Storage and conservation of Roughage through silage and Hay

 Storage and conservation of Roughage through silage and Hay and their uses in livestock feeding

Introduction:

Feed quantity and quality fodder to the livestock. In the rainy season, green forage is abundant in quantity, which is not adequately utilized. Green forages can be conserved in the form of Hay and silage to feed greens during the lean period.

1.    Hay: Hay is the product obtained by drying in the sun or shade, tender stemmed leafy plant material in such a way that they contain not more than 12-14% moisture.

2.    Hay Additives: Organic acids or acid-forming compounds designed to allow Hay to be harvested at higher-than-normal moisture contents by preventing the microbial activity responsible for spoilage.

3.    Ingredients: Any of the feed items that a mixture is made of.

4.    Silage: Feed preserved by an anaerobic fermentation process.

5.    Silage Additives: Substances are added during the ensiling process to enhance the correct and rapid fermentation of the feed.

Silage Preservation:

Silage is the material produced by controlled fermentation of forages or crop residue with high moisture content.

Ensiling is the term for all physical and chemical changes that occur when forage with sufficient moisture content is stored anaerobically for silage preservation.

An airtight to a semi-airtight structure designed to preserve and store high moisture feeds as hay is known as a silo.

The ideal characteristics of the material for silage preservation are: Dry matter content should be 25-35% and an adequate level of the fermentable substrate 8-10% Dry Matter in the form of water-soluble carbohydrate.

Steps of Silage Formation:

Ñ     Harvest forage at the proper stage of maturity.

Ñ     Chop to the proper length.

Ñ     Control of moisture content in raw materials.

Ñ     Control of water-soluble carbohydrates

Ñ     Filling, Packing and Sealing

Ñ     Additives

Ñ     Feed to cattle

 

Types of silos:

a)    Tower silo

b)    Cellar silo

c)    Trench silo

d)    Stack silo

e)    Plastic silo

Losses during silage making:

The objective of the conservation of forage is to preserve as much of the crop nutrients as possible. However, during ensilage, loss of nutrients occurs.

There are five sources of loss:

a.     Field losses

b.    Oxidation losses

c.     Fermentation losses

d.    Effluent losses

e.     Aerobic deterioration

Evaluation of Silage quality:

High-quality silage is a stable feed made from high-quality pasture, preserved in the absence of oxygen by a high-quality fermentation to minimize any loss of feeding value. It is impossible to produce high-quality silage from low-quality pasture, no matter how good the fermentation is.

·       Quality of the ensiled pasture.

·       Quality of the fermentation

·       Colour of silage

·       Smell of silage

·       Moulds and Yeast

Summary of silage quality

Parameters	Very Good	Good	Fair	Poor
pH	3.5-4.2	4.2-4.5	4.5-4.8	<4.8
Butyric Acid	No	Trace	Little	High
Ammonical Nitrogen (% of N)	<10	10-15	15-20	<20
Colour	Yellow Green	Green or Brown	Tobacco brown to dark brown	Black
Fleig's Value	44-50	30-36	20-29	<19

 

Hay:

Hay refers to forage harvested, dried, and stored as 85-90% dry matter. Hay is a dry leafy fodder, green in colour and free from moulds. It should contain less than 15% moisture.

Principles of Haymaking:

Haymaking aims to reduce the moisture level of the green crop to a level low enough so that it can be safely stored in mass without undergoing fermentation or becoming moldy. Drying of forage inhibits the action of plant and microbial enzymes. The process of drying the green crop without significant changes in aroma, flavour and nutritional quality of forage is called "curing". This involves reducing the moisture content of green forages so they can be stored without spoilage or further nutrient loss. Green forage with 80-85% dry matter preserves most nutrients.

Suitable crops for making Hay:

Crops with thin stems and more leaves are better suited for haymaking as they dry faster than those with thick stems and small leaves.

Examples: Oats, Lucerne, Maize, Sorghum, Napier grass, Cowpea etc.

Steps for making Hay:

Ñ     Forage is cut before it fully matures to maximize its nutritional value.

Ñ     Leaves are more nutritious than the stems, so when cutting forage, it is essential to cut with as much leaf and as little stem as possible.

Ñ     Dry the forage at 15 per cent moisture content.

Ñ     Chopping forage into small pieces after drying.

Ñ     Store on a well-drained site.

Hay Quality:

·       It should have a typical aroma of the fodder from which it has been prepared.

·       It should be free from foreign materials.

·       It should maintain the leafiness of original fodder.

·       This should possess reasonable green colour.

·       This should be palatable to animals.

Factors affecting hay quality:

§  Stage of maturity

§  Leafiness

§  Colour

§  Foreign materials

§  Smell

Characteristics of Good Quality Hay:

·       Hay should be nutritious.

·       Good Hay should be leafy.

·       Hay should be green in colour.

·       Hay should be soft and pliable.

·       Hay should be free from weeds and stubbles.

·       The moisture content in Hay shouldn't exceed 15%.

Benefits of Hay:

·       It can be kept for a more extended period.

·       Availability of nutritious feed to the animal during the scarcity of fodder

Storage of Hay:

·       Hay must be stored in a dry environment.

·       Hay can be baled and stored under cover or can also be stored by creating hay stacks.

Objectives of making Hay and Silage:

The objective behind making the Hay and silage is to preserve forage resources for the dry seasons or winter to ensure continuous regular feed for livestock, either to sustain growth, fattening or milk production, or to continue production under challenging periods when market prices are highest.

 

 

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