Green fodder is short in summer. How do I make silage to feed my cows and buffaloes year round?
How to make silage at home for dairy animals?
DDattatray More8mo ago · 229 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓8mo ago
Silage lets you store surplus green fodder for the lean season. Use a high-sugar crop like maize, sorghum (jowar) or hybrid napier harvested at the right stage (maize at milk-to-dough stage). Chaff-cut it into small 2 to 3 cm pieces, then pack it very tightly in a silo pit, drum or silage bag to remove air; airtight, anaerobic conditions are the key. You can add a little molasses or salt to help fermentation, especially for low-sugar fodder. Seal it completely with plastic sheet and weight on top. After about 45 to 60 days it is ready; good silage smells pleasantly sour and is greenish-brown. Feed gradually and reseal after each use. This keeps milk yield stable in summer.
SShubham Patil7mo ago
I make maize silage in plastic bags every year. The trick is chopping fine and pressing out all air. My buffaloes keep good yield even in May when there is no green grass.
PPravin Shinde7mo ago
Wilt the fodder for a few hours after cutting if it is very wet, otherwise the silage turns slimy and smells bad. The right moisture, where a squeezed handful just holds together, gave me clean silage. Too wet was my biggest early mistake.
BBalasaheb Gaikwad6mo ago
Weigh down the top well and check for any hole in the cover. Rats and air spoiled the top layer of my first pit. Once I sealed it tight and put old tyres on the plastic, the loss almost stopped. The seal is what protects the whole lot.