The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Penninehillbilly on September 21, 2018, 01:26:31 pm
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Hi,
Spoke to a farmer about buying haylage (about a month ago), he said his hadn't cured yet.
We bought some somewhere else, but I daren't feed in case it hadn't 'cured',
How long does it need? We think the ones we bought, medium square, were baled in June.
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Once all the oxygen in the bale has gone, usually about 3 weeks for haylage but a lot depends on how wet it was when baled.
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I've always believed it was 6 weeks for both hay and haylage..
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I was told that hay should have four weeks after baling and have always gone on that. I'm wondering now whether I should continue to feed the hay I have, although I don't have a lot of choice as my supplier only has this years left.
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Many years ago when forage was in very short supply the advice through the equine feeding channels was that it was alright to start feeding hay almost immediately BUT once eating it do NOT change onto anything else until the hay had aged. As with all things introduce slowly.
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I have never fed hay or haylage before October of the year it has been made. This year, due to feeding hay most of the summer I have had to start the new hay. At the moment I am filling haynets with some old hay and some of the new stuff. I am not so worried as the new hay has been made from grass a few years old so should be safer than if it was new grass this year. Haylage I am not sure about as I have only used this during the winter when is cold and so not prone to heating up once open.
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I've always left Haylage for 3 months and Hay about the same , if when you open the haylage and it smells sweet and "heady" its a good'un , sour or musty, take it back or if you made it yourself, bad luck.Take a look at the wrap to see if there were any holes from mice or bad handling,look through the haylage for any contamination as well , lessons learnt etc etc
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From experience we have found that haylage must be stacked the day it is wrapped, or at least brought under cover. The wrap gets damaged by needle fine holes from rooks/crows/pheasants feet. These are not visible at a glance but allow air into the bale. When the wrap is removed you can see the holes as the light passes through them. These birds seem atracted to the bales and around here they always stand on them in the early hours.