Livestock feed from Highclere Castle Horse Feeds
Haylage
We have been making haylage for sale to horse owners here on the Highclere Estate for over 20 years and take
great pride in the quality and consistency of what we make.
We cut over 200 acres of grass leys a year and have built up our business through word of mouth. Our customers
include polo yards, livery yards, eventing yards, racing yards as well customers who keep hunters, ponies and
riding horses.
Cutting
Weather permitting, the haylage is cut in the first week of June because this is when the grass has headed and
the all-important fibre/protein content is at its optimum ratio. Unlike hay, it is not dried out in the sun for
several days but is baled when the moisture content is still relatively high. Next, the haylage is baled and
wrapped in several layers of polythene in the fields. The polythene excludes all air from the bale and allows
a mild fermentation to take place which preserves the bale with no waste.
The bales are then carefully removed and
stored and delivered, as the customers require, over the following 12 months.
The haylage is then left for 1-2 months after which it is ready for feeding.
Unlike hay, it can be stored outside which is a major advantage for many yards and horse owners.
Benefits
The benefits of feeding haylage is that it is moist without the dust or spores found in hay and, therefore,
is excellent for horses with dust allergies or equine respiratory problems.
It has higher digestibility than hay and, therefore, you may need less supplementary feed. Haylage has good
vitamin content compared to hay as it has not been “baked out” by the sun. The moisture within the
sealed bales preserves the haylage, which can retain 90% of the feed value of fresh grass.
The stems tend to be unbroken. There is no leaf loss because it is cut early in the year. It smells sweet
and horses tend to find it very palatable.
Haylage is, therefore, much closer to the horse’s natural diet of grass, both in texture and nutritional value.
Haylage is economical for customers throughout the year.
We deliver to our customers within a 40 mile radius (charges depend on distance and quantity).
There are 4 types of Haylage to choose from:
1st Cut Ryegrass.
Italian and Tetraploid mix 2 year ley. Suitable for competition horses.
1st Cut Ryegrass.
Perennial ryegrass and Timothy new long ley mix 2 year ley. Suitable for competition horses.
2nd Cut Ryegrass.
Suitable for competition and riding horses.
Meadow Haylage.
From permanent pasture. Suitable for many types of horse and pony.
Product |
Protein %age |
Dry matter %age |
Energy/KG |
Non-digestible fibre %age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Cut Ryegrass |
9-12 |
65-75 |
9-11 |
58-65 |
2nd Cut Ryegrass |
6-9 |
60-75 |
6-10 |
60-65 |
Meadow Haylage |
5-7 |
55-70 |
5-8 |
55-60 |
Highclere haylage is sold in cuboid bales which we will stack for you when they are delivered. They are 120cmx70cmx80cm. When you open the bales, the haylage is packed together into slices for you to pull out to feed your horses in fields or stables.
The haylage is tightly packed in the bales and so is very dense. Therefore, do not need to feed much by volume to your horses. Once opened the bale should keep for up to 7 days.
