New haylage

[felldale]

I have just read Fran's thread about new hay and I have the same question about haylage. The farm where I get my hay made some haylage this year and yesterday I had two big round hay bales (last year's) delivered and also a small bale of the haylage to try. If I am happy with the haylage I am going to order a small quantity to mix with the hay over the winter. The question is, can I try the haylage now? I only wanted to mix it with hay not feed on it's own. How soon can you use this year's haylage?

Also, another haylage question while I think about it. When you open a bag do you take the whole wrap off or just take out slices as you need them and leave the rest wrapped? I have always left it wrapped but I'm sure I read somewhere that other people open it fully and let it all breathe. Wouldn't it defeat the object of having it as haylage if it all dries out?

Grateful for any advice ........

[harveydales]

I've been told that haylage really does need to mature a few months before you use it. I certainly wouldn't use this year's haylage yet, even mixing with hay but maybe I've been told wrong.

I do sometimes use new hay that is only a few weeks old. I've been told by vets and nutritionists that providing it is well made hay and obviously not still heating it is OK to feed. Robert Eustace told me they have fed new hay to their laminitic patients on occasions when they can't get hold of good, old hay and said he would rather do this than feed old, rubbish hay or haylage.

If I use haylage in the summer I do open it all up as otherwise it heats up before I can use it all but in the winter I just take out slices. I guess it depends how quickly you can get through a bale.

[greydales]

I am not sure about feeding the haylage but I don't think I'd want to feed mine too soon, I use it for winter. Perhaps if you call a company like Horsehage and ask advice?

As for unwrapping it - if it's a small bale (like Horsehage) I don't bother as it will be used up before it goes mouldy. My experience of the large bales was that in the first winter we were here the large bales were stacked outside and I had to keep them wrapped due to the weather, but found they lasted quite a while.

The second winter we had the bales put inside a large barn and I found that if I kept them wrapped they heated up really quickly and went mouldy in no time - I wasted two large bales this way! However once I unwrapped them and opened up the bales they lasted for ages. They did dry out a bit but not to the extent of proper hay.

I suppose it does depend on how quickly you are going to get through them, mine weren't getting huge amounts so a large bale tended to last for ages.

[alisonduke]

We are currently feeding yard made haylage that was wrapped a few months ago with no problems. It hasn't been tested for protein levels etc. yet but it seems fine.
The horses are still out full time at the minute though so it's only being fed in small quantities i.e. in a haynet while being groomed.

I would unwrap the whole bale once the air has got to it so it doesn't sweat and go mouldy.

[khristyne]

We have 10 sharing a large bale and it is never open long enough to go mouldy! As a rule of thumb I dont keep an open bale longer than 5 days in the summer. and i open if it gets hot, but generally not. I have kept haylage for 10days (open) in the winter.

We are using haylage that was made 8 weeks ago at present and it is fine. Farmer says 6weeks.