for all you hayledge experts out there..??

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hannah28

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hey guys :)

so, with the rising hay prices i am considering swapping to big bale hayledge, i just wanted to no more about it before i switch as i have only ever used hay.

my horse goes through 3 bales of hay a week and if i buy hayledge i am going to share with a friend who also uses 3 bales a week.

so this are my question :

how long will a large square bale last 2 horses ?
should i be feeding more hayledge than hay ?
will it send him of his head ?
is it better than using hay ?
what are you opinions ?
anything else you know ?

thankiees :D:D:D
 
I can't answer your questions however research now says there is more risk of gastric ulcers if you feed it. NAF makes an additive to put in the feeds to stop this happening. Worth a look.
 
hi, we make our in big round bales. our 2 prefer it to hay,we feed the same amount as hay(virtually ad-lib)it doesnt send them loopy, butwe have a job for them to finish the bale before it totally dries out, but we have cattle so feed the left overs to them. i think smaller bales for horses are probably a good idea,i definitely recommend it!!
 
i feed mine loads but between 3 horses it lasts 2 weeks

it has a higher water content but is more nutritional i keep an old empty chaff bag my dales pony gets 1 stuffed to the brim bag and my ISH gets 1 1/2 stuffed bags but im one that is trial and error to see how much for there to be a few strands left in the morning dont like them left without some fiber to eat as it can be bad for there tummies

i prefer hayladge as i dont have to soak it as both my mares get a slight cough on hay and its richer so dont have to feed as much hard feed. also i find they keep weight on better in the winter.

i would say though if u are cutting down your horses hard feeds (if they are keeping weight better/ getting podgey tee hee) then u might want to get a balencer like blue chip =) or baileys low cal balencer

oh and i heard about that hayladge supplement its by naf isnt it might have a look into that hmmm
 
Hi, Im no expert either but I think you would struggle to use a bale between 2 of you. However haylage specifically made for horses nowadays is a lot dryer than it used to be and does last longer especially in winter. In the summer it does go off quicker and I wouldnt use it after a week at the longest. Ours is stored inside so I think it helps in the heat. We have 10 horses on it and go through a bale about every 4 to 5 days, they arent fed a lot though. In winter its probably every 3 days, we have the large round bales.
They do say you should feed more due to the higher water and lower fibre intake but again modern haylage is much drier, some we get looks just like 'waxy' hay. I remember years ago haylage stinking really strong, it doesnt now except a really nice smell when its first opened. We dont feed any more of it infact probably less as our horses are fatties at the moment.
It hasnt sent my horse off his head, he has always been spooky whether hay or haylage but I think it does affect some. Again our haylage man does different qualities, he supplies Racehorse too and also does stuff for fatties/laminitics.
I love it, no need to soak, works out much cheaper for me as used to go through 4 bales in winter and now I pay £7 per week for as much as I want.
 
I feed the big square bales in the winter - I think one bale lasts my three around 6 days. They are all 16hh+ and TBx. I think you would be fine feeding the big bales to two horses - the good thing about the square bales is you open them at one end and take out a slice at a time so the rest of the bale stays wrapped. In autumn and spring, bales have lasted me up to two weeks with no problems. The horses love it and it's much nicer to handle than hay - softer and no dust!
 
i worked out that it would take around two weeks to use a square bale up between the two horses, if we kept it well wrapped up and only opened to take the haylage out would it last that long ?? (only for the colder months november to around april ??) and would be stored in a cool barn ??
 
Only repeating what our haylage man says but he says not to keep it wrapped once open as it sweats and you should open it fully. We used to cover the top though with the wrapper and a couple of bricks to stop it coming off to keep it dryish at our old yard where it was kept outside.
Any bales that the wrapper gets damaged have to be used straight away as when the air gets to it, it starts to ferment and goes mouldy
 
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