Horsehage or other suggestions for no hay storage options!

Traks

Traks

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So I am at a small yard which is privately owned and there are 2 liveries, myself and another. We have a barn to store hay and basically everything, the YO has basically filled it with bales for themselves for winter and left a small gap for the liveries hay…she’s unlikely to sell us any as she needs it for her horses.

Which leaves me with pretty small space to store it, probably 10 bales max. Its impossible to find hay already locally, I’m unlikely to find anyone which will have a regular supply (I’ll have to go collect every month or so and I know people are buying in bulk now and storing).

I’m considering getting horsehage for the winter…I know it’s expensive but I can probably store a fair few bales in there given the size plus it’s sold at my local feed store or I can get a pallet delivered. As it’s wrapped I can probably keep some at home with a tarpaulin over too.

Obviously it’s going to be expensive but are there any issues with using it long term? How long does a bale last before going off?? I’d get the lowest sugar content possible for my good doer Welsh D!

Any other suggestions welcome!
 
Horsehage high fibre ryegrass and their timothy are usually both fairly consistent and well-made. My Welsh dxarabs do fine on it over winter without issue.
It’s not a very wet haylage so it doesn’t heat when opened, and easily lasts 3 days….likely 4-5 in cooler winter weather. Their bales are around 20-24kg, so my 2 easily get through a bale daily if it’s their only forage, due to no grass.
Other haylages may be cheaper but often I’ve found the bale weight reflects the cheaper price - kilo for kilo it’s generally similar pricing.

Marksway at least do a proper job of fermenting it small bale compressed straight from the field into final sales wrap - rather than wrap as large round/squares, then repackage after fermenting into smaller looser bags - that introduces oxygen and generally causes secondary fermentation to occur in wetter haylages, and can cause growth of white yeasts and a vinegary smell. Too acidic potentially.

Never had that issue with HHage ever with secondary over-fermentation issues because they bale/compress/wrap/ferment and sell.
They don’t have mud clumps in their haylage, like some can do - mud really doesn’t want to be in contact with haylage within the bales fermenting.

As you’re in the uk I’d get in touch with HHage direct and ask for a pallet of half/half timothy/high fibre ryegrass - I find mixing it gives a better selection of nutrition/texture.

Slightly lighter bales but also decently made is Devon haylage rye and Timothy mix. Used that for a bit and really liked it, horses fab on it. Its already mixed so a plus compared with HHage. Great quality….just got too expensive shipping internationally after brexit for me.

There’s likely other good brands in the uk too, likely cheaper, but I haven’t tried them, only the above mentioned.
 
Just a thought - if you and the other livery are needing same forage type for both your horses, you could save money by buying larger haylage bales on a pallet.
This place does large bales ideal for 2+ horses to be using.
I haven’t used this company so can’t comment on quality/plants included, but they do meadow haylage.
You could ask for a small sample bale before committing to a pallet load.

 
PurBee said:
Horsehage high fibre ryegrass and their timothy are usually both fairly consistent and well-made. My Welsh dxarabs do fine on it over winter without issue.
It’s not a very wet haylage so it doesn’t heat when opened, and easily lasts 3 days….likely 4-5 in cooler winter weather. Their bales are around 20-24kg, so my 2 easily get through a bale daily if it’s their only forage, due to no grass.
Other haylages may be cheaper but often I’ve found the bale weight reflects the cheaper price - kilo for kilo it’s generally similar pricing.

Marksway at least do a proper job of fermenting it small bale compressed straight from the field into final sales wrap - rather than wrap as large round/squares, then repackage after fermenting into smaller looser bags - that introduces oxygen and generally causes secondary fermentation to occur in wetter haylages, and can cause growth of white yeasts and a vinegary smell. Too acidic potentially.

Never had that issue with HHage ever with secondary over-fermentation issues because they bale/compress/wrap/ferment and sell.
They don’t have mud clumps in their haylage, like some can do - mud really doesn’t want to be in contact with haylage within the bales fermenting.

As you’re in the uk I’d get in touch with HHage direct and ask for a pallet of half/half timothy/high fibre ryegrass - I find mixing it gives a better selection of nutrition/texture.

Slightly lighter bales but also decently made is Devon haylage rye and Timothy mix. Used that for a bit and really liked it, horses fab on it. Its already mixed so a plus compared with HHage. Great quality….just got too expensive shipping internationally after brexit for me.

There’s likely other good brands in the uk too, likely cheaper, but I haven’t tried them, only the above mentioned.
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This is brilliant thank you!! I’ve only got the one 14hh pony so I’m not sure how long a bale would last in honesty, it would be for overnight as YO is going to put round bales in the fields I think.

