Lecture no.

14
SILAGE:
Silage is preserved green corn stem with the corn grains, finely chopped, compacted and
sealed air tight.
Advantages:
 Silage has a much higher digestibility and nutrient conversion than other feed.
 Silage is much more palatable so that cows eat more.
 Silage can be used to make TMR (see next topic)
 Minimum loss of nutrients compared to other method of preservation
 Used as succulent green fodder
 Succulent feed is available during all seasons.
 Silage can be prepared during all season
 Helps in control of weeds as the fodder is harvested from field at bloom stage.
 Succulent feed is made available round the year
 Fields are made available for early preparation of Rabi crops because of early harvest of
green fodder for silage
 Silage requires less area for storing compared to hay
 Helps in control of insects and pests, as these are not able to complete life cycle due to early
harvest of crops for silage.
 No danger of fire to silage
 It’s palatable and laxative feed
 Compared to pasture there is less infestation of worms and parasite with silage feeding
Visible effects:
 The cows on average produce 5 in more milk / day
 Milk fat content increases
 Better body condition of the cows
 Less fertility problems
 Less digestive problems
 General: less spending on veterinary costs while earning more money from milk quantity and
composition.
The green fodder at right stage when stored in packed and compressed condition so as to expel
the air and then sealing up with a covering to prevent the contact with fresh air, with minimum
loss of nutrients in order to preserve it by fermentation for use as a succulent fodder during
scarcity is called silage.
Silo: Silo is a hole/pit in the ground, trench or a tower where green fodder is stored for making
silage:
Value of Silage: Large-scale use of silage on most organized dairy farms is an indication of its
significance for dairy animals. It is not only highly palatable but also laxative and helps in
keeping animals in good condition because it can be fed in succulent condition during scarcity of
green fodders.
 Lecture no 15

Objective of Ensiling:
The objective of ensiling is to obtain enough acid content in the ensiled mass to inhibit the
microbial fermentation thereby preserving the green fodder
ENSILING – AN UNCOMMON PRACTICE AMONG FARMERS:
Much has been published and talked about the silage feeding but this not been popular among
village farmers. The causes for this are as follow:-
 Dairy farmers are still ignorant about the merits of Silage making.
 Shortage of green fodders in general
 Unfavorable weather when fodder crops are ready for ensiling
 Majority of dairy farmers are poor and illiterate
KINDS OF SILO:
1). Silo Pit 2). Silo Tower 3). Silo Trench 4). Barrel (Used in small
operations. Method avail Via FAO)
Factors affecting location, kind and size of silo:
 Number of animals
 Length of lean or scarcity period
 Kind of soil and drainage
 Depth of water table
 Class and species of animals
 Rainfall and other weather conditions
COMMON SIZE OF SILO
 Silo pit & size depend upon the amount of fodder
 Silo trench – Depth X Width X Length (meters)
Note: Height of pit/tower of silo should not exceed more than 9 meters.
REQUISITES OF SILAGE MAKING:
Location of silo pit:
 At a higher elevation to prevent seepage of rainwater into silo.
 Pit should be so located from where silage could be easily distributed to animals.
 It should be away from milk recording room to prevent off flavor in milk.
 Dry matter and water content in fodder for ensiling must be between 30 to 40 and 70 to 60%
respectively.
 Fodder for ensiling must contain higher NFE (nitrogen free extract – the soluble sugars)
content for sufficient acid production during fermentation.
 While filing silo, the ensiling mass must be pressed by mechanical means so as to expel
maximum air out of silo.
 The walls of silo should be strong enough to withstand pressure of gases and there should be
no entrance of fresh air and keep silo airtight.
 The crop chosen for silage must be in bloom stage.
 Wilting the crop may be needed to limit moisture and increase carbohydrate content in
ensiled mass.
 It is better to chaff the fodder prior to ensiling and cut into small bits so as to increase surface
area for microbial action and consequently quick and sufficient acid production.
 Once the silo is opened, a 3” layer of silage must be removed daily for feeding otherwise to
player will get spoiled and wastages will be more.
Crops used for ensiling:
Quality of silage crops:
Monocotyledonous crops that have: (Grasses)
 Low level of nitrogen and higher amount of fermentable carbohydrates.
 Optimum moisture percentage.
 Optimum dry mater content in order to pack it well
Kinds of Crops:
 Jowar (Sorghum vulgare Pers)
 Mazie (Zee mays L.)
 M.P. Chary (Sorghum bicolor)
 Oat (Avena sative L.)
 Bajra (Penisetum glaucum (L) R.Br.)
Note: Leguminous crops like Lucerne, berseem etc. are not suitable crops for ensiling but silage
can be prepared even with such crop provided these crops have been wilted to limit the moisture
content and some additives as a source of carbohydrates are added.

