Haylage or wrapped hay?

[ycbm]

I have the option to buy big round bale wrapped hay for this winter instead of my usual 200kg rectangles of haylage.

Because of the size of the hay bale, it would be open about 2 weeks in all weathers before it's finished, so I assume I will have to put a tarpaulin over it, which will be a pain given our high winds in winter.

The price difference will be about £500. Quality is similar. The hay will be delivered 2 bales a month, the haylage all at once, space is not a problem, there is no advantage to not having to store it.

Big round bale is a continuous curl, rectangle bales are in easy slices.

Can you help me decide? What are the pros and cons of hay vs haylage? How difficult are 400kg rounds of hay to use? Will good hay make the horses cough? Am I missing anything I need to know to make a decision?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sam_J]

I'd be inclined to stick with the haylage, I think. As you say, using a tarpaulin would be a nuisance particularly in a wet and windy winter, and I'd also be a bit concerned about hay deliveries if you got snowed in!

 

[ycbm]

I'd be inclined to stick with the haylage, I think. As you say, using a tarpaulin would be a nuisance particularly in a wet and windy winter, and I'd also be a bit concerned about hay deliveries if you got snowed in!

Good point! I'd forgotten that one. In extremity even 1 in hand wouldn't be enough so I'd need to start with 4.
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[Hepsibah]

Wrapped hay is usually less dusty than unwrapped. I don't faff with tarps. I cut the wrap round the bottom of the bale with a cut from top to bottom, take it off then unwrap the netting. When I've taken as much hay as I want I put the wrap back over and use the net to tie around the middle.
If I was making a £500 saving, I'd definitely go for the hay.

 

[Britestar]

My wrapped hay was a disaster. Threw 50% away. I wouldn't do that again.

 

[milliepops]

Wrapped hay is usually less dusty than unwrapped. I don't faff with tarps. I cut the wrap round the bottom of the bale with a cut from top to bottom, take it off then unwrap the netting. When I've taken as much hay as I want I put the wrap back over and use the net to tie around the middle.
If I was making a £500 saving, I'd definitely go for the hay.

That's what I do when I have open bales outside. Works well.

I have big rounds of wrapped hay.
I hate rounds. Filling haynets is a chore so I have 14 and do a week's worth at once.
But the hay is good quality and I get it for free so ... ? for loose feeding I don't find it's much more faff than squares somehow.

 

[rabatsa]

I make and use wrapped hay every year.

 

[HelenBack]

I could be wrong but I think wrapped high can be really quite nutritious and higher in sugar than haylage if that influences your decision at all. Probably not the case all of the time but all of the wrapped hay I've had analysed has come back that way and when I spoke to a nutritionist a while back she said that it can be along those lines.

 

[L&M]

We changed to round bales of wrapped hay last winter and decided to stick with it over haylage.

For us its based on economy as we only have 2 horses so had to buy small bale haylage - wrapped hay in a larger bale gives us over 50% saving.

I also found it is less rich so can feed more than I would with haylage without worrying about weight gain.

 

[ester]

For a while we could only find someone to make rounds off our fields, (unwrapped) they're really annoying and take up more storage space

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I use wrapped rounds of hay I keep them on a pallet once open and cover them on top with the plastic covering, I then use 3 old turnout rugs to cover the whole thing I put a metal shovel on the top and in windy weather I tie bale string or use bungees around it.

I make up loads of nets in one go then store them inside my spare stable as I hate doing nets and it's even worse in the rain and wind as its outside, but it's easier than unloading small bales and it's cheaper.

 

[MinKo]

Round bale and I also re use the wrap it comes with, a little bit of faff is worth saving £500

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Wrapped hay is usually less dusty than unwrapped. I don't faff with tarps. I cut the wrap round the bottom of the bale with a cut from top to bottom, take it off then unwrap the netting. When I've taken as much hay as I want I put the wrap back over and use the net to tie around the middle.
If I was making a £500 saving, I'd definitely go for the hay.

Thats how I open them as it flips over perfectly once open but I chuck old turnouts over mine to protect the sides.

