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 ...

Is haylage full of sugar?

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. Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content.

Is haylage more nutritious 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 laminitic horses 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.

What type of hay has the least amount of sugar?

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.

Hay or Haylage: Everything Explained

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.

What type of hay has the most 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.

Whats better hay or haylage?

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.

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 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.

Has haylage got 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 ...

How much haylage should a horse eat per 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.

Is haylage good for cows?

Haylage can be a good option for cattle forage.

Can horses eat wet haylage?

If the haylage is wet – this is possibly a sign of secondary fermentation and so another reason it needs to be avoided. If there are white mould patches this is a sure sign of fermented and poisonous feed. Some horses and ponies are prone to laminitis because of the higher protein and energy content of haylage vs hay.

Is steamed hay good for Laminitic horses?

Soaking hay and steaming it can benefit horses with respiratory issues, laminitis and those that are sensitive to sugar or require low potassium content. Dry hay can be very dusty, which may trigger respiratory problems in horses, particularly those with equine asthma aka chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (heaves).

Why shouldnt you soak haylage?

Soaking haylage is not generally recommended as there is a risk of starting a secondary fermentation which could result in the proliferation of undesirable micro-organisms.

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 haylage more heating than hay?

As haylage has a higher energy level than hay many competition horses are fed on it to balance out with their concentrate feeds. It can also be ideal for horses with respiratory problems, due to its high moisture content and that there are very few mould spores in it.

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 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.

What has more sugar hay or grass?

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.

Does long grass have less sugar?

Most of the nutritional value is in the blade of the grass. Long grass contains less leaf material and therefore less nutritional value. Long grass also contains less sugar than short grass.

What do you feed a laminitic prone horse?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.