Disappointing silage

[Speedstar]

Looking for any advice about white mould in silage. It has been confirmed as mycotoxