Hay or haylage? What should I feed and why?

For those of you who have ever questioned what the differences are between hay and haylage and in what circumstances each should be fed, in this article I aim to debunk the common queries helping you to make informed decisions when choosing which forage to feed.

Reasons why haylage may be the better choice over hay

1. Haylage was first developed as an alternative to hay, to provide a ‘clean’ forage for dust sensitive and allergy prone horses who would otherwise cough and have respiratory problems when eating hay. Haylage continues to provide a much safer option for such horses and eliminates the need for laboursome steaming or soaking of hay.

2. Unlike hay, Haylage can be stored outside, freeing up valuable space in the barn. However, we always advise our Devon Haylage customers to be careful and not allow the plastic wrap to be damaged by rodents or birds –damage to the plastic is the main risk with haylage. The lack of packaging with hay however is a big bonus if your use of and disposal of plastic is a concern. Haylage packaging can be recycled at specialist centres, but we would like to see more widely available facilities for the recycling of LDPE.

3. Hay is not regularly nutritionally tested by the producer, but known nutritional levels are valuable to and desired by horse owners who want to ensure the forage they are feeding is matched to the nutritional needs of the horse. However, well made haylage should be tested at least annually to provide users with the accurate and current analysis. At Devon Haylage we have found that nutritional levels can change considerably year on year due to weather conditions during the growth stage and so we test our four types annually. The combined sugar and starch levels are the most commonly sought-after values as these can have profound impacts on the health of many horses and ponies.

4. A fourth reason to feed a well made haylage is of you are fed up with waste from forage with variable quality and consistency. Thanks to our specialised production process and the high standards we strive for, our haylage is renowned for being very consistent throughout the year, something our customers particularly like when feeding sensitive horses

Claire Burrow

with certain nutritional requirements. The high palatability of our haylage means even the fussiest of eaters can be tempted, resulting in negligible amounts of waste.

5. When it comes to forage, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ policy. Some horses have conditions which dictate the type of forage they require. It may be that they need a very soft forage, one with high protein, one that contains no Ryegrass or a forage with very low sugar levels. At Devon Haylage we recognise this and so have developed a range of four distinct types, to cater for most requirements. Hay is often ‘what you see is what you get’ and doesn’t offer the choice which many owners require.

6. Our haylage also provides the opportunity to have regular, stress-free pallet deliveries throughout the year. This is a real help for people who can’t or don’t want to commit to a barn load of hay in one go or who don’t want their car boot resembling the inside of a stable!

Grass species

Hay Haylage

Mixed meadow grasses or Ryegrass, important to know which, as Ryegrass could be high in sugar.

Cutting date

Usually from June onwards once seed heads are well developed and fibre levels are high.

Preservation technique

Hygiene

Consistency

Nutritional levels

Availability

Naturally dried to ideally no less than 85% dry matter. The low moisture level inhibits decomposition. Drying time and dry matter at baling will determine amount of mould and fungal growth, spores of which are noticed as ‘dust’.

Even well-made hay can eventually become ‘dusty’ as environmental moisture allows moulds and fungus to slowly grow. Can be overcome by soaking or steaming.

It’s sometimes very hard to make good hay in the UK due to our inclement weather. An extended drying time due to rainfall, a different cutting date or differing grass species can cause significant variation in quality between batches.

Often huge variation between batches because so many variables are at play. Limited nutritional information available unless users test themselves. Sugar likely to be higher than that in haylage.

Local fluctuating availability dependent on national grass yield, weather conditions and rising production costs. The summer of 2022 saw some small-scale producers scaling back production as a direct result of the weather and the high cost of production.

Mixed meadow grasses, Timothy or Ryegrass.

Well-made horse safe haylage shouldn’t be cut before June to ensure the energy and protein levels are not too high. Sometimes a second cut can be taken in August. Be aware of grass cut too early and baled too wet as this is more suited to cattle.

Dried to around 70-75% dry matter then wrapped in plastic to exclude all air. The resulting drop in pH due to microbial activity inhibits decomposition through mild fermentation.

Providing the plastic packaging stays 100% intact, haylage should keep fresh for several months. For horses with compromised respiratory systems, haylage is a far safer choice.

Well made commercial haylage should be consistently high in quality, this is our main focus and achieved through complete control of the production system and high standards.

Lots of nutritional variation between producers and types. Reputable producers should test annually and advise customers on their haylage choice according to the specific needs of their horse. Likely to have lower sugar levels than hay. Ryegrass will have a higher feed value than Timothy.

Haylage can be produced by small scale producers and larger scale commercially and so available nationwide. Devon Haylage is available nationwide via direct pallet delivery or through a selection of retailers.

Forage is the cornerstone of any horse’s diet, playing such an important role in overall health, so it pays to do thorough research and select the forage most suited to your circumstances and the nutritional requirements of your horse. For friendly advice or to request a free sample of Devon Haylage email claire@devonhaylage.co.uk