Haylage help!

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millyspaniel

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I bought a massive haylage bale last week, talking about the really big tonne ones that you lift with a crane! I opened it up and it had mould, i peeled back this and discarded of it, the rest of the side of that bale looks okay, quite wet it parts but i have peeled back the plastic and lsft it open (i read somewhere its best to let the air at it to prevent mould rather than covering it) am approx 1/3rd through it, i have introduced it with some lovely meadow hay to my 3 ponies and TB, the TB is seperated during the day as she needs more than the ponies as the ponies are quite fat.
The farmer said it should last around 3 weeks max before it becomes unsuitable but others say a few days?? at the moment it has dried out alot and is more like hay until i peel another layer and its still damp with no mould. It smells haylagey but not horrible. Am i doing okay with it or am i completley wrong?? i dont want to make my horses ill and theres just to much contridicting advice out there on the net!!
Please share your experiences with haylage - thank s
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We've used these huge bales and I wouldn't feed anything if it was mouldy. A white film on it is OK though. I doubt very much it would last 2 weeks. Our farmer reckoned we'd get two weeks, but I had to discard after 1 week to 10 days, depending on the weather. If it's good haylage, it shouldn't be too wet, it's more like slightly damp hay.
 
I'm no expert but from memory last year, a large bale used to last us around a month and it was fine quality wise.

Cant you get smaller sized bales? Why did you go for such a massive bale?

If I need advice on my haylage, I ask the supplier/maker. He has all the quality info.
 
They where the only sized bales i could find. Its a lot cheaper than hay - its £16 perbale compared to £2.90 a bale of hay (one hay bale lasts me 1 day) with the haylage added i can make 1 hay last 3 days. Also i thought it would be better for my |TB as she needs the weight on her.
Just going to see how it goes really, what are signs of it going bad after a week uncovered? all i can see is that it dries out a little but still no mould after a week of half uncovered?
 
we have these at the school where Penny is liveried, feeding 20 horses 1 will last 2 days. We did have a few mouldy ones and owner got them replaces. When they are opened they are a little damp but sweet smelling and the horses love it. It is heavier than hay cos of water content. Ours are in the open and cos they are used up in few days its no difference if it rains on them, in fact the horses seem to like it damp. the ones we have at the moment are so well packed they are really huge.
 
Haylage can be (and often is!) wet through with an inch of water in the bottom of the wrapper and the horses eat the wet stuff first and mine thrive on it. I have big bale haylage open for two weeks routinely in the winter and have never had any issues with feeding it that old at all. Most horses aren't daft and won't actually eat anything "off" in a bale, but you are looking for blue mould (no) brown/black mould (no no no!) or them simply refusing to eat it. Don't leave them with no other option so they are forced to eat it even if it's gone over.
 
One of these big square bales of haylage lasts me about 16 days with 2 eating it and it is fine. I open it right up and although it dries out a big, it doesn't go mouldy.

I opened a couple that had mould and I think the supplier takes them back and replaces them.
 
Glad its just not me then who dosent throw it after 3 days of opening!
Half of it is open and its left outside to, i cover the top lightly just to stop the rain, so far i only found a big spot of wet white mould on the outside.
Mainly its the TB who has it with 4 slices of hay and probably (size wise ie fluffed up 3 slices of hay) sized amount of haylage to go with it. The ponies have 4 slices of hay with approx i fluffed up slice of hay sized haylage amount.
Do you think the ponies would be okay fed more haylage than hay now (been introducing it for 1 week) , would like to use 3 bales hay per week rather than 1 per day!!!!
 
I intend to use within 14/16 days of it first being opened thats with mixing with a small amount of hay also. At the moment its mainly the TB thats been eating it.
 
i wouldnt use haylage thats been open more than 5 days in winter, you greatly increase your risk of giving your horse botulism and salamonella! (read large vet bills and potentially dead horses!!) if not feeding loads of horses you are better with smaller bales and use it up faster! or just feed good quality hay
 
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i wouldnt use haylage thats been open more than 5 days in winter, you greatly increase your risk of giving your horse botulism and salamonella! (read large vet bills and potentially dead horses!!) if not feeding loads of horses you are better with smaller bales and use it up faster! or just feed good quality hay

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Reading this kind of info really scares me, the info out there varys so much. Hmmm..........why cant it be simple!!
 
Make sure there's no mould & that it isn't smelling too sharp (like gone off cider !).
If it's mould free & smells sweet you should be ok.
 
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