Table of Contents
What is a good dry matter content silage?
The DMD (Dry Matter Digestibility) is an accurate and reliable test of forage feeding value. 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.
How much dry matter is required for silage making?
Silage is considered the better way to conserve forage crops. A forage crop can be cut early and only has to have 30% dry matter to be ensiled successfully. There is no need to dry out the plant material any more than that, so wet weather is not such a constraint as it is with making hay.
How much dry matter do cattle need?
Daily intake on a dry matter basis may be 1.6% to 1.8% of her body weight. In comparison, corn silage will typically be about 70% TDN and lactating beef cows can easily consume 2.5% to 2.7% of their body weight on a dry matter basis of this feed.
What is the best silage for beef cattle?
FORAGE SORGHUMS AND SMALL GRAIN SILAGE CROPS Sorghums can be an excellent silage crop for use in high forage rations for backgrounding cattle or cows. There are many different varieties of sorghums and Sudan grasses, some of which are high yielding for silage production and others which are better suited for grazing.
What are good silage results?
What is good quality silage?
Quality ranges from 58% to 78% dry matter digestibility (DMD) nationally, but average quality remains poor at around 65% DMD.
What happens if silage is too dry?
Too Dry? Fires are caused when silage is chopped too dry. The silage doesn’t pack well, trapping oxygen which allows aerobic metabolism which produces a lot of heat. Wet hay is also a major risk factor for fire for the same reason, the wet hay allows aerobic metabolism (molds and yeast) which produce heat.
How much silage do you feed a beef cow?
Cattle will commonly consume corn silage at a rate of 5 to 7 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. A 500-pound feeder calf may consume 25 to 35 pounds of corn silage as-fed daily.
How do you calculate dry matter intake for beef cattle?
An efficient milking cow needs a daily dry matter intake equivalent to at least 3% of its body weight. Example: a 600 kg cow needs 600 kg × 3% = 18 kg DM/day. Higher producing cows will eat more than 4% of their body weight as dry matter.
Which silage is best?
Crops such as maize, sorghum, oats, millet, and hybrid Napier are considered perfect for making silage. In addition, the quality of the silage you get from these crops can be enhanced by adding molasses, urea, or forming acids.
What is dry matter yield?
Dry matter means ( your yield without water content). Biological yiled means the green yield.
Does silage need to be dry?
Wilting is an important step when making grass silage as it increases the Dry Matter (DM) percentage and reduces the quantity of effluent produced. Ideally, farmers should aim to wilt their silage to a DM of 28-32% – anything above this will have no benefit on animal performance.
What happens when silage is too wet?
Moisture is critical when harvesting silage. Remember that if the silage is too wet there is a risk of butyric acid forming and nutrients being lost due to seepage. Silage that is over 70% moisture should not be harvested and should stand in the field for a few more days.
How many kg of grass does a cow eat?
| When green grass is plenty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Concentrate mixture (Kg) | Green Grass (kg) |
| Dry cows | – | 25 – 30 |
| Milking | 1 kg for every 2.5 – 3.0 kg of milk | 30 |
| Pregnant | Production Allowance + 1 to 1.5 kg from 6th month of pregnancy | 25 – 30 |
How do you calculate dry matter in a feed?
Subtract the moisture content from 100%. In this example 100% – 13.2% = 86.8% dry matter.
Can silage be too dry?
If silage in the pit is too dry there is an increased risk of aerobic spoilage. The target for silage DMD should be 70% or higher. If ideal conditions cannot be achieved at the time of harvest, the use of additives or inoculants can improve the fermentation and therefore the quality of the silage.
What is the best way to get high quality silage?
The key to high-quality grass silage is to dry the crop to an appropriate dry matter (DM) level for ensiling as quickly as possible. If the grass is ensiled too dry, it makes proper packing difficult. The chance of molding and aerobic instability rises.
How much dry matter should be in silage?
So for grass silage you should be aiming for 20% to 28% dry matter for the incoming crop and for maize and you want 28% to 35% dry matter. Whole crop silage will be higher still with dry matter at about 40%. How do I test silage Dry Matter %?
What is the cost-effective grass silage production for beef cattle?
The three key elements to cost-effective grass silage production for beef cattle are: 1. High grass DM yields for first-cut and subsequent cuts, with high total annual grass yield (>14.0 tonnes DM/ha). Guideline yields are 4.8 t DM/ha and up to 6.2 t DM/ha for silage harvested in mid-May and early June, respectively.
What is grass silage and why is it important?
Grass silage is an important part of the annual feed budget for beef production systems, accounting for up to 25-30% of total feed dry matter (DM) consumed on a typical drystock farm.