Can You Feed Haylage To A Horse?

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.

How much haylage should I give my horse?

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.

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.

Can haylage give horses colic?

Swapping weight-for-weight hay for haylage could cause such a drop in fibre intake that the horse might colic or tie up, but well managed feeding of the right quality haylage should not cause these issues.

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 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.

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 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.

Is haylage full of sugar?

Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids making the end

How long does a bale of haylage last one horse?

2-3 days
However, as a rough guide, a bale of haylage (when fed as the sole forage source) will last 2-3 days for a 15hh (approx. 450kg) horse.

Should you soak haylage?

No. Haylage should never be soaked as this may cause it to ferment.

Can haylage cause ulcers in horses?

Multiple forage sources in the stable improve eating consistency and allow foraging activity. There is no difference between hay (dry, soaked or steamed) and haylage as a forage source in relation to ulceration. Straw feeding should not exceed 0.25kg/100kgBWT, and it should not be the only forage source.

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.

Is haylage better than dry hay?

Properly done, most livestock tend to find haylage more palatable than dry hay. However, when acetic acid levels increase, again due to the contents bring overly wet, feed intake tends to significantly decrease. Nutritional content is also something that can be compromised by improper moisture.

What hay should horses not eat?

Types of Hay for Horses—What to Avoid

• Perennial ryegrass and rye.
• Dallisgrass.
• Argentine bahiagrass.
• Johnsongrass, Sorghum grasses/Sudangrass.
• Switchgrass, which causes photosensitivity, peeling skin, mouth ulcers and liver disease.
• Foxtail Millet (aka German Millet) and Meadow foxtail.

What are the benefits of haylage?

Advantages of haylage

• Highly palatable.
• Produces less dust than hay.
• Fewer problems with moulds.
• Less weather dependent than hay.
• Entirely mechanised production.
• Lower field losses than for hay.
• Higher nutritional value than hay.

Does soaking haylage reduce sugar?

While soaking hay can result in lower sugar levels, it also decreases the amount of minerals and calories the hay provides. Magnesium and phosphorus are particularly susceptible to leaching during long periods of soaking (over 1 hour). This loss of minerals can cause imbalances in your horse’s diet.

Is haylage cheaper than hay?

Haylage is often considered more expensive than hay but that is in terms of fresh weight consumed. If its higher nutritional value is taken into account there is really little difference, it may even be cheaper on a total feed cost per day basis, and it has additional health and welfare benefits.

How long should you soak haylage for?

About 20 minutes is the time where the balance between nutrient losses and the reduction of dust are optimum. For horses whose calorie intake needs controlling, it is recommended that hay is soaked for 8 to 9 hours, which will leach out nutrients and calories, leaving just the fibre element.

What should laminitic horses not eat?

A high fibre, low starch and low sugar diet is essential for laminitics, so avoid feeds that contain cereals or molasses.

Can you overfeed your horse on hay?

But it’s easy to go overboard when feeding them with the wrong hard feeds or hay that is too high in sugar or protein. Overfeeding leads to problems like obesity, laminitis, and colic. Healthy horses need a very simple diet of good pasture or hay.