Feeding small bale haylage 20kg

cblover

cblover

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Just wondering for those who feed haylage and only have 1 or 2 horses to feed, do you feed the small 20kg bags of haylage? The shop bought bags I mean.

I’m new to feeding haylage but my Clyde Scrappy seems to enjoy it much more than hay and is keeping her weight up better. I can’t seem to find a more cost effective way of feeding her, as I only have her to feed so can’t get a big round bale as it would just ruin.

I’m paying around £7 for a 20kg bag and thankfully there isn’t much waste, so I’m thinking maybe in the long run, it will be cost effective. Hay is £5 for a small bale round our area anyway.

Am I on the right lines? I’m going to stock up in the summer to make the winter a bit easier. Not that I’m thinking of next winter already......god no!
 
There's some that are 25kg. In the winter it becomes pricey but during the summer depending on your circumstances you could find that in really hot weather it goes off before you've finished it.
 
I would not personally stock up on loads of wrapped bales ever since the time was had rats take up residence and did not realise until the little darlings had punched holes in all of the bottom ones and some on the 2nd layer ones too :mad:
 
cblover said:
Just wondering for those who feed haylage and only have 1 or 2 horses to feed, do you feed the small 20kg bags of haylage? The shop bought bags I mean.

I’m new to feeding haylage but my Clyde Scrappy seems to enjoy it much more than hay and is keeping her weight up better. I can’t seem to find a more cost effective way of feeding her, as I only have her to feed so can’t get a big round bale as it would just ruin.

I’m paying around £7 for a 20kg bag and thankfully there isn’t much waste, so I’m thinking maybe in the long run, it will be cost effective. Hay is £5 for a small bale round our area anyway.

Am I on the right lines? I’m going to stock up in the summer to make the winter a bit easier. Not that I’m thinking of next winter already......god no!
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I have 2 horses to feed - one is ad lib and the other is restricted. I use 20Kg bags of timothy haylage about 1.5 a day at the moment (they're getting haylage in the field as well as at night). I pay £6.78 a bale (I buy by the pallet load). In the summer they are in during the day and I think I'll probably use (based on last year's consumption) half a bale a day. I don't know what haylage type you're using but if its ryegrass the company I buy from works out at £6.38 a bag (for a 40 bale pallet).

I have found there is no need to stock up over summer - I buy as I run out and there hasn't been a problem with supply.
 
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Thanks all, so no stocking up. That’s no problem, I’ll keep the money over summer and buy as I need in winter. One the plus side, I don’t need to find a few hundred pounds all at one to buy a load of hay anymore.
 
I use the 20kg Baillie Haylage and pay £6.25 per bale and just buy as i need so about 8-10 bales a time.
There is a company called Country Haylage which is £6.00 per bale but my mare wouldn't eat it (she is fussy though).
 
In the winter, when it's cold and the haylage won't go off quickly, you might find it better value to get a 4ft square bale. When it's warmer and the haylage needs to be used promptly, smaller bales are better for the 1 or 2 horse owner.
 
Yes that’s what I think I’m going to do, buy 8-10 at a time. Baillie haylage is sold round my area too but currently I’m using Carr’s Billington. Scrappy loves it.
 
Faracat said:
In the winter, when it's cold and the haylage won't go off quickly, you might find it better value to get a 4ft square bale. When it's warmer and the haylage needs to be used promptly, smaller bales are better for the 1 or 2 horse owner.
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This. Last year I only had one horse on haylage (17.3 so ate a lot) and I found that a big rectangular bale (£32 delivered) did not spoil in winter. When it is cold they last 10 - 14 days. In summer he gets soaked hay.
 
I have 2 horses I buy the rounds of light haylage so it doesn't heat up or go off as quick and I find it lasts almost 2 weeks unless its very hot they are £35 and much more cost effective than the small bales.
 
You may be able to find a local supply of small bale haylage that will probably work a out a bit cheaper but you can't guarantee she'd like it as much. If she's happy eating it and you don't mind paying the price I wou;dn't bother with the hassle of finding a cheaper supplier and making sure she'll eat it. Bear in mind she'll probably eat more as she grows though!
 
