Haylage, good doers and feeding amount

H

Horsegirl25

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 February 2022
Messages
440
Location
Scotland
Visit site
Does anyone feed their good doers hayalge? I have landed myself with 2 good doers (:oops:), an ISH and a welsh D. Too add complication to the mix the welsh D is asthmatic. The D normally gets steeped hay and the ISH gets her hay soaked with the hose just to remove dust. Anyway during that cold snap we had there, I couldn't think of anything worse than dealing with frozen hay etc so for the first time ever I started feeding haylage! Not any specific brand, just what the farmer made (he owns the yard).
Now I had done some reading and everything said you should feed more haylage than hay but I was slightly worried about them exploding and gaining weight. ISH gets 5kg of hay at night and Welsh D gets 4kg, so for the haylage the ISH is getting 6kg and the D is getting 5kg. Now this obviously doesn't look the same amount as a net full of hay would, I am aware of water weight etc but I am concerned about under feeding? They both get a big tub of chopped straw to keep them going through the night when they run out.

My question is, do you think it would be ok to keep them both on haylage, the D's asthma has never been so good and I am kicking myself for not trying this sooner. Never had lami or EMS. Good doers but I have cut their hard feed down (they only get chaff but they get less now) and they are both exercised 5/6 days a week.
Am I feeding enough haylage? I try to feed little and often so for example if they are staying in due to bad weather (our fields have been an ice rink) they would get a morning net then a net at lunch time so they aren't too long a period without however this isn't something I can facilitate overnight, they have greedy feeder nets double netted to make super tiny holes to try slow them down but I do think they are powering through it mega quick. Any ideas how to slow them down?
 
I would be inclined to monitor their weight and see how they go- if they have straw chaff for throughput and they're not gaining/loosing weight I'd stick to the current ration.
Other than double netting I can't think of much to slow them down, although you could do multiple smaller nets around the stable?
I did a rough calculation of what my big(ger) two are eating, but it won't be much use to you as they are poor-ish doers being fed ad lib. It did frighten me a bit though 😂
 
I feed my 2yr old highland a mix of horsehage timothy/ high fibre (loose). I like that I can find the energy levels as needed.
She is pretty good at regulating, as has been ad lib since arriving. But I always have a low calorie chaff available at all times, so that if she did decide we was really hungry she still has food available.
With this I can adjust quantities or energy as needed.
 
SpeedyPony said:
I would be inclined to monitor their weight and see how they go- if they have straw chaff for throughput and they're not gaining/loosing weight I'd stick to the current ration.
Other than double netting I can't think of much to slow them down, although you could do multiple smaller nets around the stable?
I did a rough calculation of what my big(ger) two are eating, but it won't be much use to you as they are poor-ish doers being fed ad lib. It did frighten me a bit though 😂
Click to expand...
I wish I was able to hang the nets in the middle of the stable so they can’t push against the wall, I do think this would be the answer to my problems!
How did you do your calculations? I get confused over how much dry matter they consume!
 
Horsegirl25 said:
I wish I was able to hang the nets in the middle of the stable so they can’t push against the wall, I do think this would be the answer to my problems!
How did you do your calculations? I get confused over how much dry matter they consume!
Click to expand...
I just did very rough ones based on the weight of the average bale x number of bales fed/ number of horses- no idea what the DM weight is, sorry!
That came out as ~25kg bale of grass haylage + half bale of alfalfa haylage (10-12kg) = 35-37kgs ÷ 2.5 horses (2 x 14.1 and a miniature shetland- he does his best but I'm sure he's not eating the same as them 😆) = ~14kg a day.
That figure will vary somewhat, as some bales are much heavier than others, but it's a rough idea. I would /not/ feed anything near that to a good doer, they'd be like a captive balloon by the end of the week.
 
I feed adlib haylage to my 2 good doers (local suppliers, this current lot is great as not too rich and chopped short so good for pony who has older teeth) They stop shovelling it down when they realise it won't run out. Both are slimmer than in the summer and neither has been doing anything, although Baggins will have shoes back on Friday.
 
I loathe haynets - nasty, dangerous things! - and only ever use them when travelling. So when I bought an obese mare and wanted her to lose weight I simply fed her on a measured amount of haylege, and gave huge trugs of chopped straw, so that she could eat all night if she wanted to. She soon learned to self-regulate.
Now we have 2 16hh mares living out 24/7 and they have truly ad-lib haylage. They ealk away and come back to it all the time.
 
