Is It Ok To Feed Silage To Horses?

While horses can be fed baleage, silage and haylage, we recommend horses be fed primarily dried hay. Transition to these feeds (or any new feedstuff) should be done gradually. Just like evaluating dried hay for mold and dust, baleage, silage and haylage should also be evaluated for mold.

Can u feed horses silage?

When preserved properly, silage is an acceptable feed for horses. Silage should be green or greenish-brown, be uniform in texture and moisture content, and have a pleasant smell.

Which is better hay or silage?

Hay is usually a more efficient purchased feed because it has around 10% water while silage has up to 60%. Silage must be remain sealed, to exclude air. Once the seal is broken, eg a hole in the plastic or the silage is opened, then it will start to heat and spoil.

Can you feed haylage to a horse?

Many equine nutritionists now recommend feeding haylage instead of hay although there are pros and cons to each. Haylage is much closer to the horses natural diet of grass, both in texture and nutritional value it is more palatable and digestible than hay, has a higher nutritional value and is less dusty.

Is haylage better than hay for horses?

Haylage is more digestible than hay, giving it a higher digestible energy (or DE) content. Because of this, horses tend to do better on haylage – making it usually less ideal for overweight horses, horses prone to gaining weight, metabolic and laminitic horses.

Will silage hurt horses?

While horses can be fed baleage, silage and haylage, we recommend horses be fed primarily dried hay. Transition to these feeds (or any new feedstuff) should be done gradually. Just like evaluating dried hay for mold and dust, baleage, silage and haylage should also be evaluated for mold.

What are the disadvantages of silage?

It requires a silo (a permanent structure) in comparison with the simpler methods of field curing and storing hay, this is likely to mean higher costs for small farmers. Wastage my be more, if silage is not properly made. Poorly prepared silages are not accepted by animals.

What animals can eat silage?

Silage (/ˈsaɪlɪdʒ/) is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals).

Is silage easier to digest?

Silage feed is partially and easily digested, offering more nutritious value. Preservation: Hay is typically kept in a bale, while silage is stored in a bale and covered with tight plastic wrap.

How long does a bale of silage last?

Bale Quality – Bales of silage can be stored safely for as long as the plastic film in which they are wrapped continues to exclude air. This means that, if properly made and stored, two year old bales of silage will still be in good condition.

Is silage the same as haylage?

Today the most common definition is that haylage is drier than silage, and some haylage is so dry it is hay wrapped in plastic. In the feeding experiments presented on this website forage with dry matter (DM) concentrations between 50-70% are called haylage and between 35-50% are called silage.

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 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.

What is a good hay substitute for horses?

Six Hay Alternatives for Horses

• Bagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse’s hay, if necessary.
• Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement.
• Hay pellets.
• “Complete” feed.
• Beet pulp.
• Soybean hulls.

How much haylage should a horse eat per day?

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 long do you leave haylage before feeding to horses?

To be safe, wait at least 8 weeks after wrapping to begin feeding baleage bales. This time will ensure that the forage is fully ensiled and does not begin to deteriorate or heat when it is fed.

Is silage highly digestible?

The high level of grain in finishing rations results in a very poor ruminal environment for fiber fermentation. The stover fraction of corn silage therefore is probably very poorly digested when fed in finishing rations.

How long do you leave silage before feeding?

How soon can I feed silage? Ideally you should leave a clamp closed for at least 4 weeks but if you are desperate, you can feed it within a few days even though the fermentation will not have stabilised yet.

Why is silage better than grass?

It’s nutritious (and delicious)
Good old fermentation. It’s the process that converts grass sugars to acids. These acids preserve the nutritional value of your silage by preventing spoilage micro-organisms from utilizing the nutrients.

Is silage high in sugar?

As recommended, grass tested should have Nitrogen levels lower than 500mg/Kg and Sugar levels higher than 3%. A Sugar content of 3% or higher is critical to silage ensilability. This combination ensures good silage preservation, higher the intake potential and animal performance.

Is silage cheaper than hay?

Today, silage is much more economical than most hay, and it may be possible to feed more silage. “Most large feedyards will feed 10% to 15% silage which works well. It’s an excellent roughage source and is still more economical than using alfalfa hay or other hays.