Hay, Haylage and Silage: What’s the Difference?

Bales that are not wrapped adequately are more likely to suffer tears and perforations of the plastic allowing secondary bacterial growth. This can contribute to contamination of the bales with yeast mould mycotoxins and spoilage bacteria.
As soon as the plastic is taken off an ensiled round bale oxygen is admitted to the bale and spoilage is initiated. For this reason round bales must be fed quickly once they are opened. Ensiled feed that is exposed to the air will heat and go mouldy very quickly
What about preservatives for hay or ensiled feed?
Preservatives like propionic acid can be used to speed up the drop in pH in ensiled forages and prohibit microbial growth in hay that is higher in moisture than ideal. Although propionic acid is safe for horses it is expensive and so not routinely used by growers. Inoculants such as bacterial cultures of lactic acidforming bacteria are used by some growers to facilitate a good fermentation in ensiled forage. Again they are safe for horses but expensive and will increase the cost of the feed.
What happens if forages are contaminated by soil or manure?
Any stored forage whether hay haylage or silage will not be improved by contamination with soil or manure. Manure applications utilized as fertilizer on forages intended for horses can reduce the palatability of the resulting feed unless applied appropriately. Soils coming from mud on cut grass or cutting grass too close to the soil will contaminate the feed make hay dusty and reduce ensiled feed quality. Both manure and soil contain organisms such as clostridia and coliforms which are bacteria that contribute to poor fermentation. Botulism is caused by a clostridial organism that will grow readily in an ensiled round bale producing a toxin that will kill a horse.
Cost of round bales versus hay Which is more economical?
Frequently the rationale for feeding ensiled forage to horses is cost. If a comparison of the cost of a 1000 lb wrapped round bale and the cost of 1000 lb of grass hay is reviewed the hay often appears more expensive. Remember though that the wrapped round bale is probably at least 50 percent water whereas the hay is a maximum of 10 percent water. In order to truly calculate the value of a stored forage it is important to know its moisture content so you can calculate how much dry matter you are buying. It is likely that