Horses are more often given hay or haylage feed, even though the type of feed is grass or forage. However, Grass silage for horses becomes an option when the horse breeder cannot dry the grass on time. This is because the drying process is an essential factor in making hay. Thus, the weather becomes a determining factor of hay quality. Therefore, silage can be used as an alternative to retaining valuable forage. The silage manufacturing process is based on the conversion of plant or grass sugars to lactic acid. The next question arises, what kind of silage is good for horses?
Horses are raised to be ridden, so there is no need to produce milk or meat. Thus, horse fodder should not contain an excessive amount of energy but must have sufficient fiber. Therefore, silage for horses must have a high fermentation quality with a combination of excellent feed hygiene.
The composition of molds, yeasts, and other unwanted microbes present in the silage should be as low as possible so as not to affect the health of the horse. Silage does not contain dust, unlike hay and haylage. Thus, silage is suitable to be given as feed for several types of horses, even horse keepers who are sensitive to dust; these conditions will have a positive impact on health.
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How to Make Good Silage for Horses
For horse feed, high-quality silage is just as delicious as good hay. However, the feed value depends on the composition of the grass and feed constituents. Silage that will be given to horses usually uses grass that is cut more slowly than silage grass for cattle. Thus, significantly higher fiber content with a lower amount of energy. Forages that are poorly compacted and too dry will not ferment enough. Once opened, the bale will quickly flow through fresh air so that oxygen can trigger the growth of mold and other unwanted microbes. Silage will rot and heat up quickly. So, it is important to do proper baling with good quality wrapping.
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Characteristics of Good Silage for Horses
Those of you who want to give grass silage for horses need to pay attention to the following characteristics of good silage for horses:
- Silage for horses has a rather moderate energy content with a fairly low fructan content.
- Fresh green or greenish-brown.
- Silage has a pleasant odor, is not musty, and does not burn.
- Silage has a fairly good fiber content so that it can maintain the horse’s digestive system.
- Use grass or forage with low soil pollution content.
- Consider long aerobic stability, even after opening the bales to feed the horses.
Sward should not be cut too late to maintain aerobic stability, but use a well-maintained harvesting machine. The fructan content in horse feed should be low. In silage, the sugar content in plants or forage will be converted into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria. It is necessary to analyze whether the fermentation process in the silage is going well or not because only a small part of the original amount of fructans is detected in the silage.
In making silage, it is necessary to pay attention to the main principles, namely; Early cutting and the wilting process have a positive influence on the fermentation process. The fermentation process is not perfect; it will make the remaining sugar remain in the silage. One of them is fructan which can harm horse health. However, horse fodder should contain grass species that are low in fructose to avoid the problem of laminitis.
Tips for Giving Silage to Horses
In giving grass silage for horses, it is necessary to pay attention to several tips, including:
- Harvest on time to make horse feed silage, don’t harvest late to avoid compaction and heating.
- Avoid cutting the sward too deep; this is to prevent contamination with the soil.
- Avoid excessive forage or wilted plants.
- Use silage additives when necessary to prevent aerobic damage or even butyrate fermentation.
- Handle baled silage with care.
- Avoid injury to stretch film.
- Give horse feed bales as soon as possible after opening.
There are several tips to consider when giving grass silage for horses. First, make sure the meadow does not contain varieties of grass that are too rich in energy. Be sure to harvest on time to avoid problems with compaction and heating. Do not cut the sward too deep; this is to prevent contamination with the soil and avoid excessive wilting.
You can use silage additives if needed to prevent aerobic damage or even butyrate fermentation. You should also handle baled silage with care. Also, avoid the possibility of injury to the stretch film. After the bales are opened, immediately give them to cattle feed.