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Smallwood Livery Centre
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Why Feed Haylage?It is estimated that up to 60% of all horses and ponies in the UK suffer from undetected respiratory disease, a condition which adversely affects a horse’s performance and, if untreated can lead to COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The most common cause of respiratory disease is an allergic reaction to the dust and millions of mould spores found in hay, so it is very important to take steps to reduce the levels of dust and spores. Some owners soak their hay, hoping that the spores will stick to the plant stems and be swallowed rather than inhaled. The reality of this though is the wet hay falls to the ground and dries; the spores then become airborne again and are inhaled. Soaking hay also results in a marked loss of nutritional value, and the water in which it is soaked represents a pollutant ten times the strength of raw sewage. Not forgetting that haylage is recommended by vets and feed nutritionists as a safe and healthy feed for your horse. The bales are immediately wrapped with a minimum of 8 layers of plastic to exclude all air from the
bale and allow a very mild fermentation to take place to preserve the bale with no waste. Our production of haylage is entirely natural and we do not use any artificial preservatives. Our haylage is then left for 8 to 10 weeks when each batch will be laboratory analysed to check not only the nutritional levels but also for moulds and spores. Assuming that the results meet our high standards, the haylage is then ready for feeding. Is haylage cost effective? Our haylage is a premium product and may cost slightly more than hay, but when you consider the following:
This and the fact that we guarantee all bales, you will see it is highly cost effective. Bale Size We bale our haylage in square bales which measure 4’ x 2’6" x 2’6" and weigh approximately 180 kg (remember our bales are high dry matter, some producers may sell heavier bales but this extra weight is usually water because the grass has been baled at a lower dry matter so all the extra you are getting is water!). We find these to be a sensible size that will last 2 horses approximately 10 days, 3 horses 7 days, 4 horses 5 days etc. We can also produce shorter bales to order to accommodate requirements for a smaller bale size. The general recommendation is that once opened you should use up a bale within 7 days, but we have clients that have had bales open for 17 days! without any spoilage whatsoever such is the quality of the fermentation that we achieve, although we wouldn’t recommend it. We always use square bales that are baled in slices; this allows you to maintain a neat and tidy bale as you use it, unlike large round bales that tend to collapse into a heap once opened encouraging rapid deterioration of the haylage. Delivering Our haylage can be collected from our yard or we can deliver for free (subject to a minimum order) locally up to 20 miles or so (please note we are based near Sandbach in Cheshire), complete with a compact loader to stack even in the smallest of corners. Delivery further than this could be arranged but would be subject to delivery charges. PLEASE NOTE LOCAL DELIVERY ONLY IN CHESHIRE and NORTH STAFFS AREAS Payment Our terms are strictly payment on delivery and in return we offer you a friendly and reliable personal service. To discuss your requirements Contact Ian Morris on 01477 500605 or Click to Email
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