insisted we feed, i was DIY and nobody will put my horses at risk to keep there pockets lined
 
If it's as bad as it sounds, I would be very concerned about botulism. If I was on a yard where the owner insisted that I feed something that could endanger the health of my horses, then I'm afraid I would be looking for somewhere else.
 
Holly Hocks said:
Last year at our yard we had some "haylage" which stank like sick. It was still long cut, but wet and stinky. As we had no choice, we had to feed it and my horses absolutely loved it - no side effects at all.
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Personal experience is the same - if it smells of sick and is damp the horses will kill for it. Never had any problem with feeding it to my guys - have one on the go at the moment. (first time in years I have had one and its the first of the stuff I made this year - was not baled until August due to weather)

Silage is very acidic and smells completely different to the sick smell - more like vinegar so there is a difference.

Mine personally would eat the sick smelling haylage before the dry stuff thats more like hay.

I think you get the dryer stuff when you cut it earlier - the grass has not gone hollow and stalky so the moisture is absorbed more - which you don't get so much when its older grass.

My thoughts - no expert haylage maker (only done it for 9 yrs) and this year it was just a case of getting a few dry days and begging the contractor to cut it NOW - but the horses love it when its like this

PS - TOP TIP I was given last night - the smell on your hands will be removed if you wash them in GREEN fairy household soap - will be buying some tomorrow as mine stink too
 
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m1stify said:
Beware of botulism in silage. Know of a horse that died last yr cos of eating silage
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Again, no expert, but I think you get the occurance of botulism in haylage and silage when it has become contaminated, either by soil in the making process or from being punctured.

You would notice the mould so you should be able to avoid this and it is not just a wetter bales that can be affected. Certainly my stuff has no mould present
 
Be careful, due to the risk of botulism. A lot of horses will eat pretty much anything that resembles hay or haylage. A cob of mine got out once and was found eating some minging mouldy haylage off the muckheap!
We make our own haylage and this years has been a total disaster. It looks and feels perfect but it just smells like your clothes do if they haven't dried properly - damp! Some people are feeding it but I'm not as my horse won't touch it and he's recently had colic (not due to the haylage!) but I'm ultra paranoid anyway now! I think its going to be a tricky winter forage wise for lots of people with so many hay and haylage crops being so poor. Good luck with yours, if you can I'd try and buy something else in.
 
cronkmooar said:
Again, no expert, but I think you get the occurance of botulism in haylage and silage when it has become contaminated, either by soil in the making process or from being punctured.

You would notice the mould so you should be able to avoid this and it is not just a wetter bales that can be affected. Certainly my stuff has no mould present
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This is correct, the risk of botulism comes from soil contamination - not the moisture content.
Not many farmers will wrap silage (for cost reasons), most will store it in a pit or clamp as we do at home.
 
Out of interest just asked my contractor a couple of questions.

Soil contamination is defo the cause of botulisum - its when the field has been scalped by the mower - you would see bald soil patches in your field if you were making your own, and it gets in with the grass. One of the reasons for rolling your field so there are no pits and ruts

The farmer would know the difference just by the weight of the bale when moving it - silage is significantly heavier.

Also you have the making process - silage will usually be cut and baled/carted to the pit virtually immediately, on a dry day certainly within 12 hours. Haylage is left longer and if it has been longer on the ground it will be haylage - the longer its left the nearer to hay it gets

Later cut haylage the grass is older and hollow so there is not much to absorbe any moisture hence why it can be wetter

Their horses like the sicky smelling stuff to - some may find it too rich if changing from dry stuff and will get the trots, others wont. Suggested mixing in with hay or a drier bale if this is the case.

Hope that helps a bit
 
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I thought botulism could be present in anything, but it couldn't actually survive in a dry environment, only in a wet bale, be it silage or haylage or whatever. I guess thats the problem though, no-one can really be 100% sure, but even feeding silage I would imagine the risk is low as I do know quite a few people who do and not sure everyone is going to be able to be as fussy as we have been in previous years this winter.
 
Think you are right about how it prefers wet conditions to dry - but it does seem that it needs to be contaminated first.

Not disputing what you say as I dont have a phd in haylage making:D
 
cronkmooar said:
Think you are right about how it prefers wet conditions to dry - but it does seem that it needs to be contaminated first.

Not disputing what you say as I dont have a phd in haylage making:D
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nooo me either :D just going by what was dredged up from the back of my mind! Someone who does actually have a phd in haylage making would be quite useful though!
 
Sadly don't think anyone will have - think it needs to be an exact science for there to be available phd's :D

The way I do it is don't feed mouldy stuff and if they won't eat it there is something wrong with it.

But the old boy remembered the smell of this wetter stuff as he could smell it when I opened in in the feed room and was wickering looking over the stable door in anticipation of getting it:eek:
 
minesadouble said:
This is correct, the risk of botulism comes from soil contamination - not the moisture content.
Not many farmers will wrap silage (for cost reasons), most will store it in a pit or clamp as we do at home.
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silage pits are only cost effective you have a herd of 150cattle or more, a lot of the smaller boys will wrap it, that is how I think a lot of it is getting into the equine circuit.

I would be very careful of feeding silage or wet haylage
 
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