# Difference between Ryegrass and Meadow Haylage?



## katherine1975 (12 November 2014)

Our horses have been coming in at night and are currently being fed Ryegrass haylage, it seems to be making them rather lively! Is meadow haylage less heating? Having a discussion with someone about this and they said it depends on whether it is 1st or 2nd cut. I am going to send some off for analysis as I see Dodson and Horrell do it for £11.50 but in the mean time I thought I would ask you knowledgeable lot. Thank you.


----------



## cobgoblin (12 November 2014)

Meadow Haylage is a lot lower in calories. Mine have never heated up on it.

Eta. Is that £11.50 for a 20kg bale? If it is you'd be better off buying big bales even if you wasted some.


----------



## katherine1975 (12 November 2014)

Sorry, I meant that it costs £11.50 to have it analysed.


----------



## JillA (12 November 2014)

Bangor (I think) university did an analysis not long ago - ryegrass has THREE HUNDRED times the amount of sugar found in timothy, fescues and other meadow grasses.  I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole TBH


----------



## ihatework (12 November 2014)

Ryegrass is generally much higher energy content than a meadow (it does also depend on when it was cut).

I can't have one of mine fed on rye, it turns her into a raving loony.


----------



## Honey08 (12 November 2014)

JillA said:



			Bangor (I think) university did an analysis not long ago - ryegrass has THREE HUNDRED times the amount of sugar found in timothy, fescues and other meadow grasses.  I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole TBH
		
Click to expand...

Wow!  That's interesting.  I knew it had more, but wasn't aware it was quite that much.


----------



## katherine1975 (12 November 2014)

I will have it analysed and let you know.


----------



## Honey08 (12 November 2014)

Please would you let us know about that, what you have to do etc.  it's something I'd be interested in doing myself.


----------



## katherine1975 (12 November 2014)

http://www.dodsonandhorrellpetfood.co.uk/horse-feed/forage-analysis/forage-analysis-service-1 I have ordered this, I guess I just have to send some of the haylage to them to be analysed.


----------



## JillA (12 November 2014)

Take samples from deep inside the bale - a neighbour lent me a beet cutter to get mine when I had mine done for minerals a few years ago


----------



## L&M (12 November 2014)

Ryegrass haylage is typically fed to horses in hard work, such as racehorses, as their work levels require the energy.

Put a happy hacker/leisure horse on it and you could be in trouble!!!


----------



## wingedhorse99 (31 December 2014)

L&M said:



			Ryegrass haylage is typically fed to horses in hard work, such as racehorses, as their work levels require the energy.

Put a happy hacker/leisure horse on it and you could be in trouble!!!
		
Click to expand...

I wouldnt go with such generalisations. Over half of my large yard feed rye based haylage with no issues. Most big bale haylage will by rye if not specified as meadow. Rye is much cheaper to produce and faster growing. It depends on the conditions when it was cut and baled too. I had analysed last year the protein, DE, and sugar levels of two types of big bale rye haylage, and two types of small bale hay.

The rye grass haylage was lower protein, and similar DE and sugar to the hay. Nothing was over 10% sugar. The hay and the haylage were similar sugar and DE levels. Spring grass can be up to 30% sugar.


----------



## wingedhorse99 (31 December 2014)

Analysis of bale of hay / rye haylage / meadow haylage shows that the growing and harvesting conditions have more impact on the sugar, DE and protein levels than the type of grass. 

It is madness to imply when a bale of hay / haylage can be 5% to 30% sugar, that one could be 300 fold different. It may be true for an indidual grass plant at a moment in time.

All the batches of rye haylage I have had analysed has been under 10% sugar, and about 9 DE, and 5-7% protein.


----------



## chocolategirl (31 December 2014)

wingedhorse99 said:



			I wouldnt go with such generalisations. Over half of my large yard feed rye based haylage with no issues. Most big bale haylage will by rye if not specified as meadow. Rye is much cheaper to produce and faster growing. It depends on the conditions when it was cut and baled too. I had analysed last year the protein, DE, and sugar levels of two types of big bale rye haylage, and two types of small bale hay.

The rye grass haylage was lower protein, and similar DE and sugar to the hay. Nothing was over 10% sugar. The hay and the haylage were similar sugar and DE levels. Spring grass can be up to 30% sugar.
		
Click to expand...

Ours are also all on ryegrass haylage albeit a late cut, but no issues whatsoever even with my laminitic ponies! Been on it last 2 years so I'm guessing it must be OK?


