How to Make Haylage
Plan ahead., Assess the forage crop., Cut the crop into swaths or windrows.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Plan ahead.
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.
Do not decide to make haylage when hay has been down and rained on for weeks because the risk of having moldy or pour-quality feed increases the longer the hay has been laying in the swath.
Timing is important for not only when the forage crop needs to be cut, but also to chop it up while the weather is good, have someone packing the pit as more fresh haylage is collected, and to cover it up as soon as possible to allow it to ferment.
If you have not yet found a site for and installed a concrete bunker, or dug into the ground an open three-sided pit designed for storing haylage, you will need to have this arranged and completed well in advance of haylage-making season.
Or, if you do not have a bunker or pit dug out and prepared for proper ensiling, you need to find a place where you can create a haylage pile that is well-drained and easily accessible during times when you need to access it without much trouble.
When making baleage, it's doubly important to have the correct plastic and equipment set up so that bales can be wrapped up as soon as possible to avoid heating.
You must have bales wrapped up as immediately as possible, and not let it go for longer than 12 hours after baling, regardless if you plan on individually-wrapping bales or putting them in a tube. -
Step 2: Assess the forage crop.
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 perennial forage species or mix can be used for haylage.
A good hay crop is generally weed-free if maintained as a thick stand, but if there are weeds in with crop take note of what they are and their potential issues with livestock.
Many weeds found in a perennial forage stand are not a danger to livestock when they do not take up the majority of the hay stand.
If you only find a few weeds with the crop, and most of it is grass and/or legume mix, then not to worry, as they are very likely to not cause an issue in your animals.
Perennial forage species that can be used for haylage include (and not limited to) timothy, bermuda grass, alfalfa, red clover, smooth bromegrass, sainfoin, cicer milk vetch, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, fenugreek, lespedeza, bahiagrass, other fescue and brome grasses, and many others.
A good rule of thumb to know is that the younger the plant, the higher the nutrient content.
Most domesticated forage crops should be at least 8 inches tall before being cut or even grazed. , Any hay mower will work, as long as they will cut in wide swaths.
Conditioners may be necessary if you are planning on harvesting it as low-moisture (40 to 60% moisture) haylage, described below.
It may be good to avoid teddering or raking the mowed forage together because it fluffs up the plants into swaths and make them dry out more than you would want for haylage.
Plus, they make the stems and leaves stick out at random intervals, reducing the effectiveness of a tight bale (if you are wanting to bale it up as baled silage).
However, teddering has its advantages.
If the forage crop contains too much moisture and you want to put it up at a good moisture content where it's not going to be too wet, then tedders and/or rakes may be needed.
If you wish to have the forage cut into swaths, the next best machine to use is a swather or windrower.
The swaths will be stacked higher and tighter than what a mower will make, making the process of gathering the swaths, especially if the crop is thick, a slow-moving process. -
Step 3: Cut the crop into swaths or windrows.
Detailed Guide
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.
Do not decide to make haylage when hay has been down and rained on for weeks because the risk of having moldy or pour-quality feed increases the longer the hay has been laying in the swath.
Timing is important for not only when the forage crop needs to be cut, but also to chop it up while the weather is good, have someone packing the pit as more fresh haylage is collected, and to cover it up as soon as possible to allow it to ferment.
If you have not yet found a site for and installed a concrete bunker, or dug into the ground an open three-sided pit designed for storing haylage, you will need to have this arranged and completed well in advance of haylage-making season.
Or, if you do not have a bunker or pit dug out and prepared for proper ensiling, you need to find a place where you can create a haylage pile that is well-drained and easily accessible during times when you need to access it without much trouble.
When making baleage, it's doubly important to have the correct plastic and equipment set up so that bales can be wrapped up as soon as possible to avoid heating.
You must have bales wrapped up as immediately as possible, and not let it go for longer than 12 hours after baling, regardless if you plan on individually-wrapping bales or putting them in a tube.
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 perennial forage species or mix can be used for haylage.
A good hay crop is generally weed-free if maintained as a thick stand, but if there are weeds in with crop take note of what they are and their potential issues with livestock.
Many weeds found in a perennial forage stand are not a danger to livestock when they do not take up the majority of the hay stand.
If you only find a few weeds with the crop, and most of it is grass and/or legume mix, then not to worry, as they are very likely to not cause an issue in your animals.
Perennial forage species that can be used for haylage include (and not limited to) timothy, bermuda grass, alfalfa, red clover, smooth bromegrass, sainfoin, cicer milk vetch, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, fenugreek, lespedeza, bahiagrass, other fescue and brome grasses, and many others.
A good rule of thumb to know is that the younger the plant, the higher the nutrient content.
Most domesticated forage crops should be at least 8 inches tall before being cut or even grazed. , Any hay mower will work, as long as they will cut in wide swaths.
Conditioners may be necessary if you are planning on harvesting it as low-moisture (40 to 60% moisture) haylage, described below.
It may be good to avoid teddering or raking the mowed forage together because it fluffs up the plants into swaths and make them dry out more than you would want for haylage.
Plus, they make the stems and leaves stick out at random intervals, reducing the effectiveness of a tight bale (if you are wanting to bale it up as baled silage).
However, teddering has its advantages.
If the forage crop contains too much moisture and you want to put it up at a good moisture content where it's not going to be too wet, then tedders and/or rakes may be needed.
If you wish to have the forage cut into swaths, the next best machine to use is a swather or windrower.
The swaths will be stacked higher and tighter than what a mower will make, making the process of gathering the swaths, especially if the crop is thick, a slow-moving process.
About the Author
Paul Hughes
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: