Soaking haylage

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vikkiandmonica

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Hey you lovely lot, can you give me some advice please?

At the minute, I give my horse a haynet whenever I bring him in so he can have a munch while I groom him and generally faff about.. As the weather has gotten hotter, my haylage has dried out a bit and is a little dusty. I was just wondering, how long would you soak it for to get rid of the dust? At the minute I just tie up the haynet and fill up water buckets and empty them over my haynet until it is soaked all the way through. Is this enough to remove any dust and spores etc.?

Also, if he doesn't finish a whole haynet in a day, I leave it tied up in my stable and give him it the next day. Should I be resoaking it before he gets it after it's been left overnight?

Thanks :D
 
You are not supposed to soak haylage for any length of time, because it contains bacteria that will multiply in the water, especially in the warmer weather.

I think tipping a bucket over it or a quick dunk is fine - presumably he is enjoying it and not coughing?

I wouldn't leave it overnight though - I think the middle bit could still be damp and bacteria could multiply in the middle. Either feed less so there is none left over, or chuck it out.
 
Thanks guys, will hose it down each day but make sure it isn't left in a haynet overnight so the middle may be damp still.

Would it be better to put the haylage on the floor when I've turned him out again so it can dry out throughout, meaning that it won't be damp and the bacteria won't multiply?
 
Please be careful, a few summers ago my pony was out for summer and i chucked a pile of haylage in his field to finish the last bale. I was slightly unsure about doing so as i am always careful not to use it if its not quite right.
I didnt wet it but gave it as it was and that day my pony had severe colic- it may or may not have been related to what i did but i will never really know and blame myself.
 
Ok thanks. It isn't mouldy, really wet or smelly, it is actually really nice haylage, just a little dry and dusty. He seems happy eating it, and hasn't seemed ill, but if it starts to smell bad, I'll throw it out :)
 
vikkiandmonica said:
Ok thanks. It isn't mouldy, really wet or smelly, it is actually really nice haylage, just a little dry and dusty. He seems happy eating it, and hasn't seemed ill, but if it starts to smell bad, I'll throw it out :)
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Haylege isn't normally dry unless you have opened it and left if for a while? You should use haylege within 5 days of opening IMHO:)
 
Oh, ok. They are fairly big bales and stay good for longer than 5 days. It still seems in good condition, and smells nice with the horses eating it happily, but I'll look at it tomorrow and see if I think it needs throwing out :)
 
I get big bales from a farmer and they vary considerably, from quite moist and sweet smelling, to very dry and crispy, more like hay.

I know you should use it all within 5 days, but I also find the dry stuff lasts for ages, particularly if you keep it wrapped up. A friend of mine reckons hers lasts a month!
 
Llewelyn said:
I get big bales from a farmer and they vary considerably, from quite moist and sweet smelling, to very dry and crispy, more like hay.

I know you should use it all within 5 days, but I also find the dry stuff lasts for ages, particularly if you keep it wrapped up. A friend of mine reckons hers lasts a month!
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A MONTH:eek:

If you only have one horse buy the small bales because the amount you throw away will cost you more in the end. When the air gets to them the spores of bacteria will multiply. If I opened haylage that was dry I would send it back!! I always check to make sure there are no pin holes or anything in the wrapping.
 
Would it be obvious if there were loads of spores of bacteria? Because it's only about a week and a half old, and is very nice smelling, it is still a little damp, but just, not as damp as it is freshly opened, which is why I wanted to soak/wet it down to remove any dust there was?
 
vikkiandmonica said:
Would it be obvious if there were loads of spores of bacteria? Because it's only about a week and a half old, and is very nice smelling, it is still a little damp, but just, not as damp as it is freshly opened, which is why I wanted to soak/wet it down to remove any dust there was?
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If I'm honest I personally would not use anything more than 10 days max. It's your call!
 
Ok, I might throw it out then and get some hay. Thanks for the advice, everyone at my yard seems to use it for over that time span, but I don't want my horses getting ill :p
 
vikkiandmonica said:
Would it be obvious if there were loads of spores of bacteria? Because it's only about a week and a half old, and is very nice smelling, it is still a little damp, but just, not as damp as it is freshly opened, which is why I wanted to soak/wet it down to remove any dust there was?
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You got a tenner?

Only one way to find out about your haylage... grab a handful. Pop it in a self seal bag, then whack it in a postal bag and send it to (call them first to ask what analysis you require):

Sciantec Analytical Services Ltd
Stockbridge Technology Centre
Cawood
North Yorkshire
YO8 3SD

Or Dodson & Horrell are pretty good at hey testing.
 
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