Hay or haylage..your thoughts please?

[Dizzykizzy]

I have fed mine haylage for the last 3-4 winters now without any problem but today when I mentioned to my friend whose horse lodges with us that it had gone up quite a bit this year, she said feed them hay, haylage is not good for them as it is full of bacteria??
Is this true and if so what are the dangers?
I used hay at the end of this winter as her horse had cleaned me out early and none of mine would eat the hay, just paddled it into the mud!

 

[tasteofchristmaschaos]

Picky horses do tend to prefur haylage as it tastes nicer, but they get the message they have to have hay if there is nothing else pretty quickly! I don't feed haylage and therefore don't know about the prices but haylage has more calories in than regualar hay. If your ned has trouble keeping weight on, go with haylage, if they are a good doer, hay, and if they are regular, you can choose!

 

[maestro]

Haylage everytime. Hay causes far more probelms with dust than haylage that is made properly. The better the haylage the less hard feed need you need to feed. Some of ours were only on haylage and a mineral lick and looked superb in the spring. (We can not turn out in the winter)

 

[Bens_Mum]

I used haylage all winter and then we have been on hay since April. They adjusted fine like tasteofchaeos says once they realised nothing else was coming! We have brought some really good hay but there is still a problem with dust even in the best we can buy so will probably go back to haylage in autumn and just have to use small holes to try and keep a hold on the waiste line!

 

[TicTac]

I feed haylage most of the time and will only feed hay if it is really good. The good points are that it always gets eaten up with no wastage, no soaking and you know what you are getting but it is more exoensive than hay.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I use haylage and then cut down on hard feed. I think the bateria issue only arises if it has been poorly made (cut to close) and picked up soil. Also you have to watch that it doent turn to quickly.

In the winter I use big bale haylage which probably works out the same as small bales of hay. I only have a problem in spring when the little ponies stop haylage and the biggies are still eating it, often they cant get through a big bale before it goes off, but small bales from feed merchants are soooo espensive.

If you have only got 1 horse it may be worth seeing if you could shatre a large bale with one or two others . 1 big bale did a 15.3, 14.1, 13.2 & 11 around 1 1/2 - 2 weeks (1 week when it was very snowy).