Haylage

about haylage making and its preparation and storage,its usage,sigificance

1. HAYLAGE AND SIGNIFICANCE SWATHY A. H. 2018-11-081

2. CONSERVED FORAGES Forages can be conserved to feed livestock during periods of shortage caused by limited pasture growth or inadequate pasture conditions, or fed as a supplement. Conserved forages can take the form of hay, haylage , and silage . Although several methods have been proven as efficient ways to store and preserve forages, it is important, to keep this fact in mind:  At best, conserved forages can rarely match the nutritive value of fresh forage because some losses of highly digestible nutrients (sugar, protein, and fat) are unavoidable during conservation and storage. 

3. HAYLAGE Haylage is part-way between hay and silage. Low-moisture silage is referred to as haylage . high-moisture silage (≤ 30% DM ) medium-moisture silage (30% to 40% DM ) low-moisture silage (40% to 60% DM ) Haylage , also known as low moisture hay silage and bale silage. When baled and wrapped, haylage is referred to as baleage . Haylage , which was started to be used in Europe in 1950s for the first time particularly for racehorse.

4. Conti.. The grass is cut slightly earlier than for hay, between heading and flowering. It is wilted and baled at 40 % to 60% DM. It is then fermented like silage, but a more limited fermentation takes place because it is made using drier material.

5. SILAGE AND HAYLAGE SILAGE The traditional silage is produced through disintegration of feed with having rich water source. 25-30 percent dry matter HAYLAGE On the other hand, the haylage is produced with feeds having low moisture when compared with the traditional silage. 40-60 percent dry matter

6. Conti.. SILAGE High-moisture silages are more prone to potential seepage losses (that is, effluent or leachate from the silo), undesirable secondary fermentation (resulting in butyric acid, which results in a rancid smell), and high dry matter losses (silo shrink). HAYLAGE High density is critical in haylage to maintain anaerobic conditions because microbes are less active and fermentation is lower in haylage .

7. TYPES OF HAYLAGE Often made from a single grass species such as Italian Rye Grass, this type of haylage has a low pH (high lactic acid content) and a low dry matter (DM) of 45-55%.   It has a high leaf to stem ratio and is very nutrient dense. Once wrapped in plastic (6-8 layers ensures good anaerobic conditions) the sugars are fermented by bacteria into lactic acid which essentially pickles the grass so preserving it. A pleasant ‘acid-sweet’ smelling forage is produced in approximately 6 weeks. 1:Early cut haylage .

8. 2: Later cut haylage . Generally made from mixed lay or permanent pasture, so contains a variety of grass and legume species, this haylage has a high stem content so is more fibrous and drier at 55-70% DM. This haylage is preserved simply by the exclusion of air, so it is very important that when conserving it 6-8- layers of plastic are used to ensure good anaerobic conditions.   Early cut haylage is more suited to horses with high energy demands . Once opened and exposed to air , haylage has a limited shelf-life ranging from 5 days for early cut to only 3/2 for late cut haylage .

9. METHODS IN HAYLAGE MAKING

10. It's important to know when the right time to start producing haylage is so that you are going to take off the best quality feed and avoid a huge, ugly, spoiled mess. Haylage is best made when grass plants are pre-bloom or early flowering (late boot to early head) stage, or when legumes are at 10% bloom. Grasses should just start heading out . Any hay mower will work, as long as they will cut in wide swaths.  STEPS IN DETAIL

11. STEPS IN DETAIL Depending on what type of forage you have and how wet you want to harvest it at, you have the options of letting it wilt for not at all, half a day, or for a full day (24 hours ). - Haylage often needs longer to wilt down, depending on weather conditions. Most recommend a day (24 hours) to wilt down; if the weather is hot enough, though, only half a day (4 to 6 hours) may be needed to get the forage down to that optimum level . Teddering and/or conditioning may  be necessary to get low-moisture haylage .

12. Conti.. 2.  Machinery known as "forage harvesters" that are self-propelled or pulled behind a tractor are needed for gathering and cutting up swaths into chopped haylage . 3.Once the wagons or trucks are full they must travel to the site where the haylage feed is going to be stored.  4.  The haylage pile must be packed very well, and should be packed down during and after each harvesting day. Packing is what helps encourage fermentation activity and discourages spoilage.  5.  Use the proper plastic recommended for covering haylage and silage piles. 