Lecture no sixteen

HOW THE GREENS ARE PRESERVED AS SILAGE:

The process of silage formation could be divided into two types of changes:
(a) Chemical Changes
Living cells of green-chaffed fodder continue respiration and use all oxygen of the air present in
silo producing carbon dioxide, which accumulates creating anaerobic condition within five hours.
Carbon dioxide gas occupies 70 to 80% of the total gases present in silo.
There is a rise in temperature (38%) of ensiled mass due to oxidation of fermentable
carbohydrates. The temperature of ensiled mass further increase to 55 ֯ C if air finds entrance and
anaerobic conditions are not controlled.
Fermentable carbohydrates of ensiled mass are attacked by the plant enzymes and enzymes of
trapped philosopher bacteria causing production of acids which in turn lowers the pH to 3.5 to
4.0 in good silage.
Due to breakdown of sugars and subsequent production of various organic acids, the lactic acid
is the chief acid produced up to 85% of the total acid content in silage. Other products of
fermentation of sugars are volatile organic acids – i.e. acetic and butyric acid, ethanol, gases
(CO2, CH4, CO etc.), water etc.
Depending upon the rate of development of acidity and anaerobic condition the break – down or
proteolysis of protein occurs to 60% leading to production of varying amount of organic acids,
amino acids, anines and formation of ammonia and volatile bases.
There is loss of dry matter in gaseous form due to fermentation to the extent of 20%.
A magnesium free derivative of chlorophy11 is formed which is responsible for change in color
of silage.
If air finds entrance and temperature rises quickly due to oxidation, it causes loss of considerable
amount of carotene.
(b) Microbial Changes
A large number and a variety of micro flora are trapped along with ensiled mass which start
attacking on cell content of chopped fodder.
Irrespective of kind of fodder, total and lactic bacterial counts register a decrease on 2nd day
reaching a peak on 7th day after which there is a gradual decrease. This trend is due to sudden
death of aerobic bacteria, which use up the trapped oxygen and do not survive under anaerobic
bacteria, which use up the tapped oxygen and do not survive under anaerobic condition caused
on packing of green fodder.
Initially higher counts of coliform bacteria (heterofermentative) principally of Aerobacter group
may be registered, because of available oxygen in the trapped air up to few hours. These abuse
production of lactic acid, volatile acids like acetic and butyric acid, and other products such as
ethanol, methanol and carbandioxide. These bacteria do not survive anaerobic conditions with
the increase in ensiling period. The presence and the number of these bacteria and production of
volatile organic acids like acetic and butyric acid would large depend upon the amount of oxygen
available, quality and quantity of fermentable carbohydrates etc.
Creation of anaerobic condition has a selective influence of facultative anaerobes comprising of
lactic acid bacteria acid bacteria, which become predominant on 7th day.
Among the lactic acid bacteria, cocci (pediococi) multiply reapidly due to slight acidity produced
by heterofermentative bacteria initially conducive for their growth. This is soon followed by
lactobacilli, which are homoferentative type and are chiefly responsible for further increase in
acidity and lowering the pH of ensiled mass, up to 4.0.
With the increase in development in acidity the numbers of lactic acid bacteria gradually
inhibiting the fermentation process at pH 4.0 necessary for preserving the silage. This is a typical
picture if enough sugars are available in the fodder for fermentation, consequent development of
desirable acidity and checking development of undesirable bacteria of proteolytic growth, which
release production of free amino acid and volatile bases.
The presence of proteolytic bacteria is recorded more in leguminous fodder then non-leguminous
but their numbers in both dwindle with the increase in ensiling period due to anaerobic
conditions and development of acidity. However, the presence of volatile bases, ammonical
nitrogen, free amino acids and unpalatable odour in silage is directly proportional to the density
and quality of proteolytic bacteria especially of Clostridia group.
Fungal floral are observed prior to ensiling fail to register in silage if proper anaerobic conditions
are created as these are essentially aerobic and would not survive anaerobic condtion created due
to packing of fodder and utilization of little oxygen trapped, by coliform bacteria. Fungal flora
however may produce toxic substances rendering silage unpalatable if air finds entrance in
preserved silage.