# Balage vs. Haylage



## DarrellRoach (May 2, 2011)

First time posting.

I'm wondering what results are with orchardgrass as balage vs. haylage. We are looking for better quality feed for our beef herd. I have my own bagger, forage harvester and round baler but do NOT own a wrapper, so it may be cost effective for me to chop and bag it vs. round bale and tube wrap it. I would like some results of same crop stored each way and the pros and cons of both.

Thanks in advance for your replies!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I talked to Father a little bit about this as he handled the nutrition side of things when we milked cows. It's feeling that when feeding chopped haylage you are losing some of your fiber. Even when feeding a ration that included hay silage and corn silage, we always fed free choice the best baled hay we had.

Another big factor, which way will let you cover the most ground in the least amount of time? YOu don't specify what kind of chopper you're using but from my experience all those years ago for putting up feed for the cows, if it's a decent chopper with enough horsepower on it, it could run circles around a round baler.


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## DarrellRoach (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. We currently feed the adult cows a ration of corn silage and haylage and we keep round baled dry hay for them at all times. The feeder calves we lean more to corn silage and ground grain corn and again we keep round baled dry hay for them at all times.

As far as he chopper. We use older but well kept New Holland pull type harvesters. We currently have two we use as primary and another for backup. One, a 790 is dedicated to the pickup head the others, a 892 has a 2 row 824 corn head. The third, also a 892 has a 3 row corn head. I do not have a pickup head for the larger 892 machines so haylage with those isn't possible now. I sure would like to locate a pickup head to fit the 892 machines. Any good reasonably priced ones in your area?

We normally pull these with one of our three 125 to 140 hp tractors so power is not a problem. I have been using our 94 hp tractor on the chopper this spring. Suprisingly does a good job too!

I have an older NH self propelled 4wd machine but it hasn't been out of the shed in two years. Fuel burning Cat diesel!!!!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

So it sounds like you should be getting plenty of fiber then if your feeding dry hay as well. So it really does come down to which is more productive? Most likely less fuel would be burnt making balege but can it be done in a timely manner compared to chopping?

I can't remember the model chopper we had, but we used to run it with either a Oliver 2255 or a White 4-150, both had around 180hp. Both had the Cat 3208's in em and we found em to be for the most part very economical.

Used to have 6 silage wagons as well on 13 ton tandem gears, would have at least one 3/4 ton pickup running wagons back and forth, then if a full wasn't at the farm yet a person would head down the road with a tractor and wagon to meet the pickup. Whole goal was to never have the chopper sitting and waiting on a wagon. If we got far enough away we'd get a second pickup on the road.


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## DarrellRoach (May 2, 2011)

Sounds like you were rollin. We run silage trucks with self unloading bodies. I have two and then a tandom axle wagon with a 3 beater 16" body. We pull a dump wagon behind the chopper. The dump wagon and the three on the road keep the chopper rolling right along. I used to run 4 wagons but with some fields miles away it just took too long. The trucks really make it nice.

My neighbor really likes the balage but he has to rent a tube wrapper. I really don't like wrapping single bales. I just can't see the balage being better feed. It cant ferment as good as the haylage can, it's not packed as tight. No way any baler can bale it as tight as it is packed in a silage bag.


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## tom burlingham (Jan 24, 2009)

Small package balage dissapates the heat of fermentation faster than bagged. Giving it a slight quality edge. Big sq bales are pretty tight. My rant.


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## DarrellRoach (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for the info, Tom. I didn't realize that. Good information.


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## K WEST FARMS (Apr 4, 2011)

My two cents : When I was milking , we always tryed to put up best quality haylage as I am sure everyone does , any way I found out you could fill cows up with the very best haylage and if you then gave them a haylage bale , they would tare into it like they were starved !!! Haylage bales seem to have some kind of palability issue , cows just love the stuff in my experience anyway !!! Good luck whichever way you go !!! John


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

K WEST FARMS said:


> My two cents : When I was milking , we always tryed to put up best quality haylage as I am sure everyone does , any way I found out you could fill cows up with the very best haylage and if you then gave them a haylage bale , they would tare into it like they were starved !!! Haylage bales seem to have some kind of palability issue , cows just love the stuff in my experience anyway !!! Good luck whichever way you go !!! John


One of the guys around here only chops corn silage now and all his haylage is put up in 3x3x6 bales. Claims they do better on haylage the hay silage.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

mlappin said:


> One of the guys around here only chops corn silage now and all his haylage is put up in 3x3x6 bales. Claims they do better on haylage the hay silage.


I've noticed a couple larger dairies switching from haylage to baleage.One is making about 5000 indivudualy wrapped 4x5 rd bales.Baledge is fairly new here but you see alot of it in eastern Mn,dairy area.


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