# White mould on haylage do you feed it?



## ScarlettLady (2 February 2012)

The white mould on Haylage is apparently harmless to horses, but who actually feeds it in haynets/ haybars etc?
I always chuck it, but a recent debate with a friend left me wondering if anyone feeds it.. 
Thanks


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## BigRed (2 February 2012)

I would just pull the mouldy bits off and feed the rest of it.  Any decent feed shop would exchange the bale if you were worried.


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## YasandCrystal (2 February 2012)

I feed it. I only chuck any wet haylage. Haylage when it is off really smells horrid and that to me is the sign not to feed it.


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## hoorayhenry (2 February 2012)

I tend to pull the mouldy bits off, and try to use the rest of the bale. x


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## A1fie (2 February 2012)

No I don't feed it.


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## kirstykate (2 February 2012)

I wont feed it either, can cause COPD


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## Vetwrap (2 February 2012)

No, I don't feed mouldy or wet haylage either, though I think they would eat the mouldy if there was some accidentally in the net.

They wouldn't eat the wet, as the smell is very acidic.


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## Toast (2 February 2012)

Nah, i wont eat mouldy bread so my horses dont eat mouldy haylage. Especially as it can cause COPD


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## Tammytoo (2 February 2012)

You wouldn't feed mouldy hay, so don't feed mouldy haylage - take it back!


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## spike123 (2 February 2012)

black mould absolutely no way as toxic but the white mould is actually harmless and providing there isn't too much of it I have never had an issue with it. I wouldn't feed it on purpose though.


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## Marydoll (2 February 2012)

Are we talking yeast here or bluish mould ?
You can identify the yeast areas easily by their smell.
An obvious mouldy look or smell and i wont use it.


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## now_loves_mares (2 February 2012)

I struggle to use a bale of haylage before it goes off (big bales) so I pull out and dispose of anything looking remotely dodgy, just because I know I'll end up chucking the last 1/3rd of the bale anyway. However if it wasn't for that, I'd not be too fussy with small bits of white mould, but I always make sure mine have way too much haylage so they can pick out the bits they do and don't want. Mine is very selective


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## PennyJ (2 February 2012)

If you mean the stuff that looks a bit like the white coating on brie or camembert then yes, if I can separate it, I give it to them to pick over and they seem to like it, it all gets eaten.  If its a really thick clumpy lump then no.  Black mouldy funny smelling stuff - never ever ever.


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## eggs (2 February 2012)

The White stuff is sugar not mould so OK to use.

Gone off haylage has a horrible vinegary smell. If I open a bale that smells of I won't feed any of it and my supplier swaps the bale for me.  I also don't feed if it is overly wet and definitely not any that has black or green/blue mould.


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## Tnavas (3 February 2012)

If the haylage smells fine then it is OK to feed with the white mould which is yeast. If the haylage smells sour and has black mould then definately not.


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## applecart14 (3 February 2012)

I thought it was the sugars that come up from the haylage that give it is white area but someone else said it was yeast.

We had a bale last week with white in the corner so we just tore the corner of each section.  This was big baled haylage.


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## Marydoll (3 February 2012)

It is yeast that is the white creamy almost beer smelling patches, its produced when it ferments, im happy to feed with this,  but blue mould not a chance id feed it.


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