silage??

[bqz]

Rookie question -

What does silage mean ? I hear it used a lot when folks are talking about feed for cattle but can't quite catch what it is exactly.It seems like a byproduct of various plants but what part ? Leaves and stalks?

[agmantoo]

Silage is a whole plant green chop, usually corn, that is fermented and stored as a high nutrient feed

[bqz]

Man! wouldn't that be a bit expensive to wack all your corn crop for feed?
Could you explain a little more on how it works?

[Ken Scharabok]

Essentially the entire corn (or other) plants are cut and chopped directly in a unit pulled behind a tractor. Cut silage is then blown into a box trailer. When full the trailer is taken to the silo and normally blown into it via the top. When full the silo is sealed. The silage basically ferments, creating a highly nutritional feed, typically for dairy cattle, but it is used some in feedlots. Much the same process as for cabbage.

A variation is haylage in which forages are cut down and allowed to dry a bit before they are gathered and put into a silo.

When I was in Croatia in 2001 I saw them use corn which have been chopped when the ear was mostly mature and the stalks brown as the equivalent of haylage. It was stored in large outdoor pits and used for indoor, feedlotted bulls.

[travlnusa]

It would be a high cost option when doing a small amount.

Most all will use a tractor pulling a chopper, than will them blow the material into a chopper box (bog box on wheels).

When the wagon is filled, the silage is then put into storage. People use silos such as you see towering over farms, or into piles on the ground. When in a silo, gravity will pack it in, and then will use a silo unloader to blow it out as needed. When the silage is on the ground, a very heavy tractor is used to pack it down and then covered.

At times you will see a very long white plastic tube on the gound. They will pack silage into those as well, and a skid steer or tractor loader is used to take the material out as needed.

It does take a bit of capital to buy the equipement to get it all together, but you can hire it done.

When you factor in you are getting the entire corn (or hay for haylage) plant rather than just the grain, it is a very cost effective method.

[bqz]

I get it now
Thank you!

[JeffNY]

Baleage is another variant to Grass Silage. Instead it is long stem, and now there are balers that will cut it into small pieces much like a chopper, to get a denser bale. The best way to store grass silage is in those tubes, you loose 5% of nutrients. In an upright silo, and horizontal, you loose upwards of 20%. Using innoculants do not help in the upright and horizontal silos. Baleage however you loose roughly 1-2% of nutrients, in some cases less. Baleage is baled at 40-50% moisture, you can go slightly higher, but I found the stuff at 50% holds its protein, but there is slightly higher acid levels. Protein for 3rd cut alfalfa was 21% protein, RFV of (Relative Feed Value) 150. Grass silage is chopped from 60-70%, if innoculated you can chop to 75% moisture. Corn silage I am not sure of, never did it. The big risk with corn silage is fermentation. If it doesn't ferment right, grows mold, it can become deadly to a cow. If fed silage all the time, they can develop acidosis. They need dry hay in their diet, or atleast long stem forage.


They key to good feed is store it fast, and dont touch it till its ready. Horizontal silos have the most waste, vertical silos dont have much waste. Baleage if fed in a good feeder, wont waste much at all.


Jeff

[TSYORK]

I promise you it's the STINKINEST STUFF you will ever smell!!!

[copesq]

Can haylage be mixed with corn silage in a silo?

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by TSYORK

I promise you it's the STINKINEST STUFF you will ever smell!!!

I suppose if you like city smog then yes silage is stinky. I think sliage, and maure a couple of the best smelling things around

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by copesq

Can haylage be mixed with corn silage in a silo?

I havent heard of that being done. WHat I hear about farmers doing is taking them out of their silos, and mixing them with grain, and minerals, and feeding the mix. THey call it a TMR (total mix ration)

[Ken Scharabok]

One thing I noticed about the corn put up dry in Croatia is there was almost no odor approching the pile. The mix itself had a fairly pleasant, almost sweetish smell. No leaking from bottom. The pits were large, open top bunkers. It wasn't covered. Just a bit of dark brown on top, which was just mixed with the rest as it was loaded.

It was feed to the indoor feedlotted bulls in a mix of haylage (for want of a better term for it), spent brewers (beer) malt and a bit of salt. If they had some available hay might be added as well.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

SIlage Expensive - go price good feed these days.

There are special kinds of corn they grow for silage. Some of the stalks are over 12 feet tall with an abundance of leaves. The idea when growing corn for silage is to Max out the vegetative portion of the corn plant. The ears are really just an added bonus.

I don't mind the smell of properly made silage at all and Poop - its a barnyard smell - much better than anything in the city. Walk down streets in New Orleans in the early morning for some foul smells. Garbage from the restaurants lines the curbs and the seafood waste has had time to really get working.

[dcross]

Originally Posted by copesq

Can haylage be mixed with corn silage in a silo?

It could be, but the corn and hay are usually ready at different times.

[dcross]

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

corn put up dry

We used to put corn stover(fairly dry stalks, no grain) into upright silos. Talk about challenging to get back out...

[JeffNY]

Some people have put corn silage on top of haylage, and visa versa in an upright silo. Mixing it I wouldn't do, and if you did, you would have to be chopping corn and hay at the same time, most farms have one forage harvester, and they would need two corn heads, two hay heads, and two pull type or self propelled choppers.



Jeff

[dcross]

My dad just got to the bottom of one of the bigger silos last summer, had haylage that was 15+ yrs. old. THAT was stinky!

[Farmer Joe]

I used to work at a 3000 cow dairy, they had a pile of haylage that got 4 inches rain on it before they got it covered. Imagine the smell of a 12 foot high and 60 foot long pile of rotten anchovies. It was rancid smelling even with the loader cab sealed tight. On the other hand I have also smelled well cured silage that smelled almost good enough good enough for me to eat.

[TSYORK]

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

I suppose if you like city smog then yes silage is stinky. I think sliage, and maure a couple of the best smelling things around

FYI... Not a city slicker here... Live in the boonies of NC and know how to farm, raise cattle; but most silage stinks.... it's just a fact!

[Ken Scharabok]

Silage which stinks is badly put up silage. It rotted rather than fermented.