haylage question

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BigLebowski

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Hi there

A friend of mine has stored several large bales of haylage wrapped in plastic in my barns, undercover. My donkeys have made holes in some of the bales through the plastic and have munched a small amount. She claims the bales are "written off" and wants me to pay for them in full.

I put it to her that the haylage can still be used as hay but she claims that "once the air gets in it rots it" and "the rot is often at the back of the bale opposite where the hole is".

She owes me a lot of money for grazing and wants to offset this against the haylage. I suspect this is all a load of nonsense and she's trying it on.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks
Dude
 
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If the plastic has got holes in it it is useless, I lost several bales through my OH accidently tearing the plastic while stacking. So yes, it is your fault if your donkeys were allowed to eat into them. Weren't you worried about them getting the plastic or the inner netting caught up?
 
Well Dude, why don't you still charge her the storage but swap her haylage for some of your own or the equivalent value in hay. Then your animals can use the haylage which you feel will be perfectly good and she can have the decent stuff she was being charged storage for.
 
Many thanks for your comments.

A lot of the bales have historical holes in that were patched up with tape after they were bailed because "birds" apparently made them. If this is the case were they useless anyway?

Best
Dude
 
I didn't charge her for the storage as a favour and it was her idea to let my donkeys roam near the haylage since other barns nearby have undercover storage for the donkeys. Also I don't have any haylage or hay of my own; I sold it all to her! :)

Best
Dude
 
It will only "go off" if it has a high moisture content or wet gets in, if it has been stored in the dry it should be usable. Have you opened one to see what it is like inside?
The first year I had some made the horses got in and nibbled the plastic (why DO they prefer plastic to grass?). We patched it so as to keep it dry rather than airtight and most of it was fine. No horses turned their toes up as a result :)
 
Did you sell her the haylage with the holes in then? If holes are patched immediately then the haylage may be saved. That's immediately they are done, not immediately they are noticed.

I notice you changed your charges from "storage" to grazing . . . Are you bored today?
 
I haven't quite woken up yet :)

I sold the standing grass and she baled it but left the bales in the field for months (which burned holes in the grass beneath each bale - grr). The holes were made during that phase.

So what's the problem if an "off" bale is eaten? Do the horses/donkeys get colic or something? My donkeys seem to be able to sniff out what's good and what's not good. Wouldn't they just turn their noses up it if it's rotten?

Best
Dude
 
Only you know the financial or favour arrangement you have so I won't comment on whether you owe her or not. However, be assured she is right in that the haylage is not safe to use.
 
If you spot a small hole (50p sized) as it is made (ie the day the birds made the holes) and you patch it immediately you can get away with it - the small amount of oxygine that gets in is 'used' by bacteria then the bacteria can't grow any more.

Longer than that or a bigger hole that doesn't seal - I would consider the bale unsafe and not use it.
 
When there is a small localised area that has 'festered' because of a hole in the wrap then it is perfectly safe to remove the bad and use the good as long as it is not hot.

There is no need to burn it if it is bad, get a local farmer to take it as cattle will eat it with no problem.

As for the bad being on the opposite side to the hole that is tommy rot.

You stored it for her and that was at her own risk. If it was out in the field for some time the rooks and crows will peck into it.
I agree that she is trying to get out of money owed.

I have just finished the last of some extra large bales, only two were not useable. One had a missed rip down one side and the other rolled off the back of the outside stack and was punctured. Local farmer uses them. Some did have a small amount of rot where birds had pecked but that was easily removed.
 
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