13. Depending on what type of forage you have and how wet you want to harvest it at, you have the options of letting it wilt for not at all, half a day, or for a full day (24 hours). Use a baler that is built to make very tight bales with tight centres , hence the name. A "hard-core " baler is ideal for this because it can pack the swaths into very tight bales with a tight center better than what are called "soft-core" balers. Once the bales are done, they must be wrapped or put in a tube no longer than 10 to 12 hours after baling; 5 hours or less is more preferable. This will prevent them from heating, which can cause spoilage and even spontaneous combustion, especially if they're baled at 40% or lower in warm conditions. STEPS IN DETAIL

14. pH Value of Haylage : The critical pH value at traditional silages is 3.9 and lower . In haylage , this value is higher . In general, the pH may vary between 4.3-6.5 depending on the season and the plant material used 

15. USE OF ADDITIVES IN HAYLAGE In traditional silage, especially when the legumes are evaluated as silage, some additives must be put in certain amounts in the silage in order to protect the quality . Although the protein values of legume grasses are high, the construction of silages is very difficult. In the case of haylage , it is reported that there is no need for any additives, whether they are legumes or wheatgrass feedstuffs ( Yaman ve Sonmezler , 2011; Kilic ve Galipoglu , 2008). This is advantageous for haylage . Just as the cost of the traditional silage is increased with additional additives, there could be disruption during application like non-uniform distribution.

16. NUTRITIONAL VALUE Good haylage will have a pleasant acidic odour , be uniform in colour and feel moist.  Good quality haylage will contain around 10-13% crude protein and have a dry matter digestibility of 65-70%.  Less leaf loss occurs during harvesting than for hay because the material is moister, resulting in higher protein content . Haylage is also more palatable and digestible than hay, so there is very little wastage at feed-out.

17. METHOD OF PRESERVATION Good lactic acid fermentation is necessary Choose an additive that will ensure a fast, efficient fermentation and inhibit the yeasts and moulds that cause heating and moulding .  Due to the high dry matter, secondary clostridial   fermentation should not be an issue. However, it can occur in wetter pockets or if an animal carcass is present, leading to animal health problems. Botulism in horses is one example . Spoiled or poorly fermented haylage will also increase the risk of Listeria, which can affect all livestock, but is particularly serious for sheep. A pH of less than 5.6 will kill Listeria.

18. Conti.. POST-STEAMED HAYLAGE Horses find post-steamed haylage very palatable and with the lower dust and microbial levels you can feed it for longer than freshly opened haylage . Haylage can contain considerable levels of respirable dust, with pollen being particularly high in some types. Bacteria and mould content can also be high, so the best way to preserve nutrients, increase shelf-life and reduce microbial content is to steam it in a high-temperature Haygain steamer.

19. EFFECT OF ENSILING ON NITRATE LEVEL Ensiling forage as haylage can be a management strategy for high-nitrate grass . Scientific literature suggests an average of 50 percent reduction in nitrate in ensiled forages due to the de-nitrification process . Research conducted by Karen Spivey and North Carolina State University in 1997 on bermuda grass harvested as haylage suggested that up to a 90 percent reduction in nitrate concentration could be achieved by ensiling bales at very high moisture levels ( 75–80 percent).

20. FEEDING HAYLAGE Feeding haylage is similar to feeding large round bales of hay in conventional feeding rings . With the high investment in wrapping bales, it is essential to control feeding losses. Some studies have shown up to a 50 percent loss when large round silage bales are fed to cattle without being placed in a ring feeder. This loss can be reduced to 10 – 20 percent by using a simple ring feeder. Ring feeder

21. Hay wagon The use of an elevated hay wagon can reduce feeding losses to below 10 percent.

22. WHY HAYLAGE In animal feed, the need for roughage is usually met by hay and silage. However , the quality and yield losses in dry hay are quite high. In traditional silage, the deterioration risk of silage is very high because of the need for big mechanization park and the lack of technical information. I n recent years, research has been concentrated on different methods that could be more practical, and the method of haylage , which is one of the alternative methods, has clearly come to the forefront .

23. CHANGING FROM HAY TO HAYLAGE Haylage is popular with horse owners as it does not contain the high levels of dust and mould often found in hay . Haylage contains higher quality nutrients than hay but because of its higher moisture content the nutrients are more diluted. An average 500 kg horse requires a minimum daily fibre input of 1% bodyweight, i.e. 5 kg, but due to the wetter nature of haylage this should be increased to 1.5% or 7.5 kg fresh weight to give a similar dry matter intake .

