Wrapped hay/haylage

[Louby]

Hi, bought what I thought was haylage from a new supplier at weekend. It looked very much like hay, smells like haylage but just like soft fine hay. They assured me its haylage when I asked. Does wrapped hay have more sugar/energy content than haylage as after introducing it slowly my horse seems to have lost the plot today, seeing monsters in the distance, was proper stressed this morning and just not herself at all. It may just be a coincidence as she is a stressy sensitive type, maybe something has been about overnight and worried her but she has never reacted to haylage before. I dont want to stay on hay as she coughs on it and really dont want to be soaking hay if possible over winter.
Thanks in advance

 

[exracehorse]

I have third cut haylage so not as rich.

 

[ycbm]

Wrapped hay will have more sugar because it has not fermented the sugar into alcohol.

You might have to soak it i'm afraid. I feel for you, it looks like I'll be soaking all winter due to what I have already bought and a very good doer mare who was bought afterwards!
.

 

[Louby]

Oh dear she is sensitive to feed and I feed fibre based only. Im a bit miffed tbh, as I asked more than once it is haylage isnt it as it looks just like nice haylage smelling hay. Shes had rye grass haylage before etc and has never been affected. Just been to check on her and shes staring at demons out of the stable, poor girl, was actually sweating this morning through stressing which made me wonder if something had upset her through the night. Ive no way of getting rid of the bale, would you ring them? They are lovely and I do feel bad about this but just wanted dry haylage.

 

[Polos Mum]

Maybe see if they will swap the bale for you - or worst case get local farmer to come and take it away (Or someone else on your yard who needs the calories)

The difference between dry haylage and hay can be a matter of hours if it's a warm windy day so it might be that the farmer doesn't really know how hay like it got before being wrapped.

 

[Xmasha]

^^ what PM says.

We get the odd bale of wrapped hay out of our haylage crop. But, non our ours go loopy on it. Have a word with the farmer, im sure they will swop it for you. This year it really didnt get much time on the ground as rain was forecast so the contractor had to do a quick turnaround, so im really surprised that is more like hay at the minute.