Feeding silage
Just a quick question about feeding silage - I know a lot of people say not to feed it to horses at all, but due to hay/haylage shortage and high prices we started dropping the big round bales into the field just before Christmas. All the horses have been fine on it, and I also bought a large round bale for feeding while stabled - I was mixing it about 50/50 with hay. All my girls are good keepers so weight isn't an issue, just full bellies.
A while ago, due to severe illness on my part, they kind of got unceremoniously dumped back into the field - they were having the silage in the field, and had a massive walk-in barn to shelter in, so they haven't suffered. At the time I had about half a bale of silage left - I still have it, and I'm wondering about feeding it. It's been sat for around a month, in a dry area, completely aired out, so it's not mouldy at all, it smells good still, and doesn't appear to have suffered any breakdown other than drying out some. Would it be a really terrible idea to feed it during the couple of weeks they'll be coming in overnight ready for spring changeover? (We move into summer paddocks without shelters so I bring in overnight to get them used to being unrugged 24/7, then turn out for a week or so with the walk-in barn while unrugged.) It would still be mixed 50/50 with hay, and any bits that did have any mould on would be chucked.
Thanks!
A while ago, due to severe illness on my part, they kind of got unceremoniously dumped back into the field - they were having the silage in the field, and had a massive walk-in barn to shelter in, so they haven't suffered. At the time I had about half a bale of silage left - I still have it, and I'm wondering about feeding it. It's been sat for around a month, in a dry area, completely aired out, so it's not mouldy at all, it smells good still, and doesn't appear to have suffered any breakdown other than drying out some. Would it be a really terrible idea to feed it during the couple of weeks they'll be coming in overnight ready for spring changeover? (We move into summer paddocks without shelters so I bring in overnight to get them used to being unrugged 24/7, then turn out for a week or so with the walk-in barn while unrugged.) It would still be mixed 50/50 with hay, and any bits that did have any mould on would be chucked.
Thanks!