24. conti … Haylage dry matter has an approx. 10% higher nutrient value so feeding an equivalent amount of dry matter as haylage means that less supplementary feed will be required to meet its energy requirements.

25. ADVANTAGES OF HAYLAGE Highly palatable Produces less dust than hay Fewer problems with moulds Less weather dependent than hay Entirely mechanised production Lower field losses than for hay Higher nutritional value than hay Uses existing haymaking equipment Lower harvest losses Less weather dependent than dry hay systems Higher quality feed

26. DISADVANTAGES OF HAYLAGE Low in nutritive value, particularly protein Limited intake potential Very weather dependent / field losses can be high Can be dusty and high in mould spores, increasing the risk of lung infections in livestock and handlers Needs to be stored in dry conditions Heavier bales may require larger handling equipment Increase in annual costs Potentially higher storage losses

27. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH HAYLAGE High DM haylage undergoes a relatively slow and restricted fermentation to achieve a good fermentation with minimum losses and high palatability it is essential that the fermentation is fast and efficient. Haylage bales are more prone to aerobic spoilage due to their high DM and reduced compaction. Smaller bales have the biggest surface area to volume ratio making them most vulnerable. Mouldy bales must not be fed to horses

28. BOTULISM IN HORSES Horses are particularly susceptible to botulism, a fatal condition caused by Clostridium botulinum , a soil-borne bacterium. This is more likely to be associated with silage as this organism cannot survive at the DM associated with properly made haylage . However , if there are wet pockets in a badly made haylage bale, or if water leaks in later due to damaged wrap, it may harbour the organism. It can also be introduced through accidental baling up of animal carcases .

29. HAYLAGE EQUIPMENTS

30. FISSORE - Haylage Blades Haylage blades are practical and heavy duty and suitable for high power tractors. Can be tailored to the customer’s specifications. With its solid structure, this type of blade is used for moving and depositing silage in trenches. It is mounted on the tractor’s front lifting attachment or wheeled loader. 

31. KME- Agri - Haylage / Baleage Re-Packaging Machine Break up large bale haylage and repackage into smaller airtight 20kg sealed backs.

32. SPIN - Model S - Wrapper Wrappers are used for wrapping single bales of hay with proper humidity of grass and papilionaceous plants, used to ensilage in form of haylage . Wrapping with foil is done to prevent influence of weather conditions on hay mass formed in a bale, allowing for adequate fermentation inside the wrapped bale.

33. Challenger - Haylage Balers Challenger manufacture a wide range of Hay Baler machinery and a large proportion of which is for repacking otherwise loose products such as chopped straw, chopped hay, haylage , woodchips, woodshavings , etc. to be used in the animal bedding and animal feed industry.

34. WORKS RELATED TO HAYLAGE If wrapping is delayed, the temperature in the bale increases and losses in silage quality increase. For this reason, after the bundling, within six hours, at the latest, twelve hours, the wrapping should be carried out (Sullivan, 1998). When compared to wrap with four layers, the application to wrap the big bale silages with 6-8 layer of polythene material increases the quality of silage and decreases the mold (Keller et al., 1998). In the case of haylage , it is reported that there is no need for any additives, whether they are legumes or wheatgrass feedstuffs ( Yaman ve Sonmezler , 2011; Kilic ve Galipoglu , 2008).

35. SWEET HAYLAGE- A new innovation I n Kerala, India the dairy farmers are depending of paddy straw and poor quality compounded feed to produce milk. Since all cattle feed raw materials are imported the feed price would go up beyond control. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a substitute feed with locally available feed resources in Kerala. Synery Group of Companies, UAE has successfully innovated a technology and plant to manufacture 'sweet haylage ’ a substitute for green forage.  This is more digestible, energy rich and palatable . Since the waste fibres are used the cost of the new feed will be indeed half of other poor quality compounded feeds.

36. TECHNOLOGY Silage making is done by pressing chopped green forage into deep silo pits and cover it with soil to preserve it by the production of propionic acid. The treated silage is taken out for feeding during winter days when green forages are scarce. The above treatment causes loss of sugar and starch and protein by fermentation. However fibre is available to cow.

37. Conti.. Haylage making is done by withering the green forage by drying under the sun light to remove moisture to 50%. This semi dried forage is chopped and packed with high pressure. The air tight packing stops the loss of nutrients to some extend. All the above process is for good quality forages. Utilizing the advantages of the above processes sweet haylage was developed to process waste vegetable fibre . 

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