Hayledge?

Hi

I am trying to get bales of hay from farm suppliers here in renfrewshire as i go through a lot of hay generally with my bunnies and found a horse suppliers who have hayledge for sale, not sure what the diff is from hay other than the guy said it is quite high in sugar and protein value and one a bale is opened (its sealed) it goes off after a week of so.

Just wanted opinions as to whether any good or not or if anyone uses this.

thanks:wave:

The best way to describe haylage, is that it's a cross between silage and hay. It has a higher moisture content than hay. It is a risk when it starts to go off because bacteria can start to grow in it. I think it might be too rich for bunnies, but thats just a gut feeling, no real proof.

thanks halfpenny thought that myself with the way he was describing it but wanted more knowledgable advice.

thanks again

Hello.

We had a bale of hayledge at the rescue where I worked on one occasion and the buns were given a small amount. Some of them liked it and some didn't.

It is quite moist - it's baled before the grass has dried keeping it very green and some say keeping more of it's nutritional value. This means that it's very low dust.

The big problem is that even as a rescue we couldn't use enough of it before it went off. It starts to smell very bad (already smells quite a bit when fresh) and I believe it can harbour fungus/moulds once the bale is opened and left unused.

I don't think it's a problem to feed, but as with all things, would need to be fed in very small amounts at first to prevent gut problems. Unless you can share a bale with some other folks, I wouldn't think you'd be able to use it up in time.

Helen

There is absolutely no way I would feed haylage to my buns - apart from the fact that it's too high in protein, it is part fermented like silage, so there is a huge risk that bacteria like clostridia will be actively growing within it, and that can kill if your bun eats it. Even non-toxic bacteria will form gas which can give your bun bloat. It's just too risky.

AlisonA said:

There is absolutely no way I would feed haylage to my buns - apart from the fact that it's too high in protein, it is part fermented like silage, so there is a huge risk that bacteria like clostridia will be actively growing within it, and that can kill if your bun eats it. Even non-toxic bacteria will form gas which can give your bun bloat. It's just too risky.

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I am glad to know this Alison - I would never buy it myself anyway because my lot are happy with what they currently eat, but I didn't know about the very high risks it has - makes perfect sense to me. Just thought that as the lady who ran the rescue I worked at (who knows a very great deal about bunnies) fed it, it must have been safe.

Helen

The other thing to consider is the amount of parasites that can live in it and transfer onto the rabbits. It's not treated so it can give them mites and all sorts.

Haylage

thanks everyone that replied giving me advice i was pretty sure it sounded not a good idea but wanted to know from more knowledgeble people but there is no way i would use it now knowing what you have all told me so thanks again for that it was very helpful as ever.

gill:wave: