Haylage for Horses |
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With what
seems to be our wetter haying season’s haylage is becoming a real option for
horse owners. Haylage can be cut, baled, and wrapped much more quickly than
traditional baled hay, and is therefore a good option for hay farmers. It is
also becoming more popular for horse owners as they are seeing the benefit of
higher protein roughage, less dust and easier storage; it is more palatable
than hay, and is more easily digested.
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There is some confusion in
identifying the differences between haylage and silage, two very different
types of forage. Haylage should look like good quality baled hay, light green,
soft to the touch, lots of leafy matter with a sweet smell. Silage has a
spoiled acidic smell, has higher moisture content and will be more brown in
colour. Silage can be harmful to
horses so should not be fed. When
feeding haylage you must be diligent that your roughage has not started to
spoil, with a possibility of botulism being present. |
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Botulism is the nasty word that is spread around when owners mention that they are feeding haylage, however botulism poisoning is relatively rare. They can become infected by it in three ways, two of which have nothing to do with haylage. Foals up to the age of eight months can become infected if the bacterium grows in their intestines. This more frequently occurs in foals that are being grain fed. These foals are known as “shaker foals” as weakness is a side effect of the botulism. Secondly wounds can become infected by the botulism bacterium. And the final method of infection occurs when horses ingest the bacterium from eating haylage. Botulism spores form in anaerobic environments where protein is rich and acidity is low. Most reported instances involve horses eating cow haylage, or horse haylage that had its wrapping punctured and secondary fermentation occurred. Other instances have occurred from horses eating hay that has been left on the ground or eating hay from a bale in which a mouse or other small critter has been baled and left to decompose. This can occur in round or square bales and go unnoticed when feeding either type of forage. |
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The way botulism presents in a horse is muscle weakness; horses walk stiffly, may stumble, or in more severe cases are unable to stand up. They lose control of the tongue so that it hangs from the mouth; they can’t eat, and may drool. When left untreated, horses can die of respiratory failure. The signs can occur within several hours of being infected or can take up to 10 days. There is a vaccine available to horse owners and may be the best preventative measures for owners to take to prevent the disease. |
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Overall, feeding green fodder haylage is a real alternative to feeding hay – particularly for horses with allergy and airway problems, for horses with gastrointestinal illnesses or as a simple preventative measure insuring the long term health of your horse. Buying from a hay farmer that takes the necessary precautions to produce a quality product will help ensure the safety in feeding haylage. |
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Don’t forget to collect Air Miles® reward miles at Co-op Country!
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