What Is a Feed Tank?

Silage fodder refers to fodder made from green fodder through controlled fermentation. The silage has the reputation of "canned grass", juicy and palatable, sour smell, high digestibility, and rich nutrition. There are many raw materials for silage, and all green plants that can be used as feed can be used as silage raw materials.

Silage fodder

Silage making

The silage can be opened for use after 38 ~ 52 days. The high-quality silage should be yellow-green in color, soft and juicy, with a sour smell and good palatability.

The use of silage to open the cellar should start from one side of the leeward, gradually to the other side, and be taken in layers from top to bottom. Do not open it completely. It is strictly forbidden to dig through the grass to minimize the contact with the air. Cover them after taking to prevent sun, rain and secondary fermentation. Silages taken out in winter should be placed in cowsheds to prevent freezing and ice. In summer, they should be taken while feeding to prevent mildew and deterioration. The moldy and rotten grass cannot be fed to domestic animals. Do not throw it away near the cellar after taking it out, and send it to the fertilizer pile in time to make fertilizer.

The amount of silage should depend on the breed, age, use and quality of the silage. Except for high-yielding dairy cattle, it can generally be used as the only roughage, but care should be taken not to cause thinning due to excessive feeding. There is a gradual process when starting and stopping feeding. The usual feeding amount is 20-30 kg for dairy cows, 10-15 kg for service cattle, and 5-12 kg for breeding bulls and beef cattle. After weaning, growing beef cattle can feed 5-10 kg of silage each day at 3 to 6 months of age, 10 to 15 kg at 6 to 12 months of age, and 15 to 20 kg at 12 to 18 months of age. In addition, hay and concentrates must be given to comprehensively balance nutrients.

The origin of silage is concentrated in Shandong and Hebei. Among them, because the silage in Hebei mainly uses glutinous corn stalks as raw materials, the nutritional value and the finished product are the best. The selling price is generally 220 ~ 230 / ton. Because Gu'an, Hebei is a waxy corn base, the local silage ingredients are the best.

The stored feed has good palatability and is easy to digest. During the silage process, a large amount of lactic acid is produced, so the smell is fragrant, soft and juicy, and the palatability is good. All kinds of livestock like to eat, and it can stimulate the digestive gland secretion of livestock. Tests have shown that silage can improve utilization of digestibility.