Ryegrass or meadow haylage?

[Patterdale]

Having always just cut permanent pasture I’m ordering in haylage this year. I’ve got the choice of rye or meadow.
My knowledge in this area is lacking! The horses are native youngsters, children’s ponies and one hot horse.
All are good doers but none are allowed to be fat.

The haylage is for winter feeding in an exposed and quite harsh area. They will be out 24/7 but not much grass by midwinter.

Thanks!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would choose meadow haylage, as being most similar to what you have fed before. I avoid ryegrass whenever possible.

 

[eggs]

Meadow grass

 

[Goldenstar]

The meadow with one proviso you need to make sure its tested logic suggested it should be lower energy than rye but I know to be myself the meadow forage varies wildly in its analysis and can low in fibre as well .

 

[Mrs G]

If I were you with those horses/ponies - meadow! Rye grass is relatively high in fructans ('sugars'). It's often sown in the UK for dairy cattle to help produce higher milk yields however in horses these fructans can convert to toxins in the hind gut during digestion and can result in laminitis. It can make horses giddy too! Meadow pasture should have a mix of grasses, be more digestible and be less 'calorific'.

 

[criso]

It depends on other things too, when cut and local conditions.

I would go for meadow as it would have a wider variety of species and my horse doesn't hold weight so I'm not bothered about too many calories.

However when someone on our yard was carefully comparing small bales for a good doer on box rest, it was late cut ryegrass that was lowest in sugar and calories. The big bale meadow we have available, is the richest.

 

[Polos Mum]

Typically the rye is highest calories and meadow is lower. If a major supplier they may well test it so you could ask them for composition of both

This is from the supplier I use - they test samples each year

 

[Red-1]

I would once have said meadow, but have had to learn new stuff to keep Rigsby safe! The lowest sugar/starch haylage I have found is Horsehage High Fibre Rye. So, that is what he is on.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have a strong ingrained fear of Rye grass. Meadow for me every time!

 

[spotty_pony]

Rye is a lot higher in energy than meadow too. I would always go with meadow.

 

[criso]

Rye is a lot higher in energy than meadow too. I would always go with meadow.

Not always, as I said when someone compared the bagged haylage available locally, it was late cut ryegrass that was lowest. Meadow hay can vary widely. I feed the meadow haylage on our yard as it's the richest option and mine needs the extra calories.

Timothy tends to be the lowest.

 

[Debsflo1]

Meadow definitely

 

[suestowford]

Yes, even from the same supplier it can vary in how much sugar is in meadow haylage. I had some one year when I couldn't get timothy, and it was 4% sugar. So when I couldn't get timothy again a couple of years later, I bought some more, assuming it would be the same but of course it wasn't! It had a LOT more sugar in it. I did feed it, because I couldn't send it back, but I mixed it with the timothy I had remaining. I expect the first lot I had was a late cut.

 

[ycbm]

I would default to meadow for the variety of grasses and other plants that it's more likely to have in it. I don't think single species forage is a good idea if you can avoid it.
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