Chaffhaye anyone?!

[misfitmorgan]

Sorry i have to say i find the Chaffhay thing really odd.

I dont understand why you would pay so much for haylage with a little molasses added into it. Maybe we are just to used to seeing it up here where i live. Haylage is about $50/ton here which would makes 50lbs of it $1.25...silage is a little more expensive but not much like $65/ton. Haylage and silage is what they feed the dairy cows here.

 

[NH homesteader]

Well I can't find alfalfa hay around here. Or haylage, which is a new word to me! So my choices are chaffhaye or alfalfa pellets. I use grass hay primarily but need something extra for my little dude who needs some extra weight on him.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

What causes urinary calculi is the incorrect calcium/phosphorus ratio which should be kept at 2-3/1.

A lot of people think that alfalfa causes urinary calculi or grain causes urinary calculi, but it is the incorrect Ca/P ratio. Too much phosphorus can cause urinary calculi and too much calcium can, too.

The feed and minerals I use, both are already at a Ca/P ratio of 2/1 and both contain ammonium chloride which makes their urine slightly acidic so urine crystals don't form as easily.

 

[Mini Horses]

Here's perfect example of what works where you are and what is available to you.

Plus "handling" & storage can be considerations. Large rolled hay may not be storable, moveable for some, temps may not allow others to use, cure, store. But I love the input from so many different areas and resolves that do help others to be able to explore, consider, use, learn about these many options. This is what community is about.

 

[Bossroo]

Well I can't find alfalfa hay around here. Or haylage, which is a new word to me! So my choices are chaffhaye or alfalfa pellets. I use grass hay primarily but need something extra for my little dude who needs some extra weight on him.

There you go ... alfalfa pellets ! Much cheaper as well as much easier to handle , store and feed to the mouthfull.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Well I can't find alfalfa hay around here. Or haylage, which is a new word to me! So my choices are chaffhaye or alfalfa pellets. I use grass hay primarily but need something extra for my little dude who needs some extra weight on him.

They make "chop" up here as well and that is made with grass hay. They chop it all up just like you see on the chaffhaye website and cram it in long plastic tubes or under huge tarps weighted down usually with old tires. You might be able to find that available locally again it is mostly fed to cattle because it is easily digestible and keeps more weight on then dry hay alone. Haylage i actually hay silage, they also make silage out of corn, oats, wheat. Pretty much any grass, or cereal grain plant can be made into silage.

I'm not sure if chaffhaye is 100% alfalfa i doubt it, haylage is usually alfalfa, trefoil and fescue or another grass.

I know as with most companies the pictures on the website are very carefully cropped and taken at certain angles only. In reality the "premier" forage growing area is only grown in by this one company and has to have full irrigation or it would die.

Most places in the us do have some sort of silage, haylage, chop etc.

We have contemplated making alfalfa pellets as we own a pellet machine...we figured out cost would be roughly 6 cents/lb so profit is huge and they use lower quality alfalfa and mixed/junk alfalfa for pellets so we can find that for cheap. Only thing is aside from adding another to do to the list...we dont feed alfalfa pellets to anything.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Here's perfect example of what works where you are and what is available to you.

Plus "handling" & storage can be considerations. Large rolled hay may not be storable, moveable for some, temps may not allow others to use, cure, store. But I love the input from so many different areas and resolves that do help others to be able to explore, consider, use, learn about these many options. This is what community is about.

They use silage sacks here mostly Mini....but lately i have been see these really odd smashed squares and i was told they are round bales fed thru some new kinda bale wrapper for making haylage/silage that actually compacts it all...so they are odd squatty looking square things and they stack up like large square bales.

 

[Southern by choice]

Chaffhaye is 100% alfalfa from non gmo crops.
I would never give my goats the silage we have here that is made for cows. Far too many junk weeds and stuff not good for my goats.
Here they make silage from hayfields with junk hay... fields that they could never sell hay bales from.
Even my one vet said not to use the cow silage. The Chaff- fine.

We found a good deal of benefit from the chaff. Condition, coats, weights etc. We just don't need it in the forage months. Fall/winter it is advantageous for us because everything is dormant. No grass, no weeds, no foliage. It is a brown mess.

 

[NH homesteader]

We have a white mess for winter! But tons of brush in the other seasons. I think I'll try it for Storm and report back. Even though I have to drive an hour to get it... Ugh.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Chaffhaye is 100% alfalfa from non gmo crops.
I would never give my goats the silage we have here that is made for cows. Far too many junk weeds and stuff not good for my goats.
Here they make silage from hayfields with junk hay... fields that they could never sell hay bales from.
Even my one vet said not to use the cow silage. The Chaff- fine.

We found a good deal of benefit from the chaff. Condition, coats, weights etc. We just don't need it in the forage months. Fall/winter it is advantageous for us because everything is dormant. No grass, no weeds, no foliage. It is a brown mess.

I wont get into the GMO thing.

Anyhow i was explaining what all silage is...not advising anyone to go find a cow farmer and ask for some unless you know what is in it. We have some good large scale dairy farms here that make quality haylage or silage.

If you can't get quality feed no matter the kind be it hay, forage, grain, etc that's a problem.

I've never used chaffhaye so i dont have an opinion on its possible benefits, i just doubt i would ever use it as the closest place to get it would be 3.5hrs one way and they actually sell it for deer feed.

i do understand that im lucky to live in a place that doesnt have a problem growing hay or keeping up with demand for our area.....which is why i cant wrap my head around the troubles you all face in other parts of the country trying to get good hay. It's just a foreign thing to me, so as i said originally i the chaffhaye thing odd.

Seriously not buying that 100% alfalfa bit either.