The Natural Alternative to Grass

Horses need adequate fibre in their diet to keep their large intestine working properly and, traditionally, in the winter period, this has been supplied by feeding hay. However, acquiring hay of consistent quality has sometimes been a problem as the horse tends to be a fussy feeder and will reject poor quality material, especially if there is an unusual smell or significant moulding present.

Poorer quality hay is low in nutrients and could cause severe long-term health problems due to the presence of moulds. The low moisture content of hay (about 10%) allows the mould spores to become airborne which may cause an allergic respiratory disease called ‘Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease’ (COPD) – commonly known as ‘dust cough’ or ‘dust allergy’. Up to one in every five horses suffers from some form of dust allergy.

Once a horse has been affected it will never recover and will always need special attention to minimise exposure to ‘dust’. For instance it will be necessary to soak hay prior to feeding. This can be a tiresome, labour intensive task that leaches out nutrients leading to a further reduction in the hay’s nutritional value and may still not succeed in controlling the disease.

Many equine nutritionists now recommend feeding haylage instead of hay. Haylage is much closer to the horse’s 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. If made properly it will contain few, if any, mould spores and its higher moisture content (about 40%) helps prevent any spores that are present from becoming airborne and causing problems.

Feeding Haylage

Once a bale has been opened it should be used as quickly as possible as exposing it to air means that there is now the potential for moulds to develop. Mouldy haylage should not be fed to horses. Providing the moulding is not severe it can still be fed to cattle. If it is very mouldy, it should be disposed of. Sometimes on opening you will see tiny white/cream round ‘colonies’ on the grass blades and stems. They have a creamy consistency to the touch, not powdery or fluffy. These are yeasts, not moulds, and will not do any harm to horses as they do not produce spores. Many (expensive) horse probiotics actually contain yeasts.

Changing From Hay to Haylage

The large intestine contains bacteria to help digest the fibre in feeds. They are very sensitive to changes in diet so make the switch gradually; say over a week, to allow the bacteria to adapt. This should prevent stomach upsets.

You also need to get used to handling haylage so as not to over or under feed your horse. A typical 500kg 16hh riding horse requires a minimum daily roughage intake of about 1% bodyweight, i.e. 5kg of hay. Due to its higher moisture content, the same horse would require 7 to 8.5kg of haylage. Although you need more haylage by weight you need much less by volume as, again due to the higher moisture content, haylage is much denser than hay. At the beginning it is best to weigh out the required amount each day until you get used to judging the volume.

You should also note that haylage dry matter has a higher nutritional value than hay (about 10% higher) so less supplementary feed will be needed if you are feeding the same amount of dry matter to meet the horse’s energy requirements.

Cost of Hay/Haylage

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 and it may even be cheaper on a total feed cost per day basis. You should also consider that it has additional health and welfare benefits.

Advantages of Haylage:

• Haylage is dust free - healthier and no need to soak
• Haylage bales are denser and require less storage space
• Haylage bales are sealed in plastic bags and can be stored outside
• Haylage is more palatable than hay - more enjoyable and less wastage
• Haylage has a higher nutritional value - less supplementary hard feed required
• Haylage is a more natural feed and is more easily digested - horses generally prefer a wetter forage (some horses dip their own hay)
• Haylage is more cost effective

Buying, Storing & Daily Use

Always buy your haylage bales from a reliable source. Haylage bales come in all shapes and sizes, but remember, once opened a bale will go mouldy, so buying a bale size that will be consumed within a reasonable period makes economic sense.

Haylage is much less prone to moulding than hay but if exposed to air for any length of time it will eventually become mouldy. Once the polythene is opened, the bale should therefore be used within a few days. An unopened haylage bale will only go mouldy if air gets into it during storage so make sure the bales you buy are tightly wrapped with at least 6 layers of polythene (we use 8 layers) and that there are no holes in the wrap. Our latest bagged product uses a thicker single wall bag.

Damage to the wrapped bale from rodents or birds will ruin the bale if they make a hole in the polythene. For this reason the storage area should be well baited to prevent rodent damage. It is also a good idea if storing outside to cover with a bird net to prevent damage.

Making High Quality Haylage Even Better

Good practice from a professional organization specifically producing haylage for the equine market makes sense when you consider the problems that can occur with a badly produced bale.

Haylage is preserved by a natural anaerobic (absence of air) fermentation process brought about by lactic acid bacteria. The fresh crop of grass contains a mixture of different types of these bacteria but the ideal types for making haylage are present in relatively small numbers. In addition, each bale tends to ferment slightly differently leading to a lot of bale variability and hence inconsistency in the feed. This is not desirable with horses.

The dryness of the material when wrapped limits the extent of the fermentation. The material should be 60% or more dry when wrapped. Anything wetter than this will produce a silage-like bale. This will be more acidic and not suitable for horses. There would also an increased risk of introducing a bale with botulism should the material not be dried to this extent. This is also a problem if a dead animal is baled by accident, or earth (from a mole hill for example) is baled.

Our aim is to produce a uniform bale, improving the fermentation process and nutritive value and palatability as well as reducing waste and variability between bales; the net result is highly palatable, good quality haylage.

The ley of grass that is used to produce haylage is also a consideration. As an example, a grass ley that has a large percentage of clover is excellent for grazing horses. However, when this is used to make haylage, the clover will wilt and produce too much lactic acid during fermentation. This will make the haylage unpalatable for horses. We use grass leys that are specifically planted to produce high quality haylage for the equine market.

In producing a wrapped haylage bale, there should be a minimum of 6 layers of polythene with a 50% overlap on the bale. This will ensure that the anaerobic fermentation process works correctly and evenly through the bale. We use 8 layers of polythene with a 50% overlap to ensure the highest quality of bale. Our latest bales use a single wall thicker ‘bag’ which is made specifically for horse haylage bales.

Before baling we ensure that the fields are ragwort free and when cutting ensure that the cut is left ‘high’ and therefore no earth is introduced to the bale at this stage. We also check the fields regularly for moles. These are small steps which take a great deal of time and manual energy. However, the result is a bale of the highest quality for your horse.

You can therefore understand that the production of haylage is not simply a matter of wrapping a wetter hay bale, but is an expert process that requires knowledge of the manufacturing process and the finished product as well as where that product is to be used. If you are in any way unsure about where your haylage was produced and the process used, we would recommend that you do not feed it to your horses. We feed our own horses with the haylage produced at La Garenne. We have a large investment in equipment specifically designed for the production and delivery of haylage. Do not accept anything less than this level of commitment from your supplier.

If you would like to come and see the facility you would be most welcome. Please contact us and we would be happy to make an appointment.