Re: Re: Haylidge/Silage

["Duncan Fletcher" <dfletche@gte.net>]

This fits pretty closely with what I have learned.

According to NRC optimum pH is a bit lower (3.5 to 4.5). Silage is not
generally controlled well enough and a number of cases of botulism have
occured feeding silage.

From a nutrition standpoint, haylage will have somewhat higher values for
most nutrients but significantly lower vitamin D which actually increases
substantially during sun drying.

Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Pelletier" <kim@redhorsetech.com>

> Haylage is made from young hay plants cut and stored at about 50% moisture
> content.  It usually takes a couple of days of "wilting" to get the
moisture
> content this low, considering it is about 80 to 90% when first cut.
>
> The storage is critical --- haylage is usually packed down and stored in
> silage bags, silos, or other plastic enclosures in North America.  You
must,
> _absolutely must_, keep the haylage from contact with outside air,
> otherwise, it will spoil and be dangerous to feed (much the same
precautions
> for silage).  Good silage and haylage has an almost sweet, somewhat
pleasant
> smell.  Spoiled stuff is nasty --- hard to explain the odor, but you just
> *know* it went bad somewhere.
>
> Anyway, when the hay plants are stored for haylage, a fermentation process
> occurs, or "pickling" as I usually hear it called.  During this time of
> anerobic fermentation, the pH of the haylage drops to about 5.  At this
> level of acidity,  the haylage is considered "preserved".  Ensiling feeds
> into haylage or silage helps maintain the quality of the plant --- in
> essence, you have retained the nutrition of the young plant (much like
> pasture) which may be lost in more mature, dried hay.  Also, unlike some
> hay, horses with respiratory problems can benefit from haylage since no
dust
> is produced.
>
> Problems with haylage:  Storage (obviously) is one.  You need to be almost
> anal about keeping the stored haylage from contacting air unless you are
> feeding it at that time.  One puncture in the plastic enclosure can ruin a
> lot of haylage.
>
> Another big problem is botulism concerns.  At a pH of 5 and with its high
> moisture content, the botulism bacterium thrive in contaminated haylage
and
> will produce the toxins that can kill a horse.  In some countries, such as
> Canada, there is a vaccine for botulism, but I am unsure about it's
> availability in the United States.  You can't tell if the haylage has this
> bacteria in it or not simply by noting if it is spoiled  --- it thrives in
> good quality haylage and silage as well.
>
> And finally, it *is* an acidic feed.  Offhand, I don't know of any
research
> on the effects of long term feeding of haylage or other acidic feeds on
> horses.
>
> Hope it helps a bit,
>
> Kim  (and the QH-mutt Lee )
>
> Lubbock, TX
>