Silage and hay are preserved
feeds that come in handy for dairy cows during periods of scarcity of green
forage.
The process of making silage
involves fermentation under anaerobic conditions. It prevents fresh fodder from
decomposing and allows it to keep its nutrient quality.
It requires sufficient soluble
carbohydrates (sugars) for organic acid production. Adding molasses to the
fodder is recommended since it is rich in sugar, which enables the bacteria to
produce the organic acids immediately.
The more molasses you add, the
faster the acidification and preservation process will occur.
Why
feed your cows on silage?
Silage ensures high milk
production and healthy dairy animals, especially during dry seasons. It is
palatable, laxative, digestible, and nutritious and requires less floor area
for storage than hay.
Silage
preparation
Silage is produced through use
of pits or trenches, towers and sacks for small quantities. However, pits are
mostly used to prepare silage for large dairy units.
The silage pit should be
located at a place safe from rodents, away from direct sunlight and with higher
elevation or slightly sloppy to avoid rain water entering into the facility.
The ideal materials used in
silage making should have a moisture content of 60 to 70% or dry matter in the
range of 30 to 35% (tested by taking a small bundle of the fodder and wringing
with two hands and if no moisture comes out, it is ready to ensile) and a pH
below 4.2 for wet forage and below 4.8 for wilted forage. In rainy periods when
the fodder is too wet, containing more than 70% water, it is advisable to wilt
it in the sun first.
Crops such as maize, sorghum,
oats, pearl millet, and Napier grass are very suitable for ensiling (preserve
green fodder).
They contain fermentable
carbohydrates (sugar) necessary for bacteria to produce sufficient organic acid
that acts as a preservative.
Though leguminous fodders can
also be used, they are rich in proteins and low in sugars making them a bit difficult
to ensile.
Harvesting maize or sorghum
for making silage is ideal when their seeds are soft but not milky when
squeezed open.
Napier grass, on the other
hand, needs to be about a metre high while legumes should have young pods,
which are not dry.
Apart from molasses, other
additives like common salt, formic acid, lime or urea can also be used to
enable good fermentation process.
To start, prepare the pit and
then place a big polythene sheet on the floor and walls. Cover about a metre of
walls so that the forage does not come into contact with soil.
Chop the fresh forage to
lengths of about one inch using either a machete (panga) or a chaff cutter.
Prepare the first layer by emptying the chopped materials into the plastic
lined pit to approximately 15cm high, and spread evenly.
Fungi
growth
Then dilute molasses with
water at a ratio of about 1:2 and sprinkle evenly over the forage layer using a
garden water sprayer.
Compact the layer by trampling
on it using clean boots to force out as much air as possible. This will prevent
fungi growth and spoilage.
Repeat this process of adding
bags of chopped forage, diluted molasses while compacting to expel maximum air
out of the material until the pit gets filled in a doom shape.
After the final filling and compacting,
wrap the polythene sheet around the silage and cover the top of the heap with a
second sheet to prevent water from running into the silage.
 |
Silage pit covered with a thick layer
of soil of at least 2 feet |
Finally cover the heap with a
thick layer of soil of at least 2 feet giving special attention to the edges
first as you come towards the middle to keep the air out and to prevent damage
of the polythene by rain, birds and rodents.
With good sheeting and enough
soil on it, the silage can be kept for more than one year.
Opening
the silage pit
It takes about 30 to 40 days
for the silage to mature and be ready for feeding. Never open the whole silage
pit at once.
Only one end of the narrow
side should be opened a bit. Remove enough material for each day’s feeding and
cover again. This way air is prevented from entering the silage.
However, once the pit is
opened, use the silage as quickly as possible.
Silage
quality
Silage can be classified as
good quality depending on its physical characteristics like taste, smell, and
colour but more precisely by measuring the pH in the pit.
A pH of 3.5 to 4.2 indicates
excellent fresh acidic/sweetish silage, 4.2 to 4.5 for good acidic, 4.5 to 5.0
fair less acidic and above 5.0 for poor pungent/rancid smelling silage.
Good silage should be light
greenish or greenish brown or golden in colour. It should have a pleasant smell
like that of vinegar, and acidic in taste, and should not contain mould.
Black indicates poor silage.
Overheated silage has the smell of burnt sugar and dry in texture. Badly
fermented silage has offensive taste, strong smell, slimy soft texture when
rubbed from the fibre or leaf.
Feeding cows with silage
A dairy cow is fed depending
on the body weight or generally be given about 6kg to 15kg of silage per day.
It is advisable not to feed silage immediately before or during milking
especially when the quality is poor as the milk can easily take the smell of
the feeds. During these times, a cow can be fed fresh grass, hay, legumes and
concentrates.
After feeding silage, the
bunks and corners of the feeding troughs should be cleaned immediately to
prevent contamination.
For further info, you can Download the
following PDF guide Silage Making for Small-scale Farmers now. Feel free to copy and share this
with your friends and family.
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