Small scale corn silage

That is the "as fed" weight, you need to calculate the dry matter to determine the true amount of feed it is for the cow to eat.

Lazy j I i'll have to get out my dehydrator to test that. The information on weight was for pure curious minds. Dry matter and nutrition is a whole nother bowl of fruit.

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I'm so done here.

Does anyone with experience have a problem with silage freezing in the barrel?
Specifically people in the more northern areas?

Do you feed 3-4" every feeding?

How many blue barrels or bags would be needed for 1 animal unit?

Thanks

I figured 1 of my trash bags a day for a cow or a few goats. I also fed quality hay and a small amount of grain.

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

Mine freezes. I use a potato fork to get my ensilage out. I also run it threw my lawn and leaf shredder and mix it with the hay,corn stalk and grain.
If it is a cow in milk she needs about 50-55 lbs of dry matter to eat a day. I use my silage as a Bump up, not a huge source of feed as I can't make all she will eat at this moment. I figured I would need about 49 blue barrels of silage for one cow or 3-5 goats in milk. That would be for about 250 days.
I have looked at silage plastic. But I get the barrels free and they are reusable. Less chance of my barn cats destroying the plastic bags or plastic tunnels.
I like the idea about a pallet silo lined with plastic. I'm not sure what I could produce for ensilage within a day. So for now a barrel will do. Till I have a better idea of what we can do in a day.

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I'm so done here.

Thank you for the information.

50/250 is 5 so your feeding 1/5th of a barrel a day through most of your cows lactation?

My goal is to use the silage to help overwinter 5 fattening steers. The challenge is there is little information about feed out rates and quantity in the barrels. I guess I will figure 250lbs wet silage per barrel and ballpark the quality. I agree that barrels are better then sacks. When I start the experiment I will let you all know.

Boy, I think this is the longest running post I ever started.

It seems like there are mixed thoughts on feeding silage to goats. I don't think I am going to attempt feeding it to goats. My experience is that goats are always looking for an excuse to die. I don't want to give them an excuse.
I have had bad luck with silage fed sheep before. I bought some ewes from a big dealer and ended up with one with listeriosis.

If I get at this project this summer, I will probably just feed the stockers. The company we buy are plastic mulch from sells silage bags. I may try that out or just double bag with large garbage bags. I am hoping to supplement about 15-20 stocker.

I was watching a documentary called "War time farm". Its about people trying to live like farmers during WW1. One episode they made silage out of weeds and beet tops. The "silo" was made out of scrap steel roofing, but it did not even look like it sealed well. They did not chop up the tops, just cut them down and packed them in. They sealed the top with waste from beet sugar manufacturing. I can't remember what it was, the kids started talking during that part. Interesting though.

They have many "farm shows" from Ruth, Peter and Alex. I have seen all so far. Lol. Not sure how their silage faired. My goats have done very well with my haylage. I'm not saying all goats will. My girls are dry and have no need for silage till they freshen soon. My cow is getting most of the silage now. I'm almost out due to the fridge weather and having to feed so heavy.

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I'm so done here.

I've been filling barrels with corn silage. Looks like its going to be a good year. I used a Goliath silo corn this year. Stands 10-15 foot tall the ears of corn are a good 18-24 inches long.

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I'm so done here.

Don't know how accurate my 1918 farming book is but it says that the dry matter of corn silage is 20%. I use an antique breed of corn so it's most likely close for dry matter information and tdn.

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I'm so done here.

I think we fed a 1/2 bale a day to our milk cows. Course, if we had 11 cows, we fed 6 bales. We also fed all the hay they could/would eat while milking, along with what I would call a gal of ground corn.

What was the weight of the bales farmboybill? I personally have 1500 lb square bales. Now six if them a day to 11 cows that's a lot. Small squares often range from 25-60 lbs here. I weigh out my hay.

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I'm so done here.

We didn't ours. Id say they was one side or the other of 50#

Better not be, 20% dm for corn silage is way wet. We don't like anything under a about 28% in the bunkers and 35 ish in towers or bags

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The internet - fueling paranoia and misinformation since 1873.

You are correct dale. I started out with about 65% so dry matter has to be higher.

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I'm so done here.

If you can get old tanks you can make a lot of silage in them. For some reason the tops of the poly tanks people around here haul water in get broken.
Fill with silage spread a layer of plastic and top with water to seal.


We also have guys that fill silage bags. The big long 300 foot ones, You might be able to by a part of a bag and the filling from one of them.