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Haylage and Baled Silage

  • 12-12-2013 1:46pm
    #1
    Driseog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 54 ✭✭


    Hi, I'm doing a bit of a project at the moment and was wondering what the difference is between haylage and silage?
    Or does the term haylage have a different meaning depending on the region?

    Not from a farming background but live in the country. Never heard of haylage till recently. The uncle and neighbours make wrapped bales but never heard anyone calling it haylage so I'm wondering is it a east of the Shannon thing.


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  • #2
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    Driseog wrote: »
    Hi, I'm doing a bit of a project at the moment and was wondering what the difference is between haylage and silage?
    Or does the term haylage have a different meaning depending on the region?

    Not from a farming background but live in the country. Never heard of haylage till recently. The uncle and neighbours make wrapped bales but never heard anyone calling it haylage so I'm wondering is it a east of the Shannon thing.

    Haylage is part dried grass which is wrapped. Tends to be sweeter and not as fermented as silage. I.e. it has a higher moisture content than hay but not as high as silage.
    I'm sure others can tell you more but that'll get you started.
    It's more commonly used for feeding horses too.


  • #3
    reilig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,401 ✭✭✭reilig


    Haylage is grass that is over 55% DM (Dry Matter) and wrapped or pitted as silage.

    Unwilted grass that it baled up and wrapped or pitted can be 20% DM.

    Hay is 85 to 90% DM.

    On a side note I have heard a lot of people warn that silage could be mouldy this year because it was baled up and wrapped so dry. The majority of our silage this year was baled at over 60% DM and it is coming out of the bales perfectly - never seen as little mould. 4 layers of wrap.

    Pit silage could be a different story though?


  • #4
    8k2q1gfcz9s5d4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,616 ✭✭✭8k2q1gfcz9s5d4


    reilig wrote: »
    Haylage is grass that is over 55% DM (Dry Matter) and wrapped or pitted as silage.

    Unwilted grass that it baled up and wrapped or pitted can be 20% DM.

    Hay is 85 to 90% DM.

    On a side note I have heard a lot of people warn that silage could be mouldy this year because it was baled up and wrapped so dry. The majority of our silage this year was baled at over 60% DM and it is coming out of the bales perfectly - never seen as little mould. 4 layers of wrap.

    Pit silage could be a different story though?

    we have mould, but thats because of cats on our bales. they have loads of them ruined


  • #5
    Driseog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 54 ✭✭Driseog


    Cheers for the replies!

    So has haylage to be wilted and over 55% DM..otherwise you're talking silage?

    Might sound like a silly question but is most haylage intended or is it like a fallback when hay can't be saved?


  • #6
    Sharpshooter82
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,825 ✭✭✭Sharpshooter82


    Driseog wrote: »
    Cheers for the replies!

    So has haylage to be wilted and over 55% DM..otherwise you're talking silage?

    Might sound like a silly question but is most haylage intended or is it like a fallback when hay can't be saved?
    it can be both intended and also be used as a fall back from hay.
    The haylage that comes from a fall back from hay wouldnt be as good as the haylage made purposly as the grass for hay would be on the ground longer than the grass that was set for haylage


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  • #7
    reilig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,401 ✭✭✭reilig


    Driseog wrote: »
    Cheers for the replies!

    So has haylage to be wilted and over 55% DM..otherwise you're talking silage?

    Might sound like a silly question but is most haylage intended or is it like a fallback when hay can't be saved?

    Ours is intended. We don't have the storage for hay, but aim to dry grass as dry as possible before baling and wrapping. It reduces the amount of bales that we have and ultimately saves money on baling, wrapping, transport and feeding. We get silage tested on a regular basis and the quality tends to be high enough to meet our feeding requirements!


  • #8
    Driseog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 54 ✭✭Driseog


    Thanks a million for those.

    Not really relevant but just out of curiosity would you say it is done more in the east and south?


  • #9
    grazeaway
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭grazeaway


    Driseog wrote: »
    Thanks a million for those.

    Not really relevant but just out of curiosity would you say it is done more in the east and south?

    It's not really a location thing more for what is required on the farm and weather conditions. We usually wilt for 24-36 hrs before baling. Conditions we so good this year a 1 day wilt was like 2-3 days in most recent years.


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