Haylage soaking.... Please help!

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michelle01

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Is it true that you shouldn't soak haylage? I know lots of people that obviously soak hay and I'm pretty sure iv come across people that soak haylage, but,iv just read that doing this can release a bacteria that can be toxic?? Surely then leaving your haylage outside when it's rains is the same sort of thing? Which if u think about it, we have all left hay nets ect outside a stable for the morning which have been wet threw when it rains, we still feed that and nothing wrong has ever happened, same as people that leave large bales in fields, they get soaking and again, the horses and ponys eating them have no adverse reactions? Please can someone help answer this question as it's now bugging me, I was just about to start feeding soaked haylage to a Shetland too, thanks in advance. Michelle
 
As far as I am aware soaking hay has only 2 purposes, the reduction of dust and the leeching of carbohydrates for horses with conditions like PSSM etc. Soaking haylage would not help in either situation as it should have little dust (if any) and the carbs are locked in by the fermentation process.

"Releasing" a bacteria does not make sense biologically. If it is there to be released it is there to be eaten! I can see how leaving it soaking for a few days might well see it become rancid but I cannot imagine you are proposing to do that!

Haylage is an immature form of silage i.e. it is fermented for a shorter period of time and true silage produces a pretty toxic acidic run off which has to be disposed off properly - is that what you have heard about?? As we do not feed horses silage (generally) in this country it is not an issue for us horse owners.
 
I just read that someone had a fat pony that would not eat hay dry or soaked, and they wondered if feeding soaked haylage would get rid or a few sugars just so it could eat something, just with less sugar, and someone els commented that feeding soaked haylage releases a bacteria that was toxic, iv never Hurd of this so was just wondering, mainly just for the fact that a friend has a very fat Shetland that also will not eat hay soaked or dry and asked about soaking haylage for an hour or two to try and get some of the sugars out?
 
Is there a reason why you want to soak your haylage or are you just after an answer to something you have heard about?
I agree - it would go rancid if left soaking for a long amount of time but then if you put a large round bale out in the field it will get wet at some point...mind you, fat chance of that this winter, we've had hardly any rain! (Not that I'm complaining!)
 
I have damped/rinsed my horses haylage- not actually soaked it for say an hour or more, but i've rinsed it through with the hose before feeding when i had some rocket fuel type haylage a few years ago- horses ate it and had no adverse effect. I would imagine that if it was soaked for a long time then it would leech the goodness out of it- but then maybe that is what you want to do.

I have one that is on damped haylage at the moment for vet reasons and my vet agreed to me damping it down, they didn't advise otherwise.
 
I soak haylege for my laminitic exmoor . We only have haylege at the yard so I soak it before starting work (7.30) and tip the water away after work (5). Loads of sugar comes out. I've never had any problems works really well for me.
 
3CVA said:
I soak haylege for my laminitic exmoor . We only have haylege at the yard so I soak it before starting work (7.30) and tip the water away after work (5). Loads of sugar comes out. I've never had any problems works really well for me.
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Thank you, this is the sort of answer I was hoping for, my friends pony is very fat, it will not eat hay wet or dry so soaking or dampening haylage is her last idea, if it works for you then it should work for her :-)
 
Surely if the very fat pony will not eat hay, then that should let your friend know that it isn't truly hungry? And if so, then why try and feed it more palatable food?
 
my cob had a very bad respiratory infection in january - my vet told me to soak his haylage. He will not touch hay so i soak haylage for 12 hours, id rather him nibble on that when stabled at night than nothing - and he will go 12 hours with nothing if given hay, he just wont touch it
 
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