Does haylage have more sugar than hay?

Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids making the end ...

Is hay or haylage better for horses with laminitis?

Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content. As a result, horses generally tend to do better on haylage, so it's often not ideal for overweight horses and those prone to weight gain, metabolic and laminitic horses, unless it is a high-fibre, lower DE variety.

Is haylage sweeter than hay?

During fermentation, sugars in the haylage are converted to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids (VFA), meaning that contrary to popular belief, haylage is normally lower in sugar than hay.

Is haylage better than hay?

Haylage is much closer to the horses natural diet of grass, both in texture and nutritional value it is more palatable and digestible than hay, has a higher nutritional value and is less dusty.

Can horses prone to laminitis eat haylage?

Conserved forage, such as hay and haylage , is the cornerstone of the laminitis prone horse's diet; as they typically spend longer periods stabled, or in a no-grass area.

Hay or Haylage: Everything Explained

Is haylage less sugar than hay?

Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids making the end ...

What type of hay has the lowest sugar content?

Low sugar hay is extremely important in a horse's diet due to its health properties and the enormous benefits it can offer. While lucerne usually has lower sugar than a lot of grass hays, it more often than not tests HIGHER in sugar, starch & protein compared to our Low Sugar Hay.

How much haylage should a horse eat a day?

For example, if a 500kg horse is fed haylage with a dry matter content of 70%, it needs 500 x 15 = 7500g of DM a day. For this horse's haylage, this would mean feeding 7500 x 100 ÷ 70 = 10714 g or 10.7kg of haylage a day.

What are the benefits of haylage?

The main benefit of haylage over hay is that it is baled and wrapped damp, so it does not contain the dust and mould spores that UK made hay will inevitably contain. In fact vets recommend that all UK hay is soaked (for 10 minutes) to dampen dust and swell mould spores before being fed to horses.

Is haylage better than hay for cattle?

Silage makes an excellent feed for ruminant animals. However, feeding silage is much different than feeding hay. Silage, because it is much wetter than hay, is much more susceptible to deterioration. Sealed from oxygen during storage, the forage undergoes fermentation.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Can haylage cause colic in horses?

Swapping weight-for-weight hay for haylage could cause such a drop in fibre intake that the horse might colic or tie up, but well managed feeding of the right quality haylage should not cause these issues.

Is hay or haylage better for horses with ulcers?

Haylage is much closer in texture and nutritional value to the horse's natural diet of grass. It is much more digestible than hay and if your horse is prone to gastric ulcers or colic you will likely opt for feeding haylage over hay. Horse's that are fussy eaters or poor doers often do much better on haylage.

Can Rich haylage cause laminitis?

Once a horse or pony has suffered from a bout, they will be prone to the disease in the future so they must be managed very carefully. Feed-induced laminitis is linked to either obesity, chronic intake of grass or short term excessive intake of starchy feeds or rich grass.

Can you soak haylage to reduce sugar?

Soaking hay for 12 – 16 hours in cold weather and no more than 3 – 6 hours in warm weather can help to reduce WSC content by up to 50% in some cases. But remember soaking hay isn't a guarantee that WSC will be less than 10%, the only way to be sure is to have your forage analysed.

Is haylage high in starch?

The sugar and starch content in correctly made haylage is usually low enough that further reduction should not be necessary for most laminitic horses.

Does haylage affect horses behaviour?

Haylage also contains around 10% more nutrients than hay so you may need to reduce your horse's hard feed accordingly. Some horses can become more lively when fed haylage so be aware of this. In addition, some horses can become rather looser in their droppings.

Can you feed hay and haylage together?

It isn't advisable for horses who are prone to weight gain or those who suffer from laminitis. Some horses can find haylage too rich for their digestive tract and it can upset them. Some people have found though that mixing hay and haylage to balance in this situation may be the answer!

Is haylage good for weight gain?

Haylage can provide horses prone to weight gain or laminitis with an excess of energy provided by their forage. People cutting down the amount fed to reduce unwanted weight gain risk their horses having insufficient forage, which can lead to an increased risk of stomach ulcers and other digestive problems.

How long should you leave haylage before feeding?

Usually, the drying time is around 3 days but can be shorter if the weather has been very dry and because the grass is dried for less time the water content of haylage is higher than that of hay.

Does grass have more sugar than hay?

Although alfalfa hay is higher in total energy content than grass hays, most of the energy is from protein and fiber. Grasses growing in cooler weather in general accumulate more sugars because they respire less.

Is haylage OK for horses?

Balage is a nutritious feed that many horses enjoy. Many hundreds of horse owners swear by it, saying their horses do well on it over the winter months.

What hay is highest in sugar?

Oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar (NSC), so this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Here's a comparison chart so you can see the differences between alfalfa hay, timothy (grass) hay and oat hay.

Can horses get laminitis from hay?

Feed a low energy forage

Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.

Is sugar in grass lower at night?

WSC levels may still be high at night!

Provided the weather is warm enough, fructan stored in the stem is used for growth overnight. This, in addition to the fact that grass can't photosynthesise without sunlight, means that WSC levels will be lower at night.