Wrapped Hay

[PapaverFollis]

This is a new concept to me but someone has some for sale that I'm quite interested in.

So it's hay. But it's wrapped. But it's not haylage? Right? How is it on the botulism risk front? Because I avoid large bale haylage where I can.

It would be good if it's just hay that you can store outside! Because we're allowed to buy are own hay at the yard but there's very limited hay storage... but lots of hard standing space.

Any HHO wisdom? "Just feed haylage you paranoid idiot" goes without saying. Lol

 

[Britestar]

I have wrapped hay this year. Mainly because I got 81 bales and I can only store 42. So half got wrapped, day after it was, all baled.

Hoping it will be fine.

 

[holeymoley]

How does that work... it would need to be bone dry on wrapping but then surely it would sweat? Genuinely interested!

 

[Ellietotz]

I'm interested too, I'm assuming it's the same as buying tiny bags of hay for rabbits etc?

 

[milliepops]

I have wrapped hay, it's what my OH makes as standard. It's basically just hay Sometimes he makes haylage which needs a little longer but the last couple of years the grass has dried so fast, it's just a normal round bale of hay that is then wrapped for storage. seems to stay nice longer than hay stored in a barn - I've had bales that are over a year old that smell like they are fresh off the field.

I have in the past had hay from a supplier that barn stored it and then wrapped to order so I could keep it outside, but the stuff my OH does is wrapped at the point of baling.

ETA this year I also had a bale to use about a week after it was made. It was just like lovely sweet dry hay. guess it partly depend on what your haymaking weather was like?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Last summers haylage was effectively wrapped hay due to the extreme temperatures the majority was made in. I buy a lot and found the quality that came in for the winter 18/19 to be variable. Some bales were dust free dry haylage and sweet. Some were dusty, short/broken stemmed and totally dry, I had to soak the nets off bales of this type before feeding. Calorie wise I think the bales were similar as none of the horses altered their condition.

I am currently feeding 2018 heston hay bales and it is nicer than the wrapped hay/haylage that came in during the winter. I can only assume it was made before the 2018 heatwave and the wrapped stuff was made during the heatwave. There should be plenty of good hay and haylage this year with none of the worries we had last year.

 

[PapaverFollis]

So you don't get the fermentation/mould/botulism issues you can get with haylage? And it'll keep once you open it?

Hay making conditions have been variable this year but most seem to have caught a good dry spell over the past couple of weeks and there's lots of nice looking hay about. Those that went too early got some nasty looking stuff though!

They are advertising as low sugar and starch, specifically for horses, which is what caught my eye.

 

[milliepops]

Mine keeps like hay - I use a big round fairly fast in the winter as my stabled ones get through a bale in 10 days easily.
The more haylagey ones didn't keep as well in the summer but no issues with the hay.
Can you get one to try? if it's a new supplier then that's what I would try and do.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'm not using much hay at the moment and still have a huge pile in my tack/store room and another bale in the barn but it might be worth getting one to try anyway... will have a think.

 

[canteron]

Freaks me on the eco perspective - just another unnecessary amount of landfill/wildlife killer.

Is it illegal to be horsey and eco aware?

 

[AFB]

Our yard makes wrapped hay as storage is outside, it's lovely stuff, very rarely do we get a dusty bale and the odd mouldy corner from the ground level bales.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I have been using wrapped hay for a few months now and it is lovely and dry and not at all sweaty. It does smell a bit like haylage when it is just opened but once the wrapper comes off it just looks and feels like normal hay. I have been soaking mine as well and I wouldn't do that tomhaylage. It is very convenient if you don't have huge amounts of under cover storage.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Freaks me on the eco perspective - just another unnecessary amount of landfill/wildlife killer.

Is it illegal to be horsey and eco aware?

You can recycle the plastic wrap. It is stretchy if you pull it, so fully recyclable. The issue is finding somewhere that takes it. Some farmers who collect theirs for recycling will allow customers to add their old wrap to the recycling pile. Some council recycling centres have bins for it, but you need to ask.

 

[retired eventer]

I have wrapped hay this year. Mainly because I got 81 bales and I can only store 42. So half got wrapped, day after it was, all baled.

Hoping it will be fine.

I've tried some wrapped hay (rectangles) and it is very nice....but now I've been told wrapped hay is very high in sugars....mare does seem to be putting on a bit of weight, and we have next to no grass (on sandy soil) so got to feed a fair amount. Does anyone know the true sugar situation with wrapped hay please ?

 

[rabatsa]

I've tried some wrapped hay (rectangles) and it is very nice....but now I've been told wrapped hay is very high in sugars....mare does seem to be putting on a bit of weight, and we have next to no grass (on sandy soil) so got to feed a fair amount. Does anyone know the true sugar situation with wrapped hay please ?

It all depends on the hay. What time of day it was cut, early morning before it has been making sugar all day or late afternoon when it is full of the stuff. Type of grass as some is leafier than others, some are grown to make sugar, others are stalkier with less leaf. You really have to know what is going into the bales.

 

[retired eventer]

Helpful answer, thank you.

 

[PapaverFollis]

The wrapped hay I saw advertised was being advertised as having been measured as low in sugar and starch so I think it just depends on the raw material rather than the process of wrapping!