Urea Treatment of Straw

This is hay or crop residue (corn, millet, sorghum stover,

rice straw) treated with urea fertilizer solution to
improve its nutritive quality and digestibility.
It also improves palatability of the material. The urea
fertilizer is converted into protein by the microflora in
the ruminants’ rumen while the lignin in the
stover/straw is broken down after being softened by
the water in the urea solution.
UREA TREATMENT OF PADDY STRAW.
Benefit:
1. Treated paddy straw has enhanced nutritive value than the
untreated paddy straw.
2. Treaded paddy straw is liked by cattle.
3. Increase palatability.
4. Intake will increase
5. Maintained the health quality.
Items:
6. 100 kg paddy straw
7. 40 liters of water
8. 4 Kg. Urea.
9. Polythene sheet
10. Water cane
11. Bucket etc.
Procedure:
1. Polythene sheet should be spread over on the
selected site.
2. The one fourth paddy straw will be spread over the
polythene sheet
3. The water urea solution will be sprinkle over the
paddy straw and mixed properly.
4. Then next one fourth paddy straw will be spread
over and again urea solution will be sprinkle till
completion of the straw.
5. The treated straw will be airtight and kept for 21
days.
Precaution:
1. The calf of below six month will not be fed with treated
straw.

2. The pregnant cattle are also not being fed with treated straw.

3. The fungal growth straw should not be taken for UTPS

4. The treated straw will be fed after exposure of air for at least
10 minute.

5. The starting quantity of UTPS should be regulated from

lesser quantity to higher in periodic manner.
 Fill the pit in layers of the prescribed quantity of straw and sprinkle the
solution. Some pressure must be applied on the material in the pit to make
it compact.

Spreading Of Straw Sprinkling of Urea and Water Solution On dried

Straw
Cover the pit with polythene to make it air tight.

Covered Treated Straw

 Silage Making
In view of constant increase in the cost of concentrate feed
ingredients and their limited availability, green fodder is
considered an economical source of nutrient for dairy animals.
While increase in green fodder production per hectare of land has
been emphasized, it is equally important to conserve green fodder
to ensure regular supply for feeding animals, especially during the
lean period. Conserving green fodder in the form of silage is one of
the best options available to ensure regular supply to quality
fodder through different seasons of the year.
Silage is the conserved green fodder having moisture content in
the range of 65 to 70 percent. Fodder crops rich in soluble
carbohydrates are incubated after chaffing for 45-50 days under
anaerobic conditions. Sugars present in the fodder are converted
to lactic acid, which acts as a preservative and a good source of
readily fermentable sugars for the rumen microbes.
 Suitable Crops
The fodder crops, such as Maize, Sorghum, Oats,
Pearl millet, and hybrid Napier rich in soluble
carbohydrates are most suitable for fodder ensiling.
Quality of silage can be improved with the use of
suitable additives such as molasses, urea, salt, formic
acid etc.
Benefits of Silage making:-
Ensures regular supply of fodder to dairy animals.
Ensures uniform quality fodder to animals during
different seasons.
Silage can be made under almost all weather
conditions.
Surplus green fodder can be conserved, minimizing
wastage.
Feeding silage is an effective tool for the control of
parasitic diseases, as the parasites present in different
stages in green fodder are destroyed during ensiling.
Enhances green fodder productivity by improving
harvesting intensity.
Enhances livestock productivity by ensuring fodder
supply, especially during the lean period.
Silage Making Process –
Step 1:- First and Foremost, decide the type of crop to be grown for forage or
silage. Choose hybrid and perennial varieties of crops which can be grown in short
duration and produced
multiple times.
Step 2:- Choose a dry place to dig a pit on slightly sloping ground and the depth
of the pit should decrease from the higher side of the sloping ground to the lower
side by giving wedge
like shape. Usually, size and dimension of the pit size depends on the amount of the
forage to be stored.
For example, to make 20 bags of forage, one should dog the pit size of 2 cubic meters
and needs 10 m of
polythene and 30 liters of molasses
 Step 3:- Using chaff cutter, cut the forage to be preserved into 1
inch pieces

Step 4: To prevent the forage contact with soil, place the

polythene sheet by
covering the bottom of the pit and all sides of the pit.
Step 5:- Chopped forage should be placed into the pit and
spread it into a thin
layer and repeat this process until one third of pit is covered

Step 6:- One liter of molasses should be diluted with three

liters of water and
sprinkle evenly on the forage to be preserved.
Step 7:- To prevent the forage from rotting, use garden sprayer
to evenly
distribute the solution (from step 6) throughout silage pit and
this will also help in feeding micro
organisms to make the silage ferment quickly and saving the
silage from rotting.
Step 8:- The forage should be pressed with feet to make the air out
and protect
from fungal attack. This should be done with caution as little air even
cause the fungus and damage the
forage.
Step 9:- Add more bags of chopped forage after making the room
(after
pressing) with diluted molasses ( as said in step 6). Repeat the
process of adding forage with diluted
Step 10:- Pit should be covered after final processing with
polythene sheet on
top to prevent from any water contact and dig a small trench
around the sides of the pit