 

[saddlesore]

Daft question alert as I’ve never heard of wrapped hay- but what is the difference between that and haylage? Is it just left to dry before wrapping?

 

[PurBee]

I’d only use wrapped hay at 20% or below moisture - ideally 18% and below. Anything higher moisture than that will slightly sweat and due to the nature of spores etc on dried hay, its inviting spoilage issues.

I love wrapped (good, dry) hay than feeding 100% fermented grasses that is haylage - but have fallen back on haylage when wrapped hay isnt available.

I’d get a couple of rounds delivered and try it, before committing to switching permanently. Give it a sniff, rummage through, see how the horses do on it. I’ve had some 20-30% moisture wrapped hay that was just weird smelling, like stale socks smell….it visually looked fine but the smell was weird. Horses weren’t keen. I dumped it.

If the wrapped hay is mostly ryegrass based and youre concerned about sugar/fructans - best stick with haylage. Mine are fine on ryegrass haylage but ryegrass hay is definitely higher fructans and sugar and even my rock hard soled non-footy gelding gets footy.

If you store the rounds out of the wind , a small tarp works well as a temp cover with stones tied to each corner. Easier to get the hay off if theyre stored on their flat end, you unwind the hay - than sitting them on their belly and trying to break through layers.
You could cut the plastic off at the base so its like a plastic hat you can put back on after you’ve pulled off what you want that day.

Give it a try first see how the bales turn out…..i’ve just picked up 100 bales of hay, after trying 4 bales before committing - lovely stuff but this lot is full of chiggers itching the cr*p outta me and the horses! My 4 ‘trial’ bales were perfect. Consistency with hay is the issue - haylage tends to be more reliable/consistent per supplier.
Good luck….nice to save a few quid ?

 

[ycbm]

My wrapped hay was a disaster. Threw 50% away. I wouldn't do that again.

This is great quality, I saw it made, maker is a good friend, and can reject any bale I don't like.
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[hock]

Last year we cut 8 acres of round bales had them all stacked outside and then we were going to tarpaulin them all but I can’t remember what but something happened and we had a huge down pour and thought sod it it’s a right off. So the babies were in that field over winter and we rolled out a bale months later to see what it was like and it was beautiful hay and they gobbled the lot. We also had a Heston bale delivered at the same time from a local farmer assuming that’s what they’d eat and offered them both and they chose our stuff. Couple of farmers have said providing its on it side you don’t need to worry as the water just rolls of and that has been true for us. We’ve done the same thing this year and stacked them so we have them at intervals at the side of the field for convenience.
We’ve also done another 4 acres of haylage for the yard. I am paranoid about running out of hay/haylage. So I think in your shoes I’d do a mix of both. I’m in the Midlands and only 1 supplier did wrapped hay and most of it went on the muck heap but sounds like yours is good.

 

[ycbm]

I could be wrong but I think wrapped high can be really quite nutritious and higher in sugar than haylage if that influences your decision at all. Probably not the case all of the time but all of the wrapped hay I've had analysed has come back that way and when I spoke to a nutritionist a while back she said that it can be along those lines.

In theory, made with grass from the same field, haylage will be lower sugar. As I want to feed ad lib, it is a consideration.
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[ycbm]

Daft question alert as I’ve never heard of wrapped hay- but what is the difference between that and haylage? Is it just left to dry before wrapping?

It's proper hay before it's wrapped so it doesn't cure after wrapping. It should come out pretty much the same as it went in.

Haylage ferments some of the sugar and that also kills mould spores, I think.
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[Archangel]

I used wrapped hay (4ft & 6ft bales) last year for the first time. 2 horses so lasted about 10 days. I just cut a flap out of the end and laid a pallet against it when I had taken some hay out. When you get to about half a bale you can push the bale over onto the flap. Worked very well.

 

[ycbm]

If the wrapped hay is mostly ryegrass based and youre concerned about sugar/fructans - best stick with haylage.