We buy the 2’x2’ round bales of haylage, £5.25 a bale, local farmer makes them.
Have been getting 6 good size haynets out of each one.
Bought them back last summer and not had any problem with punctured bales due to the amount of wrap round them.
Only downside is they’re not the easiest for 1 person to move any distance.
 
cblover said:
Just wondering for those who feed haylage and only have 1 or 2 horses to feed, do you feed the small 20kg bags of haylage? The shop bought bags I mean.

I’m new to feeding haylage but my Clyde Scrappy seems to enjoy it much more than hay and is keeping her weight up better. I can’t seem to find a more cost effective way of feeding her, as I only have her to feed so can’t get a big round bale as it would just ruin.

I’m paying around £7 for a 20kg bag and thankfully there isn’t much waste, so I’m thinking maybe in the long run, it will be cost effective. Hay is £5 for a small bale round our area anyway.

Am I on the right lines? I’m going to stock up in the summer to make the winter a bit easier. Not that I’m thinking of next winter already......god no!
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Yes small bag - currently on haysoft haylage and
 
If you keep an eye out you can get 35kg and 100kg bales, they aren’t that common but do work out more cost effective
 
Buying haylage in small bales when you have 2 horses to feed is an expensive way to feed. In the winter it is colder so haylage doesn't go off quickly so I'd definitely buy large bale haylage & save a fortune.
 
cblover said:
Just wondering for those who feed haylage and only have 1 or 2 horses to feed, do you feed the small 20kg bags of haylage? The shop bought bags I mean.

I’m new to feeding haylage but my Clyde Scrappy seems to enjoy it much more than hay and is keeping her weight up better. I can’t seem to find a more cost effective way of feeding her, as I only have her to feed so can’t get a big round bale as it would just ruin.

I’m paying around £7 for a 20kg bag and thankfully there isn’t much waste, so I’m thinking maybe in the long run, it will be cost effective. Hay is £5 for a small bale round our area anyway.

Am I on the right lines? I’m going to stock up in the summer to make the winter a bit easier. Not that I’m thinking of next winter already......god no!
Click to expand...

We have four, but only one on haylage, so I buy the small bags for him.

We bought half a pallet 24 bales at the start of the winter and still have a few left...

Fiona
 
Where abouts in the world are you? There's a good supplier round here that does small bales for £5 delivered if buying by the pallet/half
 
Yes, I feed small bales for four horses because their needs are all different and I have 4 different types! I buy it by the pallet load and it varies between £5.75 and £7.60 delivered. The types I have are two brands of wrapped meadow hay, ordinary rye grass haylage and timothy haylage.
 
I had to do this last winter, it got pretty expensive! I found a local farmer who did same size bales (20kg) for £4.50 collected, so ended up collecting a few bales twice a week
 
I find there is more in the farm sold haylage, its usually baled when its cut and a lot easier to get the slices out and there is more in a bale. A lot of the branded stuff is really hard to divided up and looks as if its been rebaled to pack it into 20kg
http://www.kenmills.co.uk/haylage-and-bedding/haylage-system/
I have two on it so I buy the larger size direct from the farm, the going rate around here is about £30 and it last about a week. Also to bale the bigger sizes they need a good baler, so the bales tend to be well packed and easier to split.
 
I agree with others, I used Bailey small bale by the pallet load but found it very expensive. I have now found a local farmer who does a nice dry meadow haylage in small bales - about 35 kg which I used last summer until he ran out of them. I decided to try his bigger rectangular bales for the winter and have had no problem with spoilage. A bale lasts me 10 days and is £28 delivered, so it's way more economical than the small bale stuff.
 
Landcruiser said:
I agree with others, I used Bailey small bale by the pallet load but found it very expensive. I have now found a local farmer who does a nice dry meadow haylage in small bales - about 35 kg which I used last summer until he ran out of them. I decided to try his bigger rectangular bales for the winter and have had no problem with spoilage. A bale lasts me 10 days and is £28 delivered, so it's way more economical than the small bale stuff.
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Land cruiser, would it be possible for you to PM me the details of your small bale supplier?
 
Not read all of the comments so it may have been mentioned but Gelston do a 50kg haylage so the same stuff you are buying and i was paying £12/13 for it so it worked out a few quid cheaper!
Or buy big 5 foot bales if you can store? We pay £30 for ours and it lasts out big horse a couple of weeks if he only has it at night
 
Western haylage company do a pallet of 40 20kg bales for £200 which works out £5 a bale. It's decent stuff and lasts me 5 weeks with my 2 14.2hh's
 
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