SpeedyPony said:
I just did very rough ones based on the weight of the average bale x number of bales fed/ number of horses- no idea what the DM weight is, sorry!
That came out as ~25kg bale of grass haylage + half bale of alfalfa haylage (10-12kg) = 35-37kgs ÷ 2.5 horses (2 x 14.1 and a miniature shetland- he does his best but I'm sure he's not eating the same as them 😆) = ~14kg a day.
That figure will vary somewhat, as some bales are much heavier than others, but it's a rough idea. I would /not/ feed anything near that to a good doer, they'd be like a captive balloon by the end of the week.
Click to expand...
My 2 would certainly not complain getting 14kg a day 😂😂 they would be the size of a small house right enough. 😂
 
Birker2020 said:
Your meant to feed twice as much haulage as hay because hay is drier matter and therefore more nutritious whereas haulage contains more water.

dengie.com

Forage and Fibre | Dengie Horse Feeds

Forage and Fibre | - Read more about Forage and Fibre at Dengie Horse Feed!
dengie.com dengie.com
Click to expand...
Well, not exactly; even the article says 11.8kg of hay or 16.7kg of haylage - that's not twice as much.

But either way, that article is suggesting 16.7kg of haylage a day for a 500kg horse. That's... a lot. Even the biggest 750kg+ horses at my yard can't get through 13kg of haylage over the course of one day.

@Horsegirl25 I would stick with the haylage if it's working for them (and you!), just monitor their weights. Generally speaking, haylage is lower in sugar than hay (as sugar is used in the fermentation process) but slightly higher in protein. However this is on a like-for-like basis eg timothy hay vs timothy haylage. A species of hay that is naturally low in sugar may still have less sugar than a species of haylage that is naturally high in sugar.

I think the amounts you are feeding them sounds about perfect, but if you are concerned about weight, you could consider switching to a bagged haylage such as timothy or high fibre horsehage, if that's an option (assuming that your farmer has a mixed-species meadow haylage). As for slowing them down... when you find the answer, please let me know! 😂
 
JenJ said:
Well, not exactly; even the article says 11.8kg of hay or 16.7kg of haylage - that's not twice as much.

But either way, that article is suggesting 16.7kg of haylage a day for a 500kg horse. That's... a lot. Even the biggest 750kg+ horses at my yard can't get through 13kg of haylage over the course of one day.

@Horsegirl25 I would stick with the haylage if it's working for them (and you!), just monitor their weights. Generally speaking, haylage is lower in sugar than hay (as sugar is used in the fermentation process) but slightly higher in protein. However this is on a like-for-like basis eg timothy hay vs timothy haylage. A species of hay that is naturally low in sugar may still have less sugar than a species of haylage that is naturally high in sugar.

I think the amounts you are feeding them sounds about perfect, but if you are concerned about weight, you could consider switching to a bagged haylage such as timothy or high fibre horsehage, if that's an option (assuming that your farmer has a mixed-species meadow haylage). As for slowing them down... when you find the answer, please let me know! 😂
Click to expand...
Thank you for that! Going to stick with it the now at the weights I’m feeding and see how we get on, both still looking good but it is early days. Hoping we can stick with it as it’s hell of a lot easier than soaking hay 😂
 
Birker2020 said:
Your meant to feed twice as much haulage as hay because hay is drier matter and therefore more nutritious whereas haulage contains more water.

dengie.com

Forage and Fibre | Dengie Horse Feeds

Forage and Fibre | - Read more about Forage and Fibre at Dengie Horse Feed!
dengie.com dengie.com
Click to expand...
What matters is the calories the haylege contains the biggest issue facing horses is obesity.
Any advice to feed double haylege is dangerous .
Not all haylege is the same just like hay you need to know what you are feeding
Of course haylege contains more water than hay and that for most horses is a really good thing in winter
Horses die every winter because they dehydrate in very cold weather .
You need to consider which haylege you feed I feed a Timothy and fescue mix which has lower palatability it’s also pretty dry if you compare to the classic rye haylege .
Haylege can be higher in fibre than some hay’s you need to have analysis to really know where you are. You can’t assume all hay is high fibre I have seen that myself .
It’s easy enough to add fibre to the diet in a calorie appropriate way by feeding things like straw. There’s huge range of fibre rich bucket type foods that you can use .
Alfalfa , sugar beet there’s lots fibre providers that you can use and winter grass of course.
When I had more sporty type horses I had horses at one point hunting extremely hard on only haylege and bits and mins .
It’s pretty easy to monitor the fibre going through your horse you just need to look at what’s coming out the far end .
Telling people to feed double haylege is not sensible blanket approach .
I restrict the haylege and feed straw chop that’s the best way for my horses in my situation for others it will be different .
Rye haylege can be a great choice for some horses those small appetites and those that don’t drink well for example .
 
JenJ said:
Well, not exactly; even the article says 11.8kg of hay or 16.7kg of haylage - that's not twice as much.

But either way, that article is suggesting 16.7kg of haylage a day for a 500kg horse. That's... a lot. Even the biggest 750kg+ horses at my yard can't get through 13kg of haylage over the course of one day.

@Horsegirl25 I would stick with the haylage if it's working for them (and you!), just monitor their weights. Generally speaking, haylage is lower in sugar than hay (as sugar is used in the fermentation process) but slightly higher in protein. However this is on a like-for-like basis eg timothy hay vs timothy haylage. A species of hay that is naturally low in sugar may still have less sugar than a species of haylage that is naturally high in sugar.

