Numpty question - soaking haylage ?

Shysmum

Shysmum

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Have been searching around to try and find out why you would do this, (found this old post which has helped http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=302615 ).

I'm curious really as I've not come across it before - I understand the reasons for soaking/steaming hay - do you soak haylage to reduce the fermented sugars, and if so, why do that instead of using soaked hay. What is the benefit of soaked haylage over soaked hay ? No cost involvement.

While looking this up, I've found some fab spelling for haylage - fave has to be "haulage" ;)

Thanks !
 
I soaked haylage when Nitty got laminitis because that's what I had at the time. I had no hay in at all (neither of mine are what you would call likely lami cases you see) so that was my only option until I found some dog rough hay to give her.
 
All other things being equal (which they rarely are!) haylage will have less sugar than hay as the preservation process converts the sugars to acids, lowers the pH, hence aids preservation. So, I can see the sense in soaking haylage to get a lower sugar end product than soaking hay. Although in practice I'm not sure how much difference it would make.
 
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Not sure about soaking it to get sugars out but I have been having to soak haylage for my mare on the vets advice because she's developed a dust allergy type thing following pneumonia. Vet said that even haylage can have spores etc so needed soaked and damped down to get rid of those until everything with her breathing settled down. She's onto normal haylage now but initially it did make a big difference
 
i thought u couldnt soak haylage :s i may very well be wrong as that statement has come from no professional just word of mouth. my reason for thinking it though is i thought it caused it to ferment/ go off.
 
I soak whatever the yard has in at the time, our yard has both hay and haylage at different times of the year. If I didn't my fatty little cob would be a grossly obese little cob and off his feet.
 
Try Neem cream. I was COVERED in ringworm last year all down my front and back And it cleared it up in 2 weeks. It may do the same for horses Everything the doc gave me didn't work. But this cream was brill
 
I soak hay and haylage as our yard has both and sometimes one or the other runs out! Have definitely noticed a reduction in weight so think it's worthwhile. I just soak for between 12 and 20 hours and feed wet.
 
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