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How to tell the difference between haylage and silage

  • 13-02-2011 7:30pm
    #1
    Chicken Run
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 595 ✭✭✭


    Bought a bale of haylage from a different supplier as couldn't get hold of my regular guy last week. Use it for ponies as I was told that silage was bad but haylage was fine for them (colic and stuff).

    Unwrapped it today and it seems a lot wetter than the previous bales I've had, though it smells the same and seems better quality (no mouldy patches or loads of rushes)

    Anyway - is there a definitive way to tell the difference ? He assured me it was haylage, I'm just concerned that it's very wet.

    Thanks in advance


Comments

  • #2
    kay 9
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,676 ✭✭✭kay 9


    Haylage shouldn't be so wet


  • #3
    MOC1972
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭MOC1972


    My understanding is its nearly at the stage thats its hay but wrapped.
    Where as silage can be alot wetter and cut and baled the same day.


  • #4
    kay 9
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,676 ✭✭✭kay 9


    MOC1972 wrote: »
    My understanding is its nearly at the stage thats its hay but wrapped.
    Where as silage can be alot wetter and cut and baled the same day.
    That's what it is supposed to be. They must have been puntured or something.


  • #5
    moy83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    kay 9 wrote: »
    That's what it is supposed to be. They must have been puntured or something.
    i make small square bales of haylage and i usually bale it the day before it would be ready for hay it would be practicaly dry just a bit green .How much are ye paying for small square bales of haylage at the minute ?


  • #6
    Bizzum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭Bizzum


    kay 9 wrote: »
    They must have been puntured or something.

    Being punctured is a whole different kettle of fish. If haylage is punctured or badly sealed for any number of reasons, it can be worse than bad silage!
    OP says it smells like silage and is better quality than his previous supply.
    So I would assume its well wrapped and not punctured.
    I suppose off the top of my head if I was asked to tell the difference, I would say with haylage, you should be able to roll the bale manually.
    We make some when the year allows. Great stuff for cows. It fills them up great!


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  • #7
    esox28
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 800 ✭✭✭esox28


    do you have to shake out the swarts of grass with a haybob to get haylage?


  • #8
    moy83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    esox28 wrote: »
    do you have to shake out the swarts of grass with a haybob to get haylage?
    you do you save it the same way as you would with hay


  • #9
    Bizzum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭Bizzum


    If ever anyone made hay, they will tell you that often the headlands are always that bit slower to make than the main body of the field.
    So when the field is fit to be baled, the headland may be still that bit rare.
    You could round bale the whole field and wrap the headlands.
    Then you'd have haylage! Simples.


  • #10
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    Normal hay is baled at 18% moisture. Haylage should be between 50-60% moisture and no lower than 45% at baling. A lot of haylage in Ireland is too dry when baled.


  • #11
    Bizzum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭Bizzum


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    A lot of haylage in Ireland is too dry when baled.

    What is the consequence of this?


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  • #12
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    Bizzum wrote: »
    What is the consequence of this?
    Too dry and the bales will heat and have mould on them.


  • #13
    moy83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    Normal hay is baled at 18% moisture. Haylage should be between 50-60% moisture and no lower than 45% at baling. A lot of haylage in Ireland is too dry when baled.
    i think teagasc has that up on their site but any of the horsey crowd i sell it to wouldnt want it that wet especially the small square bales they would never lift them .


  • #14
    Bizzum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭Bizzum


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    Too dry and the bales will heat and have mould on them.

    Thats the theory alright.
    In 2009 I baled hay late in the year, and I wrapped 20something around the headland, that I thought I could have chanced for hay, it was just to see how far I could go down the low moisture route.
    Anyway. It was top of the range.
    The problem most farmers have in this regard is there is never a moisture meter to hand when ya want one!


  • #15
    moy83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    Too dry and the bales will heat and have mould on them.
    i wrapped hay for a few lads that wanted to keep it outside cos they had no shed to store it in . It was sound ,no dust or mould and even had a very faint silage whiff off it :D


  • #16
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    Bizzum wrote: »
    Thats the theory alright.
    In 2009 I baled hay late in the year, and I wrapped 20something around the headland, that I thought I could have chanced for hay, it was just to see how far I could go down the low moisture route.
    Anyway. It was top of the range.
    The problem most farmers have in this regard is there is never a moisture meter to hand when ya want one!
    A microwave oven is more accurate than a moisture meter but it involves a few calculations.


  • #17
    Zebra
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20 ✭Zebra


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    A microwave oven is more accurate than a moisture meter but it involves a few calculations.

    Where can you get a moisture meter or how does the microwave trick work?

    I make haylage every year and it is very hard to make that call on wheather to bale or wait for another few hrs or a day..


  • #18
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    Zebra wrote: »
    Where can you get a moisture meter or how does the microwave trick work?

    I make haylage every year and it is very hard to make that call on wheather to bale or wait for another few hrs or a day..
    Heres how to use the microwave method http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/229291/Silage-Note-7---Measuring-the-Dry-Matter-Content-of-Forages.pdf


  • #19
    Bodacious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,274 ✭✭✭Bodacious


    Bizzum wrote: »
    Being punctured is a whole different kettle of fish. If haylage is punctured or badly sealed for any number of reasons, it can be worse than bad silage!
    OP says it smells like silage and is better quality than his previous supply.
    So I would assume its well wrapped and not punctured.
    I suppose off the top of my head if I was asked to tell the difference, I would say with haylage, you should be able to roll the bale manually.
    We make some when the year allows. Great stuff for cows. It fills them up great!

    i agree with you there, feeding wilted silage this year but last year we had haylage and the haylage fills them up quicker they can only eat so much and they are away for water before they can tackle a second sitting!!


  • #20
    Chicken Run
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 595 ✭✭✭Chicken Run


    Wow
    Thanks for all the replies lads.... intrigued by the microwave method now...

    In the end, the ponies just wouldn't eat it (not usual for them) so I rang the lad I got it off and he said no bother and came to collect it. I think he knew when he dropped it off that it was more to silage tbh.
    Just been out and the grazing's starting to come through...yay


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