Thanks again x
 
Timothy horsehage was fine for my very sensitive Welsh D.

If you can find some locally made wrapped hay or low sugar haylage then you could quite safely keep it stored outside on pallets with a tarp over tbh.

Other branded options that either your feed shop might stock or you could order a pallet of would be Silvermoor (a range of haylage options), Devon Haylage (Timothy or Native mixes would probably suit), Cravenbale (absolutely FANTASTIC meadow haylage or very soft wrapped hay), Skerne Leys (they do either haylage, wrapped Timothy or unwrapped Timothy all available for pallet delivery I believe).

Would shop around and see what’s going to be most convenient & affordable for you depending on location (Silvermoor & Devon both obv more South based; Cravenbale & Skerne Leys both Yorkshire)

A horsehage bale used to last me about 3 days, Skerne Leys 3-4, Devon 3-4 & Cravenbale 3-4 for a pony a similar size to yours, although he was fed pretty much ad-lib a lot of the time so you might get longer!
 
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I use horsehage for my horse too, feeding alongside wet timothy hay. I've found an open bale, as long as it is covered (I use an old bag to slot over the top), lasts for about 5 days before starting to heat.

The only issues I've found with the marksway timothy have been a) lots of stones and flints in the bales, to the extent that I have switched to the blue rye, and b) their timothy runs out every year around March.
 
Just beware of rodent damage if you store haylage yourself. I lost 5 of 50 small bales. Mine were stored in a clean barn on a pallet over winter. I'm now only buying a few at a time, guy selling them has same rodent issue even with 3 terriers !! He is trying storing without pallets.... I would also make sure you can walk all the way round the bales to regularly inspect them (ie don't store them right next to a wall,)
 
meesha said:
Just beware of rodent damage if you store haylage yourself. I lost 5 of 50 small bales. Mine were stored in a clean barn on a pallet over winter. I'm now only buying a few at a time, guy selling them has same rodent issue even with 3 terriers !! He is trying storing without pallets.... I would also make sure you can walk all the way round the bales to regularly inspect them (ie don't store them right next to a wall,)
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This is my worry. Ive managed to buy in a few and store but I am worried about rats.
 
meesha said:
Just beware of rodent damage if you store haylage yourself. I lost 5 of 50 small bales. Mine were stored in a clean barn on a pallet over winter. I'm now only buying a few at a time, guy selling them has same rodent issue even with 3 terriers !! He is trying storing without pallets.... I would also make sure you can walk all the way round the bales to regularly inspect them (ie don't store them right next to a wall,)
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Same here. Bought a pallet load once to save money but the rats chewed a few bales negating any savings I’d made.
 
PurBee said:
Just a thought - if you and the other livery are needing same forage type for both your horses, you could save money by buying larger haylage bales on a pallet.
This place does large bales ideal for 2+ horses to be using.
I haven’t used this company so can’t comment on quality/plants included, but they do meadow haylage.
You could ask for a small sample bale before committing to a pallet load.

Click to expand...
Fantastic thank you I’ll look into this one too!
 
meesha said:
Just beware of rodent damage if you store haylage yourself. I lost 5 of 50 small bales. Mine were stored in a clean barn on a pallet over winter. I'm now only buying a few at a time, guy selling them has same rodent issue even with 3 terriers !! He is trying storing without pallets.... I would also make sure you can walk all the way round the bales to regularly inspect them (ie don't store them right next to a wall,)
Click to expand...
Oh thank you that is a good point!
 
Boulty said:
Timothy horsehage was fine for my very sensitive Welsh D.

If you can find some locally made wrapped hay or low sugar haylage then you could quite safely keep it stored outside on pallets with a tarp over tbh.

Other branded options that either your feed shop might stock or you could order a pallet of would be Silvermoor (a range of haylage options), Devon Haylage (Timothy or Native mixes would probably suit), Cravenbale (absolutely FANTASTIC meadow haylage or very soft wrapped hay), Skerne Leys (they do either haylage, wrapped Timothy or unwrapped Timothy all available for pallet delivery I believe).

Would shop around and see what’s going to be most convenient & affordable for you depending on location (Silvermoor & Devon both obv more South based; Cravenbale & Skerne Leys both Yorkshire)

A horsehage bale used to last me about 3 days, Skerne Leys 3-4, Devon 3-4 & Cravenbale 3-4 for a pony a similar size to yours, although he was fed pretty much ad-lib a lot of the time so you might get longer!
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Thank you so much that’s very helpful
 
Echo the others.

Marksway horsehage is excellent quality, but I lost 5 of 10 stored small bales to rodent or possibly rabbit damage.

Wouldn’t have minded so much if they’d targeted just one bale and had a good munch, but no, they had a nibble at 5.
 
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