Re: Haylidge/Silage

["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