Too much haylage?

brightlights

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I have recently brought my horses home after an extended period on livery. I have kept them on the same feed/concentrate from that program but have had to switch them from hay to haylage. I introduced the haylage slowly to them at livery for a good week before their move, and haven't seen any obvious signs of stomach upset, so thought I was doing well. But what I have noticed is that most of them have become hay dunkers!

My farrier mentioned that something to do with the fermentation and the moisture and/or sugar content of haylage would be harder on their kidneys than hay.
I do think they're urinating more frequently. I'd thought that was just to do with the weather warming up but am now wondering if it's the haylage. Has anyone else had this experience? Is this a known thing?? I don't feed it ad-lib but do probably feed more than the suggested 5-8kg I've seen recommended. My thought was to reduce the concentrate slightly and make sure they have just about as much forage as possible. Huh. Am I doing more harm than good?
 

Goldenstar

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They certainly will need less hard feed if they are on haylege .
I would consider giving them some dried grass or straw type chop as well as the haylege .
 

brightlights

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Do you have experience with this? I know it will vary based on horse, feed, activity, haylage, everything. I’ve slightly reduced hard feed, but half of mine are already on 1/2 a stubb’s scoop morning and night, so wouldn’t know how much more to reduce it.

They all get a good half scoop of beet pulp and a handful of Alfa-a chaff as well. I’ve been thinking of switching to a different chaff. Would you up the chaff and further reduce the feed?

Any thoughts as to whether I would be overtaxing their kidneys with extra haylage vs keeping them/their stomachs happy? o_Oo_O
 

Pearlsasinger

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Unless horses are in hard work, or ill, at this time of the year they shouldn't need any 'hard feed'. They will do better on forage, whether that is hay or haylage. Haylage has a higher water content than hay, so you will need to feed more by weight. Some horses do dunk their forage, others don't, it doesn't seem to matter to them which forage it is. If you want to give a bucket feed to keep them in their routine, you could just give the chaff.
 

be positive

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I have fed haylage to mine for years and never had any issues with their kidneys, or anything else, the dunking could be due to the move, placing the water containers in a different position that makes it any easy option rather than new behaviour as such, you will be far more aware of what they are doing so the extra urinating could be just you being there more of the time to notice or that they are going more in the stable for some reason so it seems as if they are going more frequently.
I agree with the other posters that say cut back or out the hard feed, in your other thread you say they are fat and you are concerned about laminitis so the first thing to reduce is the hard feed they get, not the forage.
If they were mine I would get them out full time and see how they are on just grass, if there is not enough then give haylage in the field until you can move onto the better grass and feed nothing.
 

milliepops

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good advice from BP as usual.

I have one that does seem to drink more on haylage than hay. One that dunks anything you give her and the others are no different regardless of what they are given. I wouldn't read too much into it unless you have other concerns about their health.
 

bubsqueaks

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We recently found that although the haylage supposedly has a lower sugar content our ponies just did too well on it!
Being a first time user I didnt realize it was rye haylage which was just too yummy & rich. We then switched to meadow haylage which is a lot drier & not as tasty.
Urinaating more can be a sign of other issues but it depends how their weight is etc etc.
 

brightlights

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Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I am from the states and had no experience with haylage until we moved to Ireland! It never would have occurred to me about it being too much for them in that sense until our farrier mentioned it— but because I’ve only just brought my sporthorses home and am new with the responsibility of their nutritional needs, it did sound like something where I might have a knowledge gap o_O

I do have the one 22 year old broodie where I worry about the grass and laminitis in particular, as I said in the other thread, but the rest of mine are either young horses in training or showjumpers in quite demanding work, none of them fat. So that’s where my hemming and hawing comes from. Hay is not an option for me, hence the haylage. I’ve kept them on the same concentrate (slightly reduced) as the program they came from because it has largely worked very well for them. Really I just want to keep them fit and firing, stomachs happy. Thanks again for the helpful comments.
 
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