silage

[6ncounting]

can I buy silage? Or is it something that I'd have to make? How does this work? is it necessage for a milking cow during the winter or otherwise? TIA

[Up North]

Originally Posted by 6ncounting

can I buy silage? Or is it something that I'd have to make? How does this work? is it necessage for a milking cow during the winter or otherwise? TIA

Silage is not required for a cow to produce milk. Unless you have a farmer near you who is willing to deliver quantities which you can completely use up within 4-7 days, or have oxygen limiting storage, it will not be economical to utilize silage for a small group of cows.

A diet of dry alfalfa hay combined with some grassy hay and some grain would meet cow's needs and be more manageable on the storage and handling matters, IMO.

[6ncounting]

thanks Faye

[Ken Scharabok]

You can make one-cow silage but it will be fairly labor intensive.

1. Make arrangements with someone who grows a large sweetcorn patch to let you chop down the stalks as soon as they are through harvesting ears. Run the stalks through a yard chipper into a large garbage can in which holes have been punched in the bottom and has a double layer of a high-quality plastic yard waste bag. For example, set the chipper on the back of a pickup truck and feed directly into the can. Have someone stepping in the can to pack down the chippings. (And, here, some might add an occasional light sprinkling of rock/water softener salt.). When packed near the top of the can twist and tie off the inside bag, then the outside one. Turn can over to dump out (holes in bottom are to prevent a vacumm holding in the bagged silage). Stack twist side down. Feed out one bag at a time and put the watery residue in some type of bowl as they will likely consume it also.

2. Above using freshly cut yard clippings, such as from a bagging mower. (Do not do this if yard is sprayed for bugs and such.) (However, would be better to let the clippings dry down a bit if the grass is quite green and wet.)

3. Arrange for someone to bale what is essentially haylage. Cut in the AM and square bale ASAP in the evening. Wrap each bale in a double layer of high-quality plastic garbage bags.

Right now I have about a week left of feeding out sweetcorn stalks to my small cattle herd. 4-5 people* in the local area call me when they are through harvesting ears. I figure about 6-8 stalks per cow. More of a treat than anything else but in a dry real has helped supplement pasture. (And, I usually get several meals of unharvested ears myself and two save me the pulled husks and cobs when they made creamed corn.)

*Some through word of mouth and responding to a classifed ad: WANTED: Still green sweetcorn stalks as cattle feed. Waverly area only. XXX-XXXX.

If you do this, I do not recommend pulling off ears to hand feed. Did so with my current bull. Now he wants them that way and tries to eat my arm until he gets an ear in his mouth. I also have to be careful when pulling stalks off the tailgate. I have some cows who would likely go 1500-1600 pounds. When they are crowding around the pickup they could hurt me even unintentionally, such as one shoving another one into me. Ideally I'd have a driver driving slowly as I pulled off stalks to spread them out.

[6ncounting]

wow, awesome info. This definately is not a first year on the farm type project from the sound of it but definately worth keeping in mind as we get a bit more experience. Thanks.

[Ken Scharabok]

I suspect one could also feed still green sweetcorn stalks to pigs.

[Ken Scharabok]

Just a note. At one time locally sweetcorn stalks were left to dry down to where they just had a touch of green left, then cut and dried for winter fodder.

[sammyd]

We made a bunch of bag silage with lawn clippings 2 years ago or so. It is a time consuming affair and a good knowledge of moistures is essential. I've put up lots of haylage in a silo and didn't realize how dry the lawn clippings were and let them dry down a day before ensiling and the stuff turned out OK but not as good as I'd hoped for.
We have a patch of field corn that will not make ripe this year that will be put in bags. I am in the process of haggling for a forage chopper to help speed that along. Running all that through our small chipper shredder is not my idea of a good time.
Silage is wonderful stuff, you can get better than 15 tons of good forage per acre. It is the mainstay of most dairy rations around here. It won't replace grain in your ration but can cut down on the amount of hay you need. We would feed our herd corn silage 4 times a day, grain at each milking and hay before we went in for the night.
As mentioned spoilage is a concern and you really can't keep it exposed to air for too long or it will rot then it is worthless to any animal.

[Greg H.]

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

You can make one-cow silage but it will be fairly labor intensive.

1. Make arrangements with someone who grows a large sweetcorn patch to let you chop down the stalks as soon as they are through harvesting ears. Run the stalks through a yard chipper into a large garbage can in which holes have been punched in the bottom and has a double layer of a high-quality plastic yard waste bag. For example, set the chipper on the back of a pickup truck and feed directly into the can. Have someone stepping in the can to pack down the chippings. (And, here, some might add an occasional light sprinkling of rock/water softener salt.). When packed near the top of the can twist and tie off the inside bag, then the outside one. Turn can over to dump out (holes in bottom are to prevent a vacumm holding in the bagged silage). Stack twist side down. Feed out one bag at a time and put the watery residue in some type of bowl as they will likely consume it also.

Ken,

What is the purpose for the salt, in making silage?

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

2. Above using freshly cut yard clippings, such as from a bagging mower. (Do not do this if yard is sprayed for bugs and such.) (However, would be better to let the clippings dry down a bit if the grass is quite green and wet.)

What about mixing some dry material some dry material - hay or straw to deal with the excess liquid?


Greg H.