Step 11:- Now the pit should be covered with soil to make
the air out and
prevent the polythene damage from rain, birds or any other
animals
Step 12:- The conservation through fermentation may take
weeks. Leave the pit
until there is a shortage of fodder. The silage can last up to 2
years if it is prepared with well sheeting and
good soil cover
Step 13:- To use the silage, open the pit from the lower side of the
slope, take
the enough silage fodder for one day and close the pit again.
Bottom Line of Silage Making:- There is a good scope for
commercial production of silage in India. It is
easy and needs less investment. Basically you need a fertile soil
for forage crops and feed cutting machine
(costs about 20,000 to 100,000 Rs, depending on the capacity and
output). In open market, good silage
costs about 25 to 30 rupees per kg. Farmers should consider
making their own silage rather buying from
out side
 Hay
The grass or other forage is cut and partly dried until it
contains 30–40% moisture (much drier than
bulk silage, but too damp to be stored as dry hay). It is
then made into large bales which are wrapped tightly
in plastic to exclude air.

Commonly used plants for hay include mixtures of

grasses such as ryegrass(Lolium species),
timothy, brome, fescue, Bermuda grass, orchard
grass, and other species, depending on region. Hay
may also include legumes, such as alfalfa(lucerne) and
clovers (red, white and subterranean).
The forages like grasses and legumes that have been cut ,and
then dried under sunlight.

It is used when there is shortage of forages.

Hay making is preferred mode of conserving the food of all green
forages.

It is used when there is less availability of fodder.

The chances of spoilage will be less than the silage.
It require less space for its storage.

It also require a lot of time and extra labour.

During hay making process 10-15% loss of nutrient occur.
Hay making is done in presence of sun light.
If sun light not available it difficult the hay making process.
Fast drying minimizes green color and palatability.
The rapid drying is more suitable for hay making as it minimize
the microbial growth. The basic principle is to reduce moisture
content in order to inhibit the action of microbial enzymes.
In order to store green crops in a stack the moisture content
should be reduced to 15-20%

For leguminous fodder harvesting is done at the start of

flowering.
Grasses should be harvested for hay making when there is
emergence of head.
At this stage there are maximum nutrients and green matters.
March and April are best season for hay making from leguminus
fodder.
For grasses after rainy season.
In case of leguminous fodder lucerne and oat is best for making
of hay and may be barseem.
In case of grasses like sudan grasses and sadabahar.
There are two methods of hay making.
Traditional method
New mechanised technique
It consist of following steps
Mowing
Tedding
Raking
Baling
Cut the crop , when easy to break the stem by hand.
Dry the crop under sunlight in the field.
Turn the forage before sunset or sunrise to avoid shattering of
leaves.
Then hang with a rope.
Stack it by using 3 bamboos.
Digestibility %age-Dry matter 60%protein 67%Crude fibers
41%Ether extract 25%Nitrogen free extract 72%
To cut the grasses a machine is used which is called mower.
It is the first step in making of hay.
Mowing is done in the morning.
It can be at the end of the day when the grass is drier.
So that it can increase the energy level of the forage by
capturing some of the sugars.
For spreading of hay tedding is done. Hay tedders have
several orbital wheels that lift hay By a turn.
Tedding is immediately after mowing to spread the swath.
It may require a second tedding the next day to speed up
the drying process. More tedding can shatter leaves of
alfalfa.
To collect the hay .Hay rake is used.
When the hay has tedded and is nearly dry, it is ready to rake.
Raking turns the hay one more time to Ready to be baled.
Hay is gathered loose and stacked without being baled first.
Spontaneous combustion may occur if hay becomes wet while
in storage.
A baler is a machine that coiled the cut hay in to round shape.
After cutting, drying and raking baling is done.
Then should be hauled to a central location for storage. It
depend on geography, region and climate.
In this process hay is usually gathered in the form of bales.
Bacterial fermentation may occur in the forages that has been
laid in the field.
It may lead to production of acetic acid and propionic acid.
Mouldy hay is unpalatable and harmfull.
It may lead to production of mycotoxin.
The provitamin and carotene may be reduced from 150-
200mg/kg in the dry matter.
 Hay can be stored under a roof when resources permit.
It is frequently kept inside sheds and may be stacked inside a
bale
Hay never exposed to any possible source of heat.
Because dry hay and the dust it produces are highly
flammable.
Moisture contents should be less than 15%.
More leafy and green.
It should be free from dust and mold.
It should be easily palatable.
It should be less expensive.
Good quality hay may support Poor health.
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