Hayledge woes

ElleSkywalker

ElleSkywalker

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
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Hi folks,

Might have mentioned before ;), but due to appalling weather I ended up with large bale hayledge this year. I have brought a little shed to keep it in (8x8 with double doors I plan to keep open when it's not raining) & opened my first bale on Tuesday

Have had it analysed & it's looking good to feed to my fatties so cheerfully popped out easier to net some up to mix with the hay I have currently & found its heating up already!!!

Have spread out as much as I can & left some outside in night air to see how it is when cooled but am resigned to loosing most of the bale (have netted up what I can :()

So to stop this happening in future if I netted 7 days worth up at once (7 days x 3 horses so 21 nets) then spread the remainder out is it likely to be ok? The remainder with go in the field :) does netted hayledge heat up?

Once it start heating, even if it cools & smells nice is that it, it can't be used?

Tea & curry to all :)
 
I've fed hot haylage. Small bale in summer, opened one end and used some. Next day found it hot, opened whole thing and spread it out. Used some. Horse fine. This horse not prone to colic though, eats anything, doesn't suffer for sudden diet changes etc. If you have money to burn or have horses with delicate digestion, maybe get a new bale. If you've got tough horses and you're skint I'd feed it (as long as it doesn't look off) and hope for the best. You can keep your curry :p but I'll have a cup of tea while I wait to get shot for bad horse management :)
 
Ive had this this week!..only my second bale ever..so am treating it with the greatest suspicion..but I do know how it 'should' smell.. the 1st bale was fine, the second was not as dry and had a funny wiff to it, not bad or good...almost fizzy. I threw the wrap & air dried the best of the bad smelling..fed anything I was too scared to feed to the horses and the rest was fine..finnished that bale this eve so tomorrow buying from someone else!(nice farmer i trust) I've been told once open, don't try to rewrap it or cover it..one of mine is delicate but fussy, I was terribly worried about her, but she still seemed to love it& touch wood, so far has been absolutley fine. If there are any tears or snags in the wrap i wouldn't be using it..and insist on taking wrap off before I chose my bale!(saves bringing it back if its manky!) I did pretty much the same pre netting as you and it dried out over the week...if the goats had turned their noses up at it...it would have been rapidly going in the opposite direction& no where near the horses!hope your next bale is better behaved..interested to here everyones thoughts...lovely curry thank you..what flavour was it?:D
 
I use big bale hay ledge in winter and it lasts me 4 weeks, I keep it outside, gets warm inside doors air can't get through it, keep plastic cool etc, I open one end and feed as required and cover it with a tarpaulin to keep the rain off.

I never use a bale that is mouldy, if its hot it is starting to ferment and once the spores are in they won't stop, if it was a new bale just opened I wud have asked supplier to replace it.
 
Mine smelled stronger because it was hot, but still smelled like haylage. I did once throw some out that had a fizzy smell and had gone very wet up one end of the bale and a little mouldy in other places, though most of it looked ok. I was worried it had turned into silage or gone off and concerned about botulism I put it on the muck heap (in the field, but there was nowhere else). The horses had grass but climbed on the muck heap and ate it anyway. None died or got ill. I think sometimes we fuss too much, though it can be hard to know what to do for the best.
 
Our last bale was very wet, mouldy in places, and after being open a week or so it got that hot that it was smoking!! Needless to say it all went on the muck heap and we have changed to a more expensive but well known and trusted supplier for our next bale!!!
 
Try a different supplier I find if it is wet or hasn't been wrapped or baled at the correct time it will heat up. It's so time consuming spreading it out but worth it.
 
We keep ours in a field shelter with doors. We find standing it on pallets (we put grass mats over the pallets) keeps the bottom aired and stops it getting hot/mushy from all the moisture going downwards. That may help? Sorry, that probably wasn't explained well.:o
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Is my hayledge off my field so I am the supplier :)
Click to expand...
Thoughts:
Was the bale rolled into the shed or carried on tractor spike, if the latter was it opened immediately?
When was it made?
Is it very dry?
Very wet?

Sounds like it hasnt finished fermenting yet--but I am far from expert--need a farmer here!
 
Rolled into shed, opened day after, wrap was still intact

Made Aug, one day off being hay, only
wrapped as rain due

The analysis I had done suggests that correct fermentation has occured as the ph is average :)

Think the shed is too small & as it was raining today didn't have doors open which probs didn't help :rolleyes: :(
 
Just been to check it & still hot :eek: have given horses some if the cooled stuff in the field & will see what it is doing in the morning.

Can't describe the smell, is not sick or sour, just smells 'warm', not even sweaty smelling!

Ps, is still some curry left if anyone wants it :)
 
well, if mine is warm but doesn't smell like sick (sorry with all the curry about) I shake it up and net it allow it to cool and feed it later, but i do net up lots of nets at one go.
 
once opened haylage should be used within 5 days in cold weather 3 days in mild current weather! you run the risk of botulism/salmonella poisoning otherwise. up to you really. shaken dried out cooled still harbours bacteria. good luck hope you have hardy types................
 
Thanks everyone.

My friend suggested storing it outside under a tarp. I have yet to find a waterproof tarp but she says a bit if rain won't hurt it & that's how she stores hers.

So latest plan, net 21 nets worth up, store in shed with doors open. Put hayledge on pallet covering loosely with tarp (ie over top but not tucked in underneath, just corners weighed down with bricks)

Does this sound anymore sensible?

Just to add, my house is rented, the shed we have is only option re barns etc as were aren't allowed to put big structures up :rolleyes:
 
Netting 7 days up at once won't change anything! It's the action of the air that starts the re-fermentation so whether it's opened and sitting in your bale or opened and sitting in haynets won't make the blindest bit of difference, sorry!
 
I was told that if your haylage is heating up quickly after opening, then the wrap probably had a hole in it. This could as small as a pin prick but the haylage starts to ferment around the hole and then when it is opened and exposed to the air it can go off within 24 hours. I have had one bale start to heat up and it that one was wetter then normal but it has been a very wet summer and it also depends on where it was baled i.e. under a tree it will stay wetter! All the rest have been fine.
 
I am amazed how casual some are about their haylage. It can be a wonderful feed for horses but I have noticed that over the years
since it became popular more and more people ignore the basic rules and have become complacent about the very real dangers it carries.

Use within a maximum of 7 days in winter, 4 in hot weather.
It should be moist not wet.
It should smell delicious, any thing else is a warning.
Wrapping MUST be perfectly intact before opening.
Any signs of heating up is asking for trouble.
Ignoring basic rules puts your horse at risk of botulism. Is it worth it.
 
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