Other way round, which is part of the attraction. Haylage I buy is 50/50 ryegrass timothy. The hay I've been offered is unfertilised long established hill meadow.

 

[ycbm]

I used wrapped hay (4ft & 6ft bales) last year for the first time. 2 horses so lasted about 10 days. I just cut a flap out of the end and laid a pallet against it when I had taken some hay out. When you get to about half a bale you can push the bale over onto the flap. Worked very well.

What's it like to pull it out if you don't unwind it from the coil? I'm thinking that must be a right faff, I'm worried enough about unwinding it and having to pull it free.
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[ycbm]

itching the cr*p outta me

THANKYOU!

I had completely forgotten that handling hay makes me itch like mad.
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[Shilasdair]

I'd opt for the square bale haylage for two reasons;
1. It's less of a hassle to get a slice off than it is to dance crazily around a round bale, like some sort of demented Morris dancer.
2. IME round bales are lovely on the outside, and mouldy on the inside where they don't dry out enough.

 

[ycbm]

I'd opt for the square bale haylage for two reasons;
1. It's less of a hassle to get a slice off than it is to dance crazily around a round bale, like some sort of demented Morris dancer.
2. IME round bales are lovely on the outside, and mouldy on the inside where they don't dry out enough.

Re point 1, the supplier I use has the slices set thin and the cutters really work so they come free easily and don't need splitting up. It's a big plus., I have to admit.
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[paddy555]

What's it like to pull it out if you don't unwind it from the coil? I'm thinking that must be a right faff, I'm worried enough about unwinding it and having to pull it free.
.

effing nightmare you'll be there all day.

I have bought wrapped big bale hay. It might have been perfect when it was wrapped but come February it wasn't and I ended up giving a fair amount to neighbours cattle. It had been well made by a careful farmer.

I have also bought unwrapped big bales. I found they only work if you remove the wrapping and unravel it in curls. The hay was inside a building on a concrete floor so in theory it was easy, in practice is was quite a pain after small bale hay.

I wouldn't use big bale hay that wasn't soaked. However good it may look it is not good enough for my horse's lungs without soaking. I found the more you get into the middle of the bale the more dusty it could be.

I would think keeping a bale outside and having to take hay out each day with a tarp over it would be a total PITA especially when it is raining as well as windy.
I wouldn't even consider big bale wrapped unless you were going to put it in your barn and fence the corner off and be prepared to soak it. However as it is good hay grass that is what I would do.

 

[Archangel]

What's it like to pull it out if you don't unwind it from the coil? I'm thinking that must be a right faff, I'm worried enough about unwinding it and having to pull it free.
.

Sorry, I am no help at all, I completely missed that yours were round bales, I was talking about rectangles. I am not sure I could be doing with round bales outside.

 

[ycbm]

effing nightmare you'll be there all day.

I have bought wrapped big bale hay. It might have been perfect when it was wrapped but come February it wasn't and I ended up giving a fair amount to neighbours cattle. It had been well made by a careful farmer.

I have also bought unwrapped big bales. I found they only work if you remove the wrapping and unravel it in curls. The hay was inside a building on a concrete floor so in theory it was easy, in practice is was quite a pain after small bale hay.

I wouldn't use big bale hay that wasn't soaked. However good it may look it is not good enough for my horse's lungs without soaking. I found the more you get into the middle of the bale the more dusty it could be.

I would think keeping a bale outside and having to take hay out each day with a tarp over it would be a total PITA especially when it is raining as well as windy.
I wouldn't even consider big bale wrapped unless you were going to put it in your barn and fence the corner off and be prepared to soak it. However as it is good hay grass that is what I would do.

Great information, thank you.
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[DabDab]

Rounds are a pita to use. If you are used to using squares and there is no massive benefit to using the rounds then I think you'll probably regret it half way through winter. It's not just pulling bits off them and stopping them falling everywhere, but also things like it not stacking in a wheelbarrow as well as slices so if you wheelbarrow hay anywhere then you end up doing more trips and the slightest breath of wind is a nightmare

 

[ycbm]

I can feel a square bale order going in tomorrow ?