I think the amounts you are feeding them sounds about perfect, but if you are concerned about weight, you could consider switching to a bagged haylage such as timothy or high fibre horsehage, if that's an option (assuming that your farmer has a mixed-species meadow haylage). As for slowing them down... when you find the answer, please let me know! 😂
Click to expand...
My ID would give it a bloody good try to get through it 😂
 
Really without analysis and knowing numbers it is all guess work. Typically haylage will be higher DE and lower sugar than hay, and much higher water. So if fill same haynet volume haylage is more calorific. But if feed same weight less so and less fibre.

I feed meadow haylage currently. And the protein / sugar / DE is pretty comparable to hay I have fed in past.

But you have to take the water % into account too. Maybe weight tape your horses now, and weekly whilst adjusting to haylage, and see if they do gain weight?

In interesting experiment is to fill a small haynet as full as can with shaken loose hay and with haylage and compare weight, haylage will be a lot heavier.

Thankfully my horse doesnt need restricting, so I fill his various netted feeders and allow him to eat, trying to guage the right amount not to have wastage.
 
I had our haylage tested and it is 80% dry matter so 6kg haylage = 4.8kg hay for us, if yours is the same you are not far off.

I tried mixing straw in this year because small cob is obese and big cob is perfect but I like him to go into spring on the lighter side. Unfortunately it made SC cough so I've gone down the chopped straw route for SC and am seeing how BC gets on, he's not greedy.

To make life more complicated Draft is a bit thin so he's on haylage plus large feeds of higher protein grass nuts, this is working well. For comparison to above 850kg draft eats 15kg haylage overnight.
 
Jambarissa said:
I had our haylage tested and it is 80% dry matter so 6kg haylage = 4.8kg hay for us, if yours is the same you are not far off.

I tried mixing straw in this year because small cob is obese and big cob is perfect but I like him to go into spring on the lighter side. Unfortunately it made SC cough so I've gone down the chopped straw route for SC and am seeing how BC gets on, he's not greedy.

To make life more complicated Draft is a bit thin so he's on haylage plus large feeds of higher protein grass nuts, this is working well. For comparison to above 850kg draft eats 15kg haylage overnight.
Click to expand...
I haven’t had it tested so I can’t say for certain but it’s almost hay like it’s not very wet/heavy at all so possibly is around the same? Just a guess tho.
I like the idea of having straw in the stable for them to eat when full but same as yours, mine is asthmatic so wouldn’t tolerate the straw.
The chopped straw is great although I feel like I go through it very quickly!
 
Due to there being various types of ‘haylage’ water content, it’s easier to discount weight completely and stick with matching volume of hay you were giving.

This means that your haylage nets will look the same size as your hay nets used to, but weigh heavier.
If it’s ‘properly fermented’ made 40-50% moisture haylage, you’re nets will easily weigh double V’s 15% moisture hay.

If you were using very loose hay and youve got very compressed haylage - shake-out the haylage to resemble your loose hay, and fill your net to the size of hay you used to.

Having fed very dry & very wet haylage on my 2 (with welsh D blood in them) over the years, it generally has worked out that they retain condition if volume of nets remain the same, no matter the forage moisture content.
Mucking around with weights was just migraine inducing and didnt help, but volume matching is a good first step to take, and then you can give a bit more or less, depending on if they lose or gain weight.


A forage moisture tester is a useful tool to have. (Cheap from ebay and as accurate as the v.expensive ones) If you’ve got a ‘haylage’ below 40% you’ll know it's not fully fermented and more like damp hay, so could be quite rich in sugar, if lami/ems is a concern.

Marksway horsehage timothy haylage can be on the dry side, tested At 30% moisture for some pallets i’ve had….but with timothy being more fibre than sugar i dont mind that non-fermented.
 
fredflop said:
One of my tb’s could get through an entire bale of horsehage in a day
Click to expand...
My horses can do this easily .
When stabled all day ten kilos ( half a bag) quite severe restriction for them
They are working and have just started being stabled from five ish so they are out eleven to five then we manage on less .
But they always want more .
I have done ad lib haylege thing and even with hunting no minimal hard good the horses stayed to fat over winter .
I realised some time ago that straw was way mine do eat straw when hungry I use top top zero
When stabled at night a one bagsdoes three horses for three days ish it can last longer.
The thing is they eat haylege for entertainment they eat straw when they need to.
So I just left them now they finish their hay they will sleep and if they are hungry they eat some straw later.
I often find them eating it when I come into the yard in the morning .
 
Rigs (15.1hh cob cross, was ems/laminitic when I got him, now tests as 'normal') is on 12kg when warm, 15kg when cold. he also has a 3lb scoop soaked volume sugar beet and a 3kg scoop chop. He is blooming, but never overweight.

He is on the small bales of high fibre horsehage, so low sugar/starch.

He's therefore on more than a bale every 2 days whilst it is winter and on no grazing. In warmer times, even with a muzzle, a bale of Horsehage will last a week when in at night.

He is also blooming but not overweight then.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top