Haylage heating up.

[ameeyal]

We normaly make hay, but it wasnt 100% dry this year so we baled it for haylage {july} ive opened 2 bales and its really nice dry haylage but after a few days its starting to heat up in the middle sections, ive taken all the wrap off it, is this normal?

 

[hobo]

Yes can be a problem with haylage. I split the bale in to 4 piles so it is flat on the wedges and use off each pile daily. Things should improve if we get some colder weather.

 

[JillA]

I don't take the wrap off mine - I use it slice by slice and the next slice keeps the air out of the ones behind it. Haylage is "cured" anaerobically, which stops it deteriorating, as soon as you introduce air the deterioration restarts.

 

[TGM]

It can be a problem when the weather is mild and the haylage isn't been consumed quickly. Ours are on hay or small bale haylage in the summer, and go over to big bale haylage in the winter. I've held off ordering our big bale so far, as it has been so mild and I know it will heat up before I can finish a bale at the moment with the grass growing so well still.

ETA: I do similar to JillA, just opening the end and taking the haylage out slice by slice, but when the weather is warm I still find it heats up sometimes if I don't use it quick enough.

 

[AdorableAlice]

It is simply too warm to use big bale haylage unless you are feeding a large number of horses and can use the bale up in 48 hours or so.

I won't buy big bale in until the daytime temp is consistently below 6/8 degrees. I feed five big horses plus 2 dexters and a bale will last 4/5 days when they are adlib on it. At the moment the daytime temp is staying around 14/15 degrees, the grass is still growing and has some feed value.

 

[stilltrying]

I've got some large bale haylage that i'm desperate to use but cant as its too warm and i'll just end up wasting it. I feed 2 on a large bale and it needs to be cold (and them hungry!) to ensure i dont waste any. Would buy smaller bales but there doesn't seem be any mid size bales in my locality, its massive or ridic expensive small ones. Must be a market for mid size and not just me?!

 

[Birker2020]

We normaly make hay, but it wasnt 100% dry this year so we baled it for haylage {july} ive opened 2 bales and its really nice dry haylage but after a few days its starting to heat up in the middle sections, ive taken all the wrap off it, is this normal?

This can be a problem with haylage. We used to open a huge bale from outside and place the sections in the indoor barn for people to use as necessary. We had 45 on the yard and probably about 14 of those were using haylage at any one time so it went quite quickly. I think from memory we would get through a bale every second day so it was never an issue that it was hanging around long although towards the spring when people started to take their horses off it we had to be careful that an open bale hadn't been open for too long.

 

[ycbm]

I've got some large bale haylage that i'm desperate to use but cant as its too warm and i'll just end up wasting it. I feed 2 on a large bale and it needs to be cold (and them hungry!) to ensure i dont waste any. Would buy smaller bales but there doesn't seem be any mid size bales in my locality, its massive or ridic expensive small ones. Must be a market for mid size and not just me?!

I have Baillie.co.uk haylage. Price inclusive of delivery nationwide for three pallets was lower than a premium local supplier - 24 mid size bales, superb quality.

Mid size bales are just about light enough to roll them where you want them and each slice is a good full haynet.

I can recommend the ryegrass timothy mix. The meadow mix was so soft and delicious mine were eating crazy quantities fed add lib - 20kg a night ...... each!!!