What are the 2 biggest factors affecting silage quality?
Summary of Biological Processes All four processes may affect silage feed quality, but the principal factors reducing quality are plant proteolytic enzymes, clostridia, and aerobic microorganisms.
What is the TDN of corn silage?
Regular silage is 72% TDN so let’s put drought corn silage at 64.8% TDN (90% of regular silage) and the dry matter is 35% (moisture content is 65% or it is 65% water) and cost in the bunker silo is $50/ton. Using the same procedure as above, the cost per pound of TDN for corn silage is $0.11/lb of TDN (2000 lb/ton x .
What is a good yield for corn silage?
silage per acre can be expected for each 6 to 7 bushels of grain per acre. For example, if expected grain yield is 125 bushels per acre, corn silage yields will be about 18 to 20 tons per acre of 30% dry matter silage (5 to 6 tons per acre dry matter yield).
What should the DM of silage be?
The DMD result is used to estimate energy of the silage, as well as expected live weight gains/milk yields and planning supplementation rates. DMDs of 70% and over are good.
What is the pH of silage?
SILAGE of good quality has a pH of 4.2 or less, with the possible exception of silage made from wilted materials. If grass with a high protein content is ensiled, acids or carbohydrates may have to be added to obtain such a low pH.
How can you improve the quality of silage?
10 steps to making better quality silage
- Decide on silage quality needed:
- Cut at the right growth stage:
- Do not sacrifice quality for bulk:
- Do not wait ‘for Nitrogen to leave the crop’:
- If in doubt, test sugars:
- Wilt for a day:
- Choose additives based on need:
- Reduce post-harvest losses:
What nutrients does silage have?
METHODS FOR DETERMINING ENERGY CONTENT
| Component | Well-eared (%) | Poor (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Lignin | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Ash | 3.0 | 7.2 |
| Calcium | 0.30 | 0.34 |
| Phosphorous | 0.28 | 0.19 |
Can cows eat too much silage?
If silage remains when the time frame for feeding has been exceeded, put out a fresh bale. Forcing animals to eat waste or refused silage may force them to eat deteriorated material and can lead to poor performance or animal health issues.
How long should silage ferment before feeding?
10 days to 3 weeks
The fermentation process takes 10 days to 3 weeks for completion. Silages should not be fed until after this process is completed for the best milk production and feed intake. Thus, the recommendation is to wait at least 3 weeks before feeding new crop silages.
What do farmers do with corn silage?
Silage is the entire corn plant that is harvested while green in the summer. The whole plant is chopped up and held in an airtight container (like a silo, silage bag, or silage pit) to ferment. It is then stored and used as cattle feed throughout the year.
How can you tell if silage is bad?
Silage with a rancid, fishy, or putrid odor, a yellow-green or brown color, and a slimy texture results from clostridial fermentation. There are a number of clostridial species that can affect silage.
How can I improve the quality of silage?
What is the NDF digestibility of corn silage?
Corn silage in vitro NDF digestibility ranges from 30 to 60%. This variation is primarily due to environmental conditions during crop growth. However, corn hybrids have been found to differ by up to 5 units in NDF digestibility and NDF digestibility has been found to decline with advancing maturity.
What affects the energy content of a corn silage?
Grain content also affects energy content, although it is possible for a corn silage with less than 30% grain to have a higher energy content than a corn silage with more than 50% grain due to differences in stover digestibility.
Why measure starch digestibility of corn silage?
By knowing the starch digestibility of corn silage, adjustments to the ration can be made, while considering prevailing inventory and economics, to keep intake, milk production and profitability up.
Is corn silage the only forage for dairy cattle?
Although corn silage is occasionally used as the only forage for dairy cattle, it is usually fed with a complimentary forage such as alfalfa which is higher in crude protein but lower in energy. Corn silage feeding strategies vary depending on animal age, level of production, and physiological status as well as the other forages being fed, if any.
