Haylage help please! What do you use?? Anyone buy branded stuff?

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Patterdale

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What haylage do you use?

My pony has had a virus and post-viral cough. The vet has said to eliminate dust in the future. So I’m going to move away from hay.
We do grow our own silage/haylage for cattle but vet says it doesn’t suit him.
So I’m looking at getting a lorry load of horse specific analysed haylage rather than the faff of trying to make our own.

Does anyone else do this? Which do you use? I’ve been looking at the Somerford stuff?

Thanks!
 
I’ve only got the one on haylage so big bales would go off before I could finish them. My COPD Connemara gets horsehage Timothy haylage and does well on it. He hots up on Ryegrass so normal haylage is a no go. I’ve also used countrywide meadow haylage, and haysoft Timothy haylage with success.
 
I’ve only ever bought horsehage blue, silvermoor lite and a newer brand country haylage meadow grass.

I have a laminitic so those are the only ones I’d buy. Horsehage up here is £9.95 so only really a last option. Silver Moore is £7.50 ish and the country haylage was on offer at £6.25 per bale.

The Country Haylage was much nicer, not damp at all. Silvermoor is quite damp. Horsehage is nice too.

Just my experiences
 
I make my own and have it late cut and well dried so it is lower in sugar than most haylage. If I go away I buy Horsehage preferably the high fibre one. When I went to a camp at Somerford I used their haylage, my horse loved it but it did light him up as it was quite rich but I'm not sure if this would be the same as the stuff they sell.
 
I use the Somerford haylage and my horses love it. The quality is really good. I get the first cut and non of mine have a problem with it making them a bit whizzy (thank goodness)!!!!! Somerford used to give you an analysis of their haylage if you asked for it, not sure if they still do or not.
 
I've used a few over the over the years but have been using Silvermoor lite for the last 3. It's one of the few that has analysis on the bag and I've only had two spoiled bales in all that time. It's £6.99 a bale whereas the Horsehage High Fibre ones are around £9 and I can struggle to get hold off them.
 
outdoor girl said:
I use the Somerford haylage and my horses love it. The quality is really good. I get the first cut and non of mine have a problem with it making them a bit whizzy (thank goodness)!!!!! Somerford used to give you an analysis of their haylage if you asked for it, not sure if they still do or not.
Click to expand...

Thanks! How expensive do you find it and which size bales do you get?
 
Somerford haylage is like rocket fuel but if yours has been on it and coped then I'd go with that. It is really lovely. But bear in mind they are usually working very hard at camp there so if they were lit up there they may be worse on it in lighter work or no work. I have also used Silvermoor for a pony who was too wild on the Somerford stuff. That is good too and pony did not react to it.
 
I’ve started using top crop for one of mine, about 6months ago I wud guess. They are local to me but deliver throughout the uk. They do all sizes from little bags to big Hestons and varying MJ/KG and protein/fibre depending on what you want. Previously he was on the rocket fuel version of bailie haylage but he much prefers the top crop! And so does my wallet! Poor coblet looks longingly at it, when he gets hay! (Mean mummy!)
 
Just a note of caution. Buy a couple of bales before you buy a lorry load. My lot are not fussy eaters but all refuse to eat Horsehage Timothy and Baillies/(Baileys ?) which is a lot cheaper.
 
We buy the 3ft. bales. We have 3 horses who get about 6kg each in the winter and a bale lasts about 10 days. In the summer they get less, obviously, but the haylage is still ok. It can get a little warm in the middle of the bale, but we just open it up more to let it cool down. We don't think it's too bad cos wise. There is little or no waste, depending on how tidy you are when you fill the nets and then sweep up (I'm a lot tidier than my husband so it goes further with me);) Somerford will deliver a minimum of 15 bales at a time but they stack them for you.
 
Another note of caution of buying in bulk. We have rats at our yard and they chewed holes in a few bales, not many but they went mouldy and it wiped out the saving I’d made buying in bulk.
 
I buy devon haylage - the timothy mix or pure timothy. Its pretty dry but dust free and my horse who is prone to coughing is absolutely fine with it. I buy it by the pallet load and have found the quality to be a) excellent and b) consistent between bales.
 
Thank you very much!!
Been doing loads of research and think I’m going to go with Somerford first cut. The total for a 6 month bulk order is making my eyes water but compared to making our own I don’t think it will be too much more. Will definitely be much easier and should be very high and consistent quality. Hopefully!!
Thanks again!!
 
Patterdale said:
What haylage do you use?

My pony has had a virus and post-viral cough. The vet has said to eliminate dust in the future. So I’m going to move away from hay.
We do grow our own silage/haylage for cattle but vet says it doesn’t suit him.
So I’m looking at getting a lorry load of horse specific analysed haylage rather than the faff of trying to make our own.

Does anyone else do this? Which do you use? I’ve been looking at the Somerford stuff?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you just need to eliminate dust, wouldnt you be better getting a hay steamer instead of using haylage? I'd be a bit worried about laminitis with a pony....?
 
QuantockHills said:
If you just need to eliminate dust, wouldnt you be better getting a hay steamer instead of using haylage? I'd be a bit worried about laminitis with a pony....?
Click to expand...

I’ve not got electric where they live in winter, and really don’t have the time to steam hay.
They’re all ponies but none are laminitic and I keep them all on the lean side :)
 
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