Posted: 1st November 2013 | Back to news feed
The decision on whether to feed hay or haylage this winter and what ‘type’ of either of these to buy should be influenced by careful and honest consideration of what your horse needs. How hard is your horse really working? Making the correct decision here and perhaps approaching your winter feeding regime slightly differently could save you money by reducing hard-feed bills and keep your horse happier by encouraging natural feeding patterns.
The quality of both hay and haylage are primarily influenced the stage of growth at which the grass is cut and the conservation process.
Haylage is generally conserved at an earlier stage of growth than hay, so there should be a higher proportion of leaf to stem. This usually makes haylage higher in energy and protein than most hays.
After this nice sunny summer the grass will be high in sugar and in well fermented leafy haylage these sugars are fermented to lactic acid which preserves the grass and makes high quality feed. Simply looking at the amount of leaf to stem and smelling that slightly sweet vinegar smell should tell you that the crop has been well preserved. This is rich, nutrient dense haylage and most suitable for hard-working horses. If the pH is approx. 5.4 then the shelf-life of an opened bale should be 3 / 4 days. Haylage that cut from more mature grass has a high proportion of stem to leaf, is drier and is conserved simply by excluding (wrapping) the air.
Generally a stemmy haylage is lower in energy and protein, with a similar nutrient content to hay and so is suitable to feed to less active horses.
However, the draw-back with this haylage is that once opened the bacteria and mould grow rapidly (as the pH is higher at 6 / 7) and so the shelf-life is reduced to 2/3 days.
Selective breeding has changed many characteristics of the horse but their digestive systems and feeding patterns have not altered.
Horses should eat fibre for 16+ hours per day, so when choosing winter fodder you need to keep this in mind.
To occupy a stabled horse, stemmy haylage and hay are more suitable for most horses as we want to try and promote ad lib feeding, while controlling body weight.
Continual access to dry fodder introduces respirable dust (particles <5 um) into the environment particularly in the breathing zone of the horse and this can cause debilitating respiratory disorders.
The well-recognised problem of dust in hay is traditionally tackled by soaking. However, recent research has shown that soaking, even for short periods can significantly increase the bacteria concentration so lowering the hygienic quality of the hay. Low quality hay is linked with colic, and as this is still the biggest cause of death of horses in UK it is best to find an alternative way of dealing with dust.
One such alternative is steaming. Steaming fodder in a Haygain steamer (HG 1000, HG 600 and HG-GO) has been scientifically proven to reduce dust, moulds and bacteria by > 90%. Steaming forage, hay and haylage therefore deals with the respirable dust, the bacteria and moulds that cause deterioration of the fodder, so not only is dust reduced but shelf-life is increased.
This process allows one horse owners to feed haylage without worrying about ‘freshness’ or having to throw out unused feed after 3 days. It is very important to steam properly as partially heating and wetting the fodder in a home-made steamer has also been shown to actually increase bacteria concentrations (as with soaking) rather than reducing them. Thorough steaming making sure that steam penetrates all the hay and that temperatures reach in excess of 95oC for 10 minutes is necessary to ensure your fodder is low in dust and free from microbes. The only proven way of achieving this in both hay and haylage is to use a Haygain steamer.
HAYGAIN hay steamers are scientifically proven to eliminate respirable dust, killing mould and bacteria in hay and haylage in approximately 50 minutes.
Research has shown that soaking hay boosts bacteria growth in just 10 minutes by 1.5 times. A separate study compared the effectiveness of the specifically designed HAYGAIN with a homemade version, kettles of water and soaking and concluded the HAYGAIN was significantly more effective at reducing microbes in hay.
HAYGAIN is currently available in three models: the HG-1000, HG-600 and HG-GO.
Complete nutritional value and goodness are maintained with improved palatability.
For further information please contact Haygain on (0333) 200 5233 or visit www.haygain.com
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