I recently moved from California to the Oregon coast. It appears that they don’t really grow a hay near me except for silage I can go about two hours away and purchase grass a like I fed in the past the place I bought has actually been contracted out in the past to grow grass hay that they wrap in plastic. The main market for this is dairy cows nearby, but after talking to the person that had the contract previously on my hayfields, he feeds it to his horses. I read a little bit on the Internet and it seems safe for horses. I just wanted to get other people‘s experiences here I called some friends and no one has direct or long-term results. In the meantime I started feeding a couple of my older horses this Hay and they seem to be doing just fine I would love to hear your feedback.
Botulism. Horses are very susceptible, cows not so much. It may be fine until it is not.I would not risk it.
I would ask for very specific details, like how they ensure it’s properly wrapped so that the only thing happening is proper fermentation, and not molding
Haylage/silage IS healthy for horses when packaged appropriately. There are several haylage products sold in small bags - Chaffhaye is one, and TSC carries one called Alfa-something
It’s a very common practice in other countries that are cooler and wetter, where it’s really hard to do typical hay, so they do haylage
So it’s much less about whether it’s safe in general because it is. It’s much more about what that specific farmer does to ensure its safety for horses
It’s always been my understanding that well made haylage can be used for horses, but it’s important to feed the bale pretty quickly once opened. Which is one reason that the horse specific commercial products come in small packaging.
Is this guy wrapping small squares? Unless you’ve got a ton of horses to feed, you probably can’t get through a large bale quickly enough?
Oh, yeah, here we go. This article says “An entire bale should be consumed within two days of being opened, or it will spoil.”
Yes, but botulism can easily be vaccinated against!
OP, most UK and Irish horses consume most of their hay in the form of haylage. It is actually a wonderfully clean and dust free long stem fibre choice, and I really wish we had more of it in North American instead of having to soak hay for any respiratory or sugar sensitive horses.
More information: https://horsesport.com/magazine/nutrition/botulism-in-horses/
In Europe, it’s commonly full size round bales that are wrapped for silage. They are peeled apart to be fed in the stables.
I’d never risk it. Where on the coast? My guess it’s near the dairy farms near Tillamook or the south coast ones. I’d be cautious using dairy silage with horses. You’d be better off bringing hay in from the valley.
But is this haylage/ sileage prepared with horses in mind? Or is it cow hay that might not be suitable for horses. Like a vet once told me " It is hard to kill a cow and it is easy to kill a horse."
That’s my point— the Oregon coast has two big dairy areas and I would bet this silage or haylage is being produced for those herds. It’ll be cheap, much cheaper than having regular hay delivered from the Willamette valley but so much safer. OP- there are other horse owners in your area and feed stores too. Ask about hay suppliers there. Join the FB group Oregon Horse Forum for networking on hay.
That was the point of my comment and what Mouse implied by “most UK and Irish horses…” It’s done for the sole purpose of feeding horses, and over there, where it’s cool and damp most of the time, it’s difficult at best to do normal dry hay like is done in North America. They’ve done it for eons now.
Simikie, What I am getting is 800lbs ish round bales. So far I have talked to a couple more people that have fed it to horses, as well as my Vet from California,
There is a hardware store that sells feed, their staff does not inspire confidence. There is also one hay. broker who sets up shop in a parking lot 2 times per week that he halls in from Medford and Klamath falls, I have not asked him but I would be surprised if he was not in favor of his own product.
Unfortunately for me there is not a huge horse community in the area, and the people that do have horses have one or 2 in their backyard, not feeding 15 draft horses like I am.
I visited with my vet in California about the topic and his biggest concern was botulism, which apparently there is a vaccine for. I also visited with a friend who is a pretty large hay broker in Colorado and he fed it for several years in when he lived in Minnesota and had never even heard of botulism let alone had a case of it. after reading a bit, as long as the hay stays sealed, ie there are no holes in the bag, and you wait a month it should be ok, mold is obviously pretty apparent.
Botulism does not appear in wrapped hay as mold. It doesn’t appear in any sort of visual way at all.
The botulism vaccine protects against botulism type B. It does not convey coverage for the other types. Type C (which is not covered by the vaccine) is what’s most typical in forage contaminated botulism.
Here’s an article about it.
Er, not so much.
There are multiple strains of botulism and the vaccine only protects against one.
Horses still die of botulism despite vaccination.
That doesn’t mean I don’t think people should vaccinate; quite the opposite. I consider it a non-negotiable. But owners should still avoid pro-botulism situations.
If you are feeding 15 draft horses you are likely going through almost 5 tons of hay a month. In your place I would investigate hay brokers or dealers on the dry side of Oregon/Washington and see if someone is willing to ship you in say 10 or 15 ton semi trailer loads every few months. You can get deals on bigger orders. Or even get round bale hay which is cheaper per lb than square bales. You will need to have dry covered storage for the hay or it will mold.
I know haylage is fed to horses in the UK but it is not widely done in North America, and I don’t think even the UK feeds silage. IMHO feeding dairy haylage or silage to horses is too big a risk.
It’s also possible you have landed in a place where it’s difficult to keep a big herd because of climate, feed sources, and other things. Draft horses in particular can suffer under their feathers with rain and wet ground
It’s a life lesson in researching local conditions before you move horses. I have a horse in the PNW and it’s much harder in many ways than it would be in the dry belts.
Since it sounds like you’re on the south coast, getting 3x4 bales from the Klamath basin or SE Oregon would be a doable thing. Use the Capitol Press (paper/online) to see if there’s any hay brokers who’d ship into you. I get that just buying silage bales would be convenient, but you’ve gotten good advice here. There are lots of folks who ship hay from the valley or E. OR. You could even haul in hay yourself if you’ve got a flatbed or access to one. I’m slightly surprised that you didn’t research feed sources before your move.
I did research feed, and I figured I could haul it on my semi from Klamath Falls or Ft Jones in the worst case. But after talking with the person who has contracted my hay fields in the past I became aware that he feeds it to his horses , which literally comes from my yard, and is 50% less. so I figure it makes sense to explore all options.
I feed 2 tons a week, as far as draft horses, particularly clydesdales suffering from moisture under the feather, you do understand that feather is an adaptation for horses in damp climates that protects the cornet band right? I have had horses in southern california for 25 years and we were specifically looking for a place where we could put horses out on pasture part of the year, and doesn’t get snow. life is full of compromises this place seems to work out ok for now, time will tell.
Ok hope it works out for you. Where I live the grass grows year round but the ground is wet so most people have to keep their horses off pasture Nov to April/May or the field becomes a destroyed mudpit full of toxic buttercups. it varies from farm to farm depending on local soil water table and number of horses per acre. You will only really know after spending a year on your property.
to me the biggest surprise for buying hay in Oregon is how little automation there is… tons of people will sell you hay in the field, you stack it. if you want a squeeze you probably need to buy your own. Just very different from southern california, Where as a side note the entire hay industry revolves around the dairy industry, or at least it did but now the hay infrastructure is going away, and being snatched up by foreign countries.
