Silo for cows: what is it and how to do it right at home, storage

In order for a dairy cow to give a lot of milk, she needs to be given a variety of feed. The food includes high-quality hay, succulent feed, grain, compound feed rich in vitamins and minerals. But, if there are no problems with food in summer, then in winter there is a need for succulent feed. They can be successfully replaced if enough cow silage is prepared in advance.

What is silo

Under the concept of "silage" are hidden succulent fodder prepared for long-term storage by fermenting the green part of cultivated and some wild plants.Processing takes place without air access, due to which all nutrients, minerals and vitamins are preserved in the mass.

Silage is an excellent feed for farm animals, especially for dairy cows, which has a high nutritional value. It improves the digestion process and promotes better digestion of all other foods used as feed. Silage is fed not only to herbivorous cattle and cows, but also to poultry, which further increases its value for farms and household plots.

What is it made of

Green parts of agricultural and wild plants are used to make silage:

1. Corn.
2. Sunflower.
3. Vegetable tops and trimmings.
4. Weeds (except for some plants that may be toxic to animals and birds).
5. Pulp is a vegetable oil product containing up to 22% fat.
6. Piece - the most strongly squeezed pulp.
7. Beet pulp is an extracted cut of sugar beet, which is a waste product of sugar production.
8. Barda - waste from the production of alcohol.

The basis of the silo are green components, to which other constituent elements are added in certain proportions.

Pros and cons

Silage is an extremely valuable nutritious succulent feed, which is very useful for all farm animals and birds, including dairy cows. It has the following positive properties:

1. High calorie content.
2. Significant content of vitamin C, carotene, organic acids.
3. Resemblance to fresh grass even in cold winter.
4. Ability to be eaten by all herbivorous farm animals and birds.
5. Ability to improve digestion.
6. Great digestion.

Thanks to these characteristics, silage is considered one of the best feeds that are introduced into the diet of dairy cows. It contributes not only to excellent animal he alth, but also to the maintenance of high levels of milk production in winter with limited food, especially juicy.

Of the minuses that a silo has, one can name the need to create special silo tanks or pits, as well as compliance with the rules for ensiling and storing finished products. Peasants and farmers will also need free space to accommodate silos or pits, trenches.

Home harvesting technique

In order to get high-quality silage for cows, it is necessary to correctly calculate the timing of the collection of plants for processing, correctly build a pit or trench, which is much more affordable and easier than buying an expensive silo. Plants must be mature, but not dry, otherwise it will not be possible to obtain a sufficiently nutritious product.

Too green plants will give a lot of juice, it will be difficult to compact them tightly, which will lead to air ingress, fermentation, mold development. Dry preparations are tough and do not have a high nutritional value for cows and cattle.

First of all, this concerns the ensiling of corn. Its grain and tops do not ripen at the same time. Grain for maximum quality and nutritional level should be mature, and the stems and leaves - still green and quite juicy. It is believed that silage harvested not in summer, but after the first frosts, is best suited for feeding domestic animals and dairy cows in particular.

A silo pit with a capacity of 2 cubic meters is made for one cow. Most often it has a concrete bottom and the same or brick walls. Over the surface of the earth, sides are made with a height of 20-30 centimeters. They prevent water from entering the silo tank. In summer, the pit can be used to store irrigation water, and it must be dried and whitewashed with lime before loading the silage.

At the bottom of the pit, a layer of dry foliage collected in the orchard is placed, then layered with dry hay up to 10 centimeters thick. After that, waste from their own garden and vegetable garden is placed in the pit, including rejected small fruits, tops of root crops and the plants themselves, for example, small carrots and beets that are not suitable for storage and food. There they also put pumpkin vegetables chopped into pieces, the remains of sunflowers along with baskets, corn stalks and cobs, cabbage, and so on.

The prepared juicy mass is chopped right in the pit with pointed shovels with a straight cutting edge. Thanks to this processing, the mass is crushed and compacted. A “pillow” of dry leaves and hay laid on the bottom prevents damage to the bottom of the silo pit during such processing.

After the layer of chopped vegetables and tops rises to 40 centimeters, 1 kilogram of table s alt is scattered over its surface. If there is a lot of liquid in the mass, dry hay dust or dried leaves, dried tops are added to it.

It is important to compact the silage evenly, especially in the corners where there can be pockets of air. Corner areas are carefully crushed with wide sticks or rammers. The harvested silage is covered with apple leaves from above, covered with plastic wrap and covered with a layer of earth so that there is no air left under the tire.

The next step is to create a roof and insulate the silo pit.To do this, it is covered with boards, strengthening them with stones so that it does not blow away with the wind. Then cover the container with a thick layer of plant residues that cannot be used for livestock feed. From above, the entire structure is once again covered with a durable waterproof material, for example, roofing material, roofing felt or slate sheets.

Quality control

Approximately 3 weeks after loading plant and fruit residues, the ensiling process lasts, but it is believed that the longer the processing takes, the more useful and nutritious the biomass is. Do not open the product during this period, because the ingress of oxygen or water into the silo will cause it to rot.

At the initial stage of product processing, a gas bubble forms above its surface. This is a signal that the silage process has started, and carbon monoxide is formed in the pit, which is the silage preservative. This bubble must not be released, because this will provoke rotting of the silage. The silage extraction rate for cows in winter should be 1-1.5 meters, and in the summer - twice as much. Otherwise, it may cause the mass to heat up, resulting in a loss of energy.

Quality silage should be light brown in color and have a pleasant, slightly sour smell. A bad product has a dark color, a disgusting smell and mold inclusions. It is impossible to use it for feeding animals and especially dairy cows. In large enterprises, special quality control is used, including specific analyzes for the level of acidity, content of substances, and nutritional characteristics.

How to feed silage to a cow

In the feed of a dairy cow, silage is added in winter - at the beginning of spring, most often after calving. By this time, her body needs additional nutrients and vitamins, and dry hay is no longer able to meet such requirements. In addition, the cow needs variety in food, and the hay is already tired.

Most often, silage is added once a day, in the middle of the day. Hay is given to the animal in the morning and evening. The introduction of succulent feed with a high level of digestibility and nutritional qualities into the diet significantly increases milk yield and positively affects the quality of milk.

Storage rules

In order for silage to retain its nutritional properties and not deteriorate, it is extremely important to follow these simple rules:

1. Protect product from air and moisture.
2. Cover the pit tightly after excavating the silage to feed dairy cows.
3. Close the container from precipitation.
4. Protect product from UV radiation.
5. Use a film that does not allow the liquid to evaporate from the mass and at the same time protects from external influences.
6. Insulate the container, preventing the mass from freezing in extreme cold, which will lead to damage to the silo.

With the right approach to creating silage for dairy cows, you can improve the quality of milk and increase its quantity even in winter.

Recommended