How do you make the best round bale silage?

Tips for making good quality baled silage

1. Aim to mow when grass is dry and easier to preserve.
2. Aim for a wilt of 24 – 36 hours to improve preservation and reduce effluent production.
3. Aim to produce dense well shaped bales.
4. Aim to wrap bales within 2 – 3 hours after baling and ensure adequate plastic film is used.

How soon can you feed baled silage?

How long should I leave cut grass before it has become silage?” From the animal’s point of view, there are no ill effects of eating silage at any stage between grass to being fully fermented silage. It takes roughly three weeks for over 90% of grass to be fermented after harvesting.

How long does round bale silage take to make?

Member. Six weeks is best, its then before will get an accurate analysis, due to it taking that long until the fermentation has stabilised. You can feed it whenever you like really, as long as it isn’t getting a secondary fermentation and heating up before they eat it.

How long can silage bales sit before wrapping?

Producers have about 24 hours to wrap bales in order to get good fermentation and a highly digestible end product; however, delays beyond 24 hours will result in incremental declines in silage quality. PHOTO: Research continues to prove that producers have about 24 hours to wrap bales in order to get good fermentation.

Why is silage better than hay?

Moisture content: Hay usually has a moisture content of 12%, whereas silage moisture content is between 40-60%. Storage methods: Hay is mowed, dried and stored in bales. Silage is compacted and stored in air-tight conditions without being dried. Silage is partially and easily digested, offering more nutritious value.

How do you make high quality silage?

10 steps to making better quality silage

1. Decide on silage quality needed:
2. Cut at the right growth stage:
3. Do not sacrifice quality for bulk:
4. Do not wait ‘for Nitrogen to leave the crop’:
5. If in doubt, test sugars:
6. Wilt for a day:
7. Choose additives based on need:
8. Reduce post-harvest losses:

How many cows will a bale of silage feed?

Baled silage According to Teagasc, the weight of a round bale of silage is 200-240kg DM. At a DM feeding rate of 4kg/day, this would supply 50 cows with enough feed for one day.

How many cows will a round bale feed?

Most hay rings have enough space for approximately 10 cows at a time. The more aggressive cows will eat first and consume the more desirable hay. Cows that are more timid will be forced to eat the lower-quality material or go hungry.

How many bales of silage does a cow need in the winter?

A suckler cow will consume about 1.25t of direct cut silage per month amounting to 5t per cow for a 4-month winter. Where silage is good or cows are in very good condition at housing, a saving of 0.75t on the above amount is possible. The baled silage requirement is about 1.5 bales/cow/month.

What’s the difference between silage and baleage?

silage = grass cut, thenimmediatedly carried off to a hole in the ground, covered in plastic wrap and tyres to ferment into a grassy saurkraut for cows. baleage/haylage = grass cut and left to wilt for a few hours then baled and wrapped in plastic.

How many times should you wrap silage?

How thick should plastic wrap be? In a UW bale wrapping study, it was found that at least 6mil, preferably 8mil, of plastic wrap should cover the bale. This can be accomplished by wrapping 6 times with 1ml plastic or 4 times with 1.5 mil plastic.

How do you make round bale of silage?

Making round bale silage consists of wilting a forage to 50 to 60 percent moisture content, baling it in a round baler, and ensiling it within a plastic cover. This silage-making technique can be used as a feed option by any farmer who produces forage, and it does not require a large silo or haylage harvesting equipment.

Is it OK to feed animals large bales of silage?

The feed quality of large round bale silage, especially those bales with a high proportion of legumes, may cause overfeeding to some animals. Consider strategic feeding of baleage and/or restrict the amount of bales available at any time.

Do you remove netwrap before feeding baled silage?

In both cases, the netwrap or twine should then be removed before feeding the bale. Wastage and refusal is rarely an issue when feeding baled silage unless a bale is being fed to too few animals. If silage remains when the time frame for feeding has been exceeded, put out a fresh bale.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of round bale silage?

Round bale silage, like any storage method, has its strengths and weaknesses. Making round bale silage consists of wilting a forage to 50 to 60 percent moisture content, baling it in a round baler, and ensiling it within a plastic cover.