Silage 101 q's

Inventry
UnlistMe
Gather App
7

7lazy77

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2008
Messages
16
I have NEVER fed silage before & am not real educated on it, but I am starting to think ahead for this winter & reduce costs. Did a little research on past posts & still had a few questions & seeking a little help. I have a smaller herd & just trying to find cost effective ways to feed while still maintaining a good body weight & provide the necessary protein bred cows. Bear with me, some of the questions might be a no-brainer, but your help is appreciated.
-Can silage still be fed along with alfalfa thru the winter?
-What ratio would I want to feed with alfalfa?
-Is it good enough to feed for bred cows? Weaned calves? Heifers, etc?
-As far as storage, can it just be kept on the ground, packed good with a tractor & covered? (I would only be getting about 5 ton at a time)
I am sure that I will have more questions as I get responses, but ANY other information you could provide is very helpful.
Thanks
 
7lazy77":1f14jetq said:
I have NEVER fed silage before & am not real educated on it, but I am starting to think ahead for this winter & reduce costs. Did a little research on past posts & still had a few questions & seeking a little help. I have a smaller herd & just trying to find cost effective ways to feed while still maintaining a good body weight & provide the necessary protein bred cows. Bear with me, some of the questions might be a no-brainer, but your help is appreciated.
-Can silage still be fed along with alfalfa thru the winter?
-What ratio would I want to feed with alfalfa?
-Is it good enough to feed for bred cows? Weaned calves? Heifers, etc?
-As far as storage, can it just be kept on the ground, packed good with a tractor & covered? (I would only be getting about 5 ton at a time)
I am sure that I will have more questions as I get responses, but ANY other information you could provide is very helpful.
Thanks
Click to expand...
yes you can feed alalfa with silage.but you may want to cut back to 10lbs a hd a day.
2.youd feed 20 to 30lbs silage a hd a day along with 10lbs alalfa a day.
3.yes you can feed it to your pairs bred cows weaned open an bred heifers.
4.since your only getting 5 tons at a time you can store it on the ground.you dont need to pack it since 5 tons will last 2 or 3 days.now you do need to keep it covered till you feed all of it.
5.if your storing a years sliage yes it does need tobe packed down good with a tractor an covered.
are you going an getting the silage from some1.
 
The one thing you didn't say was what type of silage you are going to have. There is a big difference between grass silage and corn silage. And there are lots of other things that can be made into silage. Done right they all can be fed to all classes of cattle but it could affect the amount of alfalfa or other things you might feed. Find out the dry matter content. There can be a big difference in dry matter and this will effect the amount you need to feed and the value of the silage.
 
I feed corn silage to cows and young stock. Works very well with alfalfa. My cows get about 30 pounds of silage and 5 alfalfa hay plus free choice 30% lick tubs. Young stock eat all they want of both. Cows gain some over Winter and the calves do real well.
There is a lot of difference in corn silage, moisture, grain etc.
I take it you're buying it? Is it sweet corn?
It will spoil fast, covering isn't going to help much unless it's sealed. After the air hits it, mold will appear in 2-3 days, depending on outside temps.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top