MANUAL ON IMPROVED FEEDING OF DAIRY CATTLE BY ... - Gart

FIGURE 20: Filling a small silage trench using plastic sheets
During filling sprinkle the fodder after each layer with some molasses (in
total approx. 5 % can be added) or add some common salt. Proceed in
this way until the pit is full and the heap reaches a level of 1 meter above
the ground. It should then be pressed by rolling a drum full of water over
it or by trampling by i.e. playing children. After filling, cover the top of the
heap with plastic as well. If you do not have plastic you can use dry grass
to put around the pit to avoid water and air entering into the chopped
fodder. Finally add a layer of soil on the plastic to provide weight for
compressing the fodder and to protect the silage. The silage pit should be
filled and closed in a period of maximum 2 days. Otherwise it becomes
almost impossible to keep the air out.
Opening the silage pit
At opening the silage trench the flavour of the silage gives a good
indication of the quality. The silage should have a fresh acidic smell. The
quality can be determined more precisely by measuring the pH in the pit.
The silage can be graded as follows:
Grade Flavour pH Range
Excellent fresh acidic / sweetish 3.5 - 4.2
Good acidic 4.2 - 4.5
Fair less acidic 4.5 - 5.0
Poor pungent 5.0 and above
FIGURE 21: Opening a silage pit with good quality silage
35
Manual on improved feeding of Dairy Cattle by Smallholder Farmers