How Much Haylage Should A 550Kg Horse Eat?

Obviously, for a larger thoroughbred horse the increase in daily amount of haylage is more dramatic . A 550kg thoroughbred requires an additional 4kg to meet the minimum recommendation of nearly 12kg (if the dry matter content is 70%).

How much haylage should I feed my horse calculator?

Horses should consume 2% of their body weight in hay. For example, a mature 1,000 pound horse should consume 20 pounds of hay per day. Some horses have higher energy requirements and require extra supplementation with grain during these months.

How much haylage should I feed my horse UK?

When feeding haylage it’s important to take into account the lower dry matter of haylage. You will need to feed around 30 – 40% more haylage compared to hay to ensure you are feeding 1.5% of their body weight on a dry matter basis.

How much hay should a 16.2 horse have?

According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, a full-grown horse should eat about 12 to 15 pounds (5.4 to 6.8 kg) of hay a day. 1 That is 1.5% to 3% of its body weight, if it weighs about 1,000 pounds (450 kg).

How much hay should a 500kg horse eat a day?

Working on this basis a 500kg horse will need around 3kg of hard feed and 7kg of hay during winter months – or less if you still have decent grazing.

Does haylage put weight on horses?

Haylage can provide horses prone to weight gain or laminitis with an excess of energy provided by their forage.

Do you feed less haylage than hay?

Haylage has a lower DM content than hay, so your horse will need to be fed slightly more weight of haylage than hay to get the desired amount of fibre in their diet – which is important for digestion and general wellbeing. Haylage is more digestible than hay, giving it a higher digestible energy (or DE) content.

Is haylage more fattening than hay?

Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content. As a result, horses generally tend to do better on haylage, so it’s often not ideal for overweight horses and those prone to weight gain, metabolic and laminitic horses, unless it is a high-fibre, lower DE variety.

How long should haylage be left before feeding to horses?

Haylage needs to ferment, so it should not be fed straight after being baled and wrapped. The amount of time it takes to ‘cure’ is variable depending on the moisture and WSC content of the grass when it was wrapped, but a good guide is 6 weeks.

Can horses get colic from haylage?

Problems with horse haylage
Haylage that is very acidic and wet may upset the hindgut of the horse leading to colic or even laminitis.

Can you overfeed hay to a horse?

However, keep in mind that the bulk of your horse’s diet should be made up of grass or hay. Underfeeding hay or pasture, and overfeeding grains and concentrates can lead to colic.

Should horses have hay at all times?

Because we like to think our horses follow the same schedule that we do, many people think that horses need less hay at night because they’re asleep (and therefore, not eating). However, that’s a myth. Horses need access to forage at all times of the day.

How many bales should a horse have per day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

How much haylage should a 500kg horse eat?

For example, if a 500kg horse is fed haylage with a dry matter content of 70%, it needs 500 x 15 = 7500g of DM a day. For this horse’s haylage, this would mean feeding 7500 x 100 ÷ 70 = 10714 g or 10.7kg of haylage a day.

How much haylage should a horse have?

You also need to get used to handling haylage so as not to over or under feed your horse. A typical 500 kg 16hh riding horse requires a minimum daily roughage intake of about 1% bodyweight, ie 5kg of hay, or, due to its higher moisture content, 7 to 8.5kg of haylage.

Does haylage affect horses Behaviour?

Some horses can become more lively when fed haylage so be aware of this. In addition, some horses can become rather looser in their droppings. It is possible to get feed balancers which counteract any negative effects on the horse’s gut.

Can haylage cause laminitis?

One study found a higher insulin response to haylage compared to dry and soaked hay. High circulating levels of insulin in the blood are of concern as it is thought to link to laminitis.

Can you feed haylage and hay together?

It isn’t advisable for horses who are prone to weight gain or those who suffer from laminitis. Some horses can find haylage too rich for their digestive tract and it can upset them. Some people have found though that mixing hay and haylage to balance in this situation may be the answer!

Can haylage cause ulcers?

This means that, even a horse fed its entire daily requirement of forage, can suffer from stronger stomach acid if their forage is only fed over a short period of time, which can lead to ulcers. The three main forms of forage for horses are grass, hay/haylage and chaff.

How long does a bale of haylage last once opened?

Although the traditional advice is 7-10 days open for a bale of haylage before spoilage starts, many people manage to use a bale for 14-20 days during the depths of winter.

Should haylage be wet?

Good quality haylage should be soft and a little moist to the touch (due to the higher moisture levels), but not too wet and have a good sweet smell. Haylage with a vinegar or musty mouldy smell is not suitable to feed and should be thrown away.