From hay to haylage

Cazza525

Cazza525

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Ok guys, what should I expect......

Basically circumstances have made me 'gain' 2 big horses this year aside from my 2 littleuns.

Have been feeding hay in field for the past week as grazing going downhill, and am also trying to keep weight on a young ex racer and also poor old Harry (see previous posts).

Can't feed the 2 biguns over fence and watch my 2 littleuns virtually drooling so am giving them a 'token' gesture too.

Basically nearly out of hay and can get big bale haylege for nout!! Lucky girl I know!!

Do I feed bigger quantities? Nutritional value isn't as good is it? Also...........how long can I eek a good bale out for....5 days, one week, 2 ??

Can I feed ad lib in the field for biguns and token gesture for littleuns ?
 
5 horses on reduced grazing will go through that round bale within about 4 days - if it's in a round feeder for them to help themselves too (i'd guess).

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Have not got feeders unfortunately, so round bale being deposited in tack room and taken up field by hand. Biguns are separated from little ones......

More worried about wastage of unused bale, so could do with an indication of how long some ppl get it to last on their yard.
 
I buy a big bale for my two mares to feed on a night (they get hay in field in daytime) it lasts 2-3 weeks we wrap it up every night its fine, people will say it doesnt last that long but we've found its absolutely fine.
 
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Oh right, so I shouldn't completely unrap it then, just slice,peel back wrapping, take haylage off and wrap back up??

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That's what we do on our yard, a bale lasts about a week between the horses that eat it (only get it overnight) and it keeps fine. Have you got square or round bales?

ETA just read you have round bales. When we've had those instead we unwrap completely and just peel off what we need - again, ours has lasted a week fine. We stuck a tarp over the top to keep the weather off it.
 
Its harder with round bales but square you can cut one end off take slices out and re-seal that end. Round ones we get we do our best with but have to unwrap it properly to get it off the bale.

It lasts fine though.
 
i shouldnt un-wrap it all on first night, if you cut up 1 of the ends from the top and then vut across the top a bit so u can get to the start of the bale and then as you work throw the bale keep cutting across the top, that way the other end of the bale doesnt get disturbed until you need it.

Some people say it only lasts 15-25days from when you cut it open but it can last upto a month, if the bale isnt good quailty then it will grow mould and smell so you shouldnt feed it but if its good quialty and well made then its fine.
 
i currently feed mine like SallySmith says with a ring feeder. ive got 5 eating 2 round bales in 7days (access to haylage 24/7 and no grass)

if i were you id get a tarpauline and rope, and rope it down if you are going to put it in the field daily. to cut down on waste you could try a hay hutch? or a ring feeder and just put amounts out daily in them?

I had 1 x 13hh pony on haylage for 1 month in November. to make sure it didnt go off I filled all my haynets then unravelled the rest so it didnt heat up. This way it lasted longer than 1 week.
 
ahhhhhh, so i have to watch out for heat in it then,as well as spores and mould?

Spot the first time haylage feeder!!
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yeah it will heat up quickly. Hopefully though it shouldnt heat up too quickly what with the weather temperatues dropping.
do keep an eye out for the mould - white is ok but green/black def a no no so pull off and either bin (On muckheap?)/burn (up to you)
 
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yeah it will heat up quickly. Hopefully though it shouldnt heat up too quickly what with the weather temperatues dropping.
do keep an eye out for the mould - white is ok but green/black def a no no so pull off and either bin (On muckheap?)/burn (up to you)

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And don't feed if too warm?? Do I need to get me thermometer out??
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i have fed it warm (not hot) and tbh i cant stop my horses eating warm hay the way i feed it.
if it does start to get warm I open it up and it soon cools down.

LOL at the thermometer - sorry can just imagine you taking the temperature
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Haylage has a higher nutritional value than hay I think. I find it lasts better in the winter, the small bales I use are still fresh after a week without much attention.
 
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Haylage has a higher nutritional value than hay I think. I find it lasts better in the winter, the small bales I use are still fresh after a week without much attention.

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Has it really?? Thought hay had the higher nutritional value??

<<<goes off to look it up>>>>>
 
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