Stupid Haylage Question

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randira

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Me and another person on my yard have recently changed to haylage and hav bought some from a reputable local farmer. It is quite big bale and after 10 days we have not got half way through the bale. My worry is that on some areas there are white spots like its been dusted with icing sugar and it is smelling a bit vinegary. I have managed to pull out the bits that looked 'good' for last night's haynet, but I am pretty convinced it has gone off. There were lots of those little storm flies around the bale yesterday. Help please as never fed it before!
 
Mmmm, two of you won't be able to use a big bale up quickly enough unfortunately. It does sound as if it's going off.

Get rid of the bits with mildew on, and use what smell ok only.

Can you get smaller bales instead??
 
As Amy said too, I'm sorry.

We first started using haylage last year and I was very careful to seal it up again but it was still a bit spotty by the end then I read on here about opening up the bale completely and haven't had a problem since. I slit it open and peel off the cover from all sides, only bit left is what it is standing on. By the time you get to the end, it has dried out a fair amount but certainly no different from hay and better still, it hasn't gone mouldy. Obviously, in some bales, there might be a little bit of mould anyway which you must not use at any price, better to go without than feed that if you don't want any problems IMO. I know, it's not easy to get the smaller bales but if you only have one or two horses, they are better.
 
take all the wrapping off the top and sides the moment you open it, and let it start drying out. the white mould is okay, i've been told... it's the black or green stuff you should not let your horse eat. for safety, i used to chuck out any bits near the nasty stuff, too.
be aware that some horses get very very buzzy on haylage... not many, but some do.
 
The only real way round it is to get more people to share a bale or try & find smaller sized ones, as lovely though it is, it just goes off too quickly!
LBO loves haylage & always tells me straight away when HE thinks the bale needs changing (by refusing to eat it! lol) & he is so tiny, we seldom ever to get to use a whole one up & that's the little ones!
We have some big bales at the yard now but I will only be using it if 4 or 5 others want to share or it's just a waste of money otherwise, due to the high wastage!
 
I have four horse, but have not started on the big bales yet, what with the hot weather and the fact that they are still out would mean I would waste it. You need to get more people to share it with you and don't cover it up......
 
Ditto Kerilli - Whit mould ok, black mould bad. I may well smell slightly vinergary as it is partialy fermented. Get all the wrapper off and worse case scenario is that it will dry out.
 
If there is a vinegary smell and its been open 10 days then it does sound like its going off. We use large bale haylage on our yard but there are 12 of us to one bale and we usually use up 1 in 5 days in the winter and 9-10 days in the autumn.

Discard the bits that s beginning to go white/grey and unroll the bale so you're further inside it - the inner portion is the last to go off as it is not exposed to the air but use it asap. If you cant use the bale up in the next 2-3 days I would discard it as there is a risk of botulism.
 
The white dots are yeast...and is fine.

You will know when its off - it smells like dogs mess!

I open mine and keep it in a very well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Once its opened - dont seal it back up as it will ferment.

I get through a round bale a week, with 6 big horses all having arounf 15 to 20lbs of hay in a net over night.

If there are any small holes in ables you arent ready to use, cover the hole with tape but be prepared to waste that part of the bale when you open it.

Air or dirt causes the bale to start to rot...hence the big black/grey patches that you will need to pull off and burn/bin.

If you are worried about the dregs being warm. I unfold them and let them air for a while, then sniff them. If they smell poopy, I dont risk it.

Hope that helps!!
 
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