transition from hay to haylage

[Deltofe2493]

I know this needs to be done gradually over 5-7 days.

How much is too much to start with? Should I do a haynet of haylage and a haynet of hay? Or should I do half haylage half hay in one net, and a hay net?

I've heard stories of horses colicing and dying because this hasn't been done correctly so want to make sure I am doing it right!

 

[Fieldlife]

We dont do anything. We alternate hay and haylage in the round feeders. Sometimes there is a cross over, sometimes not. Though grass is still about 50% of the diet which is fairly stable. And non of the hay / haylage is very rich (none is rye).

 

[Abacus]

I'm not certain of this, others may know more. My feeling is that if you give a separate nets of haylage and hay they might tuck into the haylage first (if they prefer it), which might affect an empty stomach. I would probably, time permitting, give a net of hay first and then an hour later, add the half net of haylage (or even less). Then as time goes on, alter the amounts until they are getting all haylage.

 

[sport horse]

We do one feed of haylage and then one hay but they are stabled and fed four or five times a day. I would start with 1/4 haylage for a couple of days then up it to 1/2 foor 2 or 3 days then 3/4 until you are fully swapped. It may depend on your supply. I guess there is no fixed rule.

 

[Deltofe2493]

ok cool so instead of switching to each I could do 1/4 in each net first and mix it in rather than having seperate nets and then up to 1/2 like you say @sport horse

Horse has had ulcers before - is haylage better or worse for them?

 

[sport horse]

I have a horse with ulcers and at last I have a diet that he will eat and he is putting on weight which has been a massive problem. He has hay and haylage ad lib - we can judge how much he will eat and feed that amount rather than overfacing him at one meal. He has Dodson & Horrell Elite Sport Muesli, four times/day, which he loves and clears up - plenty of other feeds he would not touch. We add oil to the muesli although it is oil based. He goes out to grass whenever the weather permits and he will tolerate.

 

[Deltofe2493]

She's looking well (almost to the point i think she is fat lol) and eating etc only thing i worry about is her being girthy but I'm taking that as her being a mare as no other symptoms.

Just want to mitigate any problems as I want her to be happy! Why do you mix hay and haylage? Would he not eat haylage alone?

 

[cauda equina]

I swap hay and haylage depending on what the feed shop has, with no special arrangements and never any problems

 

[Deltofe2493]

I swap hay and haylage depending on what the feed shop has, with no special arrangements and never any problems

what horse do you have? i have a sensitive ex racer lol

 

[Fieldlife]

ok cool so instead of switching to each I could do 1/4 in each net first and mix it in rather than having seperate nets and then up to 1/2 like you say @sport horse

Horse has had ulcers before - is haylage better or worse for them?

Vets say no difference

 

[Deltofe2493]

weird how everyone has opinions!

As she is girthy i might start adding aloe vera to her diet. is it 25ml per feed or 12.5ml in each feed? (fed breakfast and dinner)

 

[The Xmas Furry]

In the summer I happily travel away taking either, in winter I usually feed hay but occasionally have the odd haylage bag to finish up which will get used solely before going back to hay again.
Your horse OP, you do what's best ?

 

[Deltofe2493]

buy a horse they said... it'll be fun they said...

 

[Widgeon]

When I initially saw this thread I thought "oh gosh, I do nothing - just sling in whatever's available and appropriate and it gets eaten! Better not say that, it'll make me look really bad"

....I feel better now

 

[PurBee]

It depends on the haylage tbh, some is really ‘rich’, higher sugar fermented, and other is more high fibre low sugar, and others are basically damp hay wrapped unfermented - if its ‘proper fermented haylage’ it’ll have a high count of lactic acid based (good gut) bacteria which is why some horses will have gut shifts when given some types of haylage, due to different gut microbes it contains. Can be a shock to their gut biome quickly introducing a large amount of different bacteria strains.

The difference is similar to us eating loads of lettuce daily, then suddenly eating loads of sauerkraut.

As you have both hay and haylage available, and a girthy tb, i’d mix 1/4 haylage with 3/4 hay net for 2 days. Then half half 3 days. 3/4 haylage 1/4 hay 2 days, then full haylage nets day 8.

Along the way you can monitor how theyre getting along, if poops are sloppy or theyre wired, you might have a richer haylage and so slow-down the transition over 2 wks rather than 1 week.

 

[Goldenstar]

I mix mine in a net and would swop over two weeks that’s ideal but sometimes life is not ideal .

 

[ycbm]

Horses for courses. I've moved mine onto hay because not only can he not tolerate swapping between hay and haylage on a whim, he can't tolerate changes between one big bale and another unless they are consistent.

To be sure to be safe I would try and take a week to 10 days with any horse but it isn't always possible.
.

 

[AdorableAlice]

First bale of haylage came in last week together with bale of hay (5' rounds), same type of hay I have been feeding for 2 months. I simply mix the 2 together in same net gradually increasing the % of haylage over a 2 week period.

Mine are naughty and pick the haylage out first and leave the hay. I just don't give anymore until they have cleared up their mess on the floor. I feed four times a day so they never have a huge amount in one go.

 

[Deltofe2493]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I think always be better safe than sorry in an unknown territory so will go with the slow transition *just in case*

Me as a person would just think f*ck it but insurance has run out for ulcers and my finances very low ??

 

[exracehorse]

When we had that awful wet winter two years ago and there was a hay shortage. I could only buy Haylage at short notice. Hay one day. Haylage the next and for months thereafter. Had no good issues with my five. But . It was second cut so not too wet