Haylage advice - please help!

[JeanFeeney]

Hi guys

Can I ask who has made the decision to switch from hay to haylage? and which make of haylage you use?

I'm giving up on hay - have had to throw away at least half of what I bought last year and buy new and even that is bad, and this years hay is coming in damp!!!

I have 3 horses [2 good doers, one average]and a rugrat companion, so need a brand or size of haylage we can eat in the required timespan...am thinking of something like the 120kg bags but wondering if I could manage the 200kg bags - can anyone advise please?

!Also, I don't, I really don't, want the haylage to be very high in proteins etc...

I shall probably have to soak it very well anyway for one of the good doers and the pony...just in case.

As for pricing, how much do you pay?

Am getting very confused

about it all so please someone, can you help me?

 

[spacefaer]

I feed haylage rather than hay.

2 reasons - reduced dust levels, higher nutrition levels.

However, I feed big square bales, bought from a local farmer - one bale lasts me 5-7 days which over winter is fine. In the summer, it goes off too quickly. You can get it tested for protein etc levels so you know what you're feeding.

(Can't afford to feed retail haylage in small bags - mine would eat one bag per horse per night...... terrifying!)

I pay £25/bale - and get money off/replacement bale if any of it is bad.

I've never heard of soaking haylage..... can't help you on that. Why would you get good quality feed and then ruin it??

 

[Magicmadge]

I have two major suppliers close to me and i buy the 50kg bales in the summer £8.00 collected from one and in the winter i buy the larger 150kg £21 collected from the other, although both companies do deliver countrywide i think. The one i buy is the high fibre low energy one so good for non working / light work/good doers. As far as handling the bales go we struggle with the 150 kg bales they are a 2 person lift so 200kg will be hard but the 50kg are easy to handle and store and i can manage to move them myself.