----------



## JillA (31 December 2014)

wingedhorse99 said:



			It is madness to imply when a bale of hay / haylage can be 5% to 30% sugar, that one could be 300 fold different. It may be true for an indidual grass plant at a moment in time.
		
Click to expand...

The analysis which supplied the 300x level (ryegrass vs more traditional meadow grasses) was done by Bangor University and presumably compared like for like - harvested at the same time of year and in the same conditions. Otherwise it would be too meaningless to publish.


----------



## wingedhorse99 (31 December 2014)

JillA said:



			The analysis which supplied the 300x level (ryegrass vs more traditional meadow grasses) was done by Bangor University and presumably compared like for like - harvested at the same time of year and in the same conditions. Otherwise it would be too meaningless to publish.
		
Click to expand...

Jill are you suggesting it is possible to get a bale of hay / haylage with less than 5% sugar content by weight or more than 40% sugar content by weight? As a difference of 300 times would require this. 

Surely you can see that a range of sugar level of 300 fold in a bale of hay / haylage is not plausible.

It may well exist in an individual part of a leaf in two different plants, but not accross a whole bale.


----------



## popsdosh (31 December 2014)

Honey08 said:



			Wow!  That's interesting.  I knew it had more, but wasn't aware it was quite that much.
		
Click to expand...

It is not that much  about 25 -35% more is the true figure ! Another factor would be organic haylage would also increase the sugars content as Nitrogen fertilisers dilute the sugars in cut grass.
It will be significantly higher in protein also!
If I am honest with regard having it analysed it will only tell you about that bale and the next bale could be totally different. We never test our baled haylage but do our clamped silage for the cattle as a core through the clamp in a given spot tells you what you will be feeding later on as it is representative.


----------



## JillA (31 December 2014)

I'm not suggesting anything, just reporting on the research. I can't find the original but here is an article written about it. It is notable that it refers to grazing not dried forage but I can't see that the sugars reduce differently in the drying process.
http://www.farmersguardian.com/home...our-grass-for-a-horse-to-graze?/63000.article


----------



## lilly1 (1 January 2015)

I use Italian ryegrass.  No idea on sugar levels but she does well on it.  It smells lovely too.


----------



## bumper (1 January 2015)

My (then) 4YO PB appy gelding was on ryegrass haylage for about 24 hours: he became rather like a toddler on coke and smarties, and it was rapidly withdrawn. I have however since discovered that he is badly sugar intolerant, so, that may explain it.


----------



## limestonelil (1 January 2015)

L&M said:



			Ryegrass haylage is typically fed to horses in hard work, such as racehorses, as their work levels require the energy.

Put a happy hacker/leisure horse on it and you could be in trouble!!!
		
Click to expand...

This is what I thought basically - and have never used our cow haylage/silage for any of the horses, because it is reseeded ryegrass. Another reply said - I think - it is O.K. for their laminitic ponies. Anyone else feed laminitics this without problems please?


----------



## FairyLights (1 January 2015)

Ryegrass is just ryegrass and meadow is mixed species of grasses and wild flowers [non toxic]


----------



## popsdosh (1 January 2015)

limestonelil said:



			This is what I thought basically - and have never used our cow haylage/silage for any of the horses, because it is reseeded ryegrass. Another reply said - I think - it is O.K. for their laminitic ponies. Anyone else feed laminitics this without problems please?
		
Click to expand...

All my horses fed the same wrapped bales as the cows, never had any issues .To many wild assumptions being made here . Hay will typically have a higher sugar content than haylage due to the sugars being used in the fermentation process of haylage.!


----------



## Red-1 (1 January 2015)

Our small bale haylage is Ryegrass, but it is High Fibre Ryegrass, which looks to be late cut. It certainly look fibrous, long stalks, but as it is haylage is still attractive for the horse to eat, and dust free. About £6 a bale, but that is bigger than a Horsegage bale. 

I do about 1/3 ration haylage, and 2/3 organic meadow hay ATM. But he has been on the pure High Fibre Haylage before, and always looks well, although does have more energy than when an a Haylage / hay mix. 

I doa mix as research says horses prefer choice, so when out in the day he has just hay as there is other stuff to occupy him, but when in the stable he has a hay station, a haylage station and a mineral lick. 

I think he does like it as he goes through stages of preferring haylage and hay, so he uses his ability to have a choice.


----------

