how much haylage to feed?

[L&M]

I am changing to haylage for this winter's forage and have two 14.2hh cobs, both good doers, but will be hunting regularily so will be in full work. They will have daily turnout with reasonable grazing, and stabled overnight.
How much haylage should they be getting in kg approx? On one haylage site it recommended 8-10kg per day for a 16hh, but this did not mention the horses workload or length of time stabled.
Thanks for your help!

 

[AmyMay]

If they will be in full / hard work - give them as much as they want.

If they start looking porky, cut it down.

 

[L&M]

Thanks Amymay - I agree with ad-libbing, but the problem is that I am having to order it in so need a rough guide as how many bales to buy.

 

[teddyt]

You really need to have it analysed for a definite answer but as a guide, if not feeding ad lib-

Haylage has lower dry matter (i.e. more water content) , so you need to feed more in weight than you would hay in order to still meet the horses fibre requirements. e.g if you feed 10kg of 90% dry matter hay you would need to feed approx 15kg of 50% dry matter haylage. Because the nutrient level of haylage is usually higher than hay you can therefore usually cut down on hard feed.

Also, 8kg of one haylage may provide more fibre than 8kg of another, if the first haylage is drier, as a larger proportion of the second haylage will be water.

So its a hard one to answer without haylage analysis and knowing your individual horses

 

[Shay]

15Kg sounds like a heck of a lot!

I have a 13.2 cob X good Do-er. Turned out during the day on moderate to poor pasture. He is in modertate to hard work - ridden 6 days per week. Competed or hunted most weekends depending on season.

He has 1 1/2 scoops hard feed and 1 scoop HiFi split into 2 meals, balencer and one 3.5kg net of haylage at night, double netted in a small hole net.

That really is all the haylage he needs. He can play with it most of the night because we've double netted it. Any more than that and he gets really podgy. The idea of giving him even half the amount you've quoted would result - for us - in one very overwieght and very ill pony.

 

[teddyt]

The amount i quoted was an example, not a recommendation for any particular horse. I was explaining the need to feed more haylage than hay because of the lower dry matter.

 

[ihatework]

As Teddy T says it's variable!

However, for example imagine the small expensive horsehage bales. They are approx 20kg in weight. My 16.2hh in medium work through winter would easily eat half a bale overnight.

Currently, 1 large bale of haylage (big square one, approx 300kg) is sustaining 2 x 16.2hh, average-poor doers, on 24h box rest per week.

Therefore it would not be unreasonable to plan for 8-10kg per 12h period and be prepared to cut it down / reduce hard feed if that was proving too much.