Author Topic: Haylage concerns (Read 8202 times)

Haylo-peapod · « **on:** November 18, 2012, 10:11:36 am »

Well, I have finally had to admit defeat and start feeding the cows haylage. I had hoped to hold on for another 3-4 weeks but there is just no grass to speak of out there.

Unfortunately the first bale of haylage we have opened up is a huge disappointment as it has quite a bit of mould through half of it. We did have some light rain whilst we made it but it did seem pretty dry by the time it was baled so I wasn't expecting this. I have since noticed that the crows have managed to peck through the top of a couple of the bales so am hoping that this might be the reason this bale is poor - if not, I fear we may have a completely duff batch of haylage this year and may have to buy in.

Anyhow my question is, what I do about the bales with some mould in them? Do I throw away the whole bale, do I pick out the manky bits or do I leave the cows to pick their way through the stuff that is edible? If the last option, what are the health hazards to them as I would hate to put them at risk? If it makes any difference to the answer, the cows and calves are all Highlands.

downsized · « **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2012, 11:51:58 am »

yup the crow damage is the reason the bale is mouldy, hopefully the rest will be ok. Biggest problem would be listeria, we used to dump mouldy bales out in a corner of a field on top of a stone pile and it was amazing just how much the galloways and bluegreys would clear up even though they had good fodder and grazing available, the few problems we had was in housed cattle on silage.

shep53 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2012, 06:49:21 pm »

Not every mould on silage/haylage is associated with listeria , on most farms bales not suitable for sheep are fed to cows , listeria tends to come from soil contamination . The only cow iv'e had with listeria was old and had lost a couple of teeth , lost teeth in young or old sheep is considered the entry point for the bug.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** November 18, 2012, 06:59:11 pm »

If air gets into the silage / haylage at an early stage of fermentation then it can cause real problems. I'm not sure I'd feed anything that looks bad and doesn't smell sweet if you think the wrapping was punctured within the first 8 weeks after baling, say. I know it's a lot of work forking the bale apart and throwing out anything you feel could be contaminated, but that's what I'd do.

Holes that get made later on probably don't cause too much of a problem as the initial fermentation should have finished. But if in doubt, get it tested.

Are you feeding outdoors? Can you spread the haylage out for them? If so, they should pick out the good bits and leave the bad - but make sure they aren't over-hungry or they'll eat anything, contaminated or not.

Welshcob · « **Reply #4 on:** November 18, 2012, 07:07:07 pm »

I would just like to point out that Listeria is a bacteria and it does not make moulds, regardless of the amount of contamination.
Moulds come from yeast-fungi type of organism and some of them can produce toxins that are best left alone, so bad they are. Some of those can cause acute disease but most will give chronic problems that are not easily spotted.

If at all possible I would say that the best course is to get rid of all the contaminated silage; however I know that it costs money to make it and not use it, so if you could pick out the worst of it and leave the rest spread over a big surface they should be able to find the edible bits.
I would still feel wary of it though $:-\$

downsized · « **Reply #5 on:** November 19, 2012, 10:59:59 am »

I should clarify that I use the mouldy/rotten patches on bales as an indicator of potential problems, not necessarily the cause. As said before ensiling anything is about excluding air and preventing secondary fermentation. It really depends on the circumstances and type of stock you are feeding, but you have to clear the uneaten stuff on a regular basis and not make them clear it up, if they're on bedded boxes just chuck the rejected stuff on the floor. The price of bought in fodder is going to be astronomical in the new year so I reckon a lot of poor stuff that should really be chucked on the midden heap will be fed to stock this winter $:-\$

Haylo-peapod · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2012, 09:56:22 pm »

Sorry, just coming back to this after a hell of a week (just been made redundant so my head is all over the place).

I'm a little confused, do I spread the haylage out (and thus get more air into it but allow the cows to pick out what the good bits) or should I leave it in the tightly packed wads when I feed the haylage (to minimise additional air getting in)? I have been using a ring feeder - in the past good haylage has been trashed if I leave it on the ground.

downsized · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2012, 09:32:19 am »

You don't say what type of bales you are using so I'm assuming round. Depends how affected it is, if its just the outside then peel it off put it in a pile to rot down (a couple of years should do it) and put the rest in the ring feeder. Main thing is to let them choose, its surprising what native suckler breeds like the Galloway will clear up

Haylo-peapod · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2012, 10:50:00 am »

I'm using heston bales. and unfortunately it seems to have gone through quite a bit of the bale. We started separating out the wedges and fluffing them up whilst picking out the worst bits but it's a time consuming job and I'm now not sure if I'm doing the wrong thing as this lets more air in.

downsized · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2012, 08:15:17 pm »

difficult without being there but I'd just put the bale in the feeder, let them sort out what they want, and clear the rest away. I would expect Highlanders to clean up all but the worst