Silage
Silage making is a process in which forage is sealed in a pit, bunker, or polythene envelope in the absence of oxygen for forty to forty-five days. What is obtained as a result of this process is called silage?
Making silage not only preserves the fodder for a long time but also preserves its nutrients. It also increases. The importance of silage can be well estimated from the following points. By making fodder silage, it can be preserved for a long period of time. In case of a storm, famine, and other natural calamities, one does not have to face a shortage of fodder.
The nutritional value of silage is much better than the nutritional value of fodder because on the one hand, forage is selected for silage which has good nutritional value and on the other hand the nutritional value of the forage is increased during the process of making silage. During the process of making silage, chemical changes occur in the forage, which increases the digestibility of the forage.
Silage is palatable, which animals eat avidly and waste minimally. Thus feeding silage significantly reduces fodder wastage. Silage is the only method of fodder conservation that is possible even in the rainy season. Fodder cultivation is being done due to a decrease in cultivated area in view of the rising population and an increase in cultivated area for cash crops for human food. By adopting silage, the land can be used in a better way as the fodder is grown once and saved, while the rest of the year the land is used for other crops.
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Crops suitable for silage quality Sani depends on quality crop selection. Well, any crop that is suitable for animal feed can be made into silage, but for quality silage, one should choose a crop that has the following characteristics:
There should be enough gratitude in it
The reduction ratio should be 70-65%
Be full of energy
Better digestion
It has the potential to stay good for a long time
It should contain an adequate amount of nutrients
Crops should be grown on fertile and saline soil Maize, sedabahar, millet, millet, and oats are the main crops of Pakistan from which quality silage is made. Apart from these crops, silage can also be made from other crops.
Harvest time
For silage, the crop should be harvested when the moisture content is 65 to 70 percent. In a maize crop, this ratio occurs when:The color of the lower leaves of the plant should start to turn light green
The color of the ear peel should be green to light brown
The pitch should be clear on the grain
The reduction in grains should be 40 to 50 percent
The milk line on the grain should be 30 to 50 percent
Grab test is also a method to determine moisture content in fodder. In this test, press the fodder into the fist and then open the fist. If the ball of fodder formed in the dough falls open immediately, it means that the moisture content of the fodder is very low. If this sphere maintains its condition, it means that the moisture content is too high. If the buds open slowly, it means that the moisture content of the forage is suitable for making silage.
Cutting and shearing of fodder
Before harvesting, ensure that the moisture content of the forage is 65-70%, if the moisture content is higher than this, fermentation will not improve during silage formation.
There are two methods for cutting and cutting the crop.
First method:
The crop is harvested with the help of a harvester or sickle, then the harvested fodder is cut into sticks and its size should be 2.1 cm. This method requires more time and manpower.
Second method:
A special machine called a table chopper is required for making silage.
Silo Filling
After cutting and shearing the fodder comes the step of filling the silo. The following principles should be kept in mind for good psychology.The fodder in the silo should be well pressed.
The silo must be completely evacuated.
There is no empty space left in the silo.
After filling, the silo should be covered in such a way that air and water cannot enter it While filling the silage, it must be kept in mind that the biggest enemies of silage are air and water. The basic principle of making the best silage is to press the forage, Press and press some more, and when it is well pressed then press some more. Air and voids are left in the silo due to not pressing the fodder properly. Likewise, if the silo is not properly covered, there is a risk of air and water entering it.
Air remaining in the silage or entry of air and water from the outside can lead to mold growth and better yeast growth, not only resulting in substandard silage but also risking a complete loss of forage.
For filling the bunker, after bringing the fodder to the bunker with the help of a trolley, it is filled layer by layer in the bunker in such a way that the thickness of the hearth is about 9 inches. When sure Make sure that the fodder is pressed well in the bunker and if there is no gap, cover the bunker. Inoculants can also be sprayed before the bunker is constructed to speed up the silage formation process. A normal polythene sheet can be used to cover the bunker, but special sheets are also available in the market for this purpose.
Cover the bunker completely from one end to the other with this sheet. While laying the bunker, make sure that the ends of the sheet go over the wall on both sides. Cover these edges with soil so that water cannot enter the bunker. Place a used tire on the plastic sheet to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. For better tire utilization, cut the tire into even layers so that fewer tires fill more space and fewer tires are needed.
This will also avoid the risk of rainwater pooling in the tire. To prevent the sheet from blowing away due to wind, sand or crushed stone can also be used or a plastic sheet can be completely wrapped over the bunker. To fill the pit, chopped fodder is pressed into it by a tractor and finally, it is covered with a plastic sheet the sides are closed and tires are placed. And after 40 days silage is ready and animal feed. can be used in For more information visit our YouTube channel
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