Alright… I won’t get into why but I have two 1500lb bales of haylage on my flatbed right now. The wrapping is ripped so it’s no good to sell or trade for regular hay. WTH do I do with it? I want it off my flatbed and disposed of like yesterday. Can I put it to use in some way? I’d rather not take up all kinds of room in my compost pile with it… Plus I reeeeaaaally hate the smell of it :no: Help!
Offer it to a cow farmer, and if you’re lucky he may trade you some dry hay for it. Haylage can be fed to horses, but it is something you need to introduce gradually.
The cow guy I know didn’t want it if the wrapping was damaged either 
that was my original solution, now I don’t know what to do with it!
if the wrapping is damaged it’s not good for feed, as you’re finding out, but it can also be a combustible as it sits in there. Check the interior temp occasionally. I think I’d find a place, far from the house since you don’t like the smell, and let it be a compost of some sort. Have any weed patches you hate or need a bare piece of dirt?
What about spreading it on my pasture that I’m going to oversee 8 a couple of weeks?
Did you only offer it to one farmer? I’d call another cow farmer! Or put a sign at the local feed store and anywhere farmers hang out. Maybe call your local extension agent… Put it on Craigslist looking to trade it for some smaller bales fit to feed your horses. Don’t know where you’re located but around here we have a farming newspaper where you could list it, and penny saver news rags with classified ads in the back. If you were near me that stuff would probably be snapped up in no time flat. I can’t believe your cow farmer is so picky…
If all else fails offer it on Freecycle.org.
I don’t know that I would spread it on the field unless you had a way to shred it first. To sperad it without shredding it could create a barrier that could prevent your grass seed from sprouting–not worth the chance…
[QUOTE=RedmondDressage;7752258]
Alright… I won’t get into why but I have two 1500lb bales of haylage on my flatbed right now. The wrapping is ripped so it’s no good to sell or trade for regular hay. WTH do I do with it? I want it off my flatbed and disposed of like yesterday. Can I put it to use in some way? I’d rather not take up all kinds of room in my compost pile with it… Plus I reeeeaaaally hate the smell of it :no: Help![/QUOTE]
Go to your local fire department and ask if they need combustibles for training burns. This time of year (early fall) my locals gear up training and pay me for moldy straw or hay. Worth a shot.
Do you have a local dump? Ours has a compost section. I don’t think they charge much if anything for organic material like leaves and such. There might be a commercial mulch business and or nursery that will take it.
Offer it to a cow farmer, and if you’re lucky he may trade you some dry hay for it. Haylage can be fed to horses, but it is something you need to introduce gradually.
When the wrap gets ripped, it allows air into the bale, and instead of proper fermenting, it starts to mold, which is likely why the cow farmer doesn’t even want it for his cows.
And although haylage CAN be fed to horses, this is definitely not the type that I would attempt to start introducing to my horses for the same reason originally stated above. Haylage for horses must be put up according to a very small window of conditions and haylage with ripped wrap definitely wouldn’t pass muster for those conditions.
OP - I would put it on Craigslist and say “Free for the taking!” and give it to the first person who wants it.
?? “cow farmers” don’t really like to feed moldy slimy hot crap to their cows just to make life easier on a horse owner…? They have an obligation to keep their animals healthy too and an open bale of haylage is hardly worth the cost of fuel to go pick it up.
I wouldn’t put it on a field that you liked… like I said, a spot that you want nothing to grow on would be a better location. Need a garden spot? Round pen?
Please don’t forget to check the temp either-I was just talking with an old rancher (“cow farmer”) last week about hot bales and he was telling me about a fire he went to where the wrap on silage had been torn which let oxygen in the bale and it caught fire. FYI.
[QUOTE=cowboymom;7753111]
?? “cow farmers” don’t really like to feed moldy slimy hot crap to their cows just to make life easier on a horse owner…? They have an obligation to keep their animals healthy too and an open bale of haylage is hardly worth the cost of fuel to go pick it up.
I wouldn’t put it on a field that you liked… like I said, a spot that you want nothing to grow on would be a better location. Need a garden spot? Round pen?
Please don’t forget to check the temp either-I was just talking with an old rancher (“cow farmer”) last week about hot bales and he was telling me about a fire he went to where the wrap on silage had been torn which let oxygen in the bale and it caught fire. FYI.[/QUOTE]
Yeah - I get why he didn’t take it and it’s why I haven’t posted it to give to anyone else.
Actually, I’m starting work on rehabbing my arena… We stripped the old hogsfuel footing off and had it leveled a couple of years ago but had some new drainage issues arise due to the runoff from an area behind us that the state let them clear cut :mad: I haven’t had the money to deal with it so it’s full of weeds now. We’re going to take a flame weeder to it soon since the rain has started… Maybe I’ll just roll them down to the arena and let them sit until we do that, then I can spread them down there to keep the weeds from coming back until we’re ready to install the new draining and bring footing in next spring/summer. Sounds like I might actually have a use for it after all!
It’s not your bad, I’m not sure how you ended up with the stuff but someone left you a stinker! Hope it comes in handy in some way!
Park your truck at the local Walmart, go in and stroll around for a couple of hours, and when you come out…the hay will be gone!
[QUOTE=partlycloudy;7754648]
Park your truck at the local Walmart, go in and stroll around for a couple of hours, and when you come out…the hay will be gone![/QUOTE]
HAHAHAHAHA. :lol:
Redmond, how’d you wind up with the stuff?
[QUOTE=Simkie;7754653]
HAHAHAHAHA. :lol:
Redmond, how’d you wind up with the stuff?[/QUOTE]
Through a big mistake! I’ve been experimenting with round bales this year but my first farmer sold out. Talked to another one and went to pick it up - they had haylage instead of hay. They went on and on about how much the horses love it and how fantastic it is… I didn’t really know what I was getting because apparently I’m an idiot :lol: I’ve seen the wrapped bales out in the fields - but never been up close and seen the stuff so I didn’t really know any different. Got it home, dragged freakin 1500 lbs of it into my feeder with the tractor, and unwrapped it… I VERY quickly realized how not on board I was with this whole experiment… And then realized I have two more dang bales on the trailer! And THEN realized one is ripped! Ugh.
Oh well, live and learn I suppose!
Is it bad? The unripped bale should be fine for cows if it was put up right; the ripped bale may or may not be…I’d probably offer up the good bale for free if someone takes them both and see if you can off-load them that way.
I think the biggest risk with haylage for horses is botulism; the nutritional analysis is good for controlled feeding (not free choice) and it can be good for horses that don’t do well on dusty hay… but then the botulism risk is still there.
It’s not silage, right?
With this info I would still try a freebie ad and see if someone will just take it off your hands. It’s good feed if it’s put up right. And it’s excellent mulch, if you can’t use it I bet you can find someone that could… The ripped bale is the biggest issue; the intact one still has a lot of options. :yes:
Could it be used for mulch or compost? free on Craig’s list…with potential fire warning.
Yes, the bales with no rips are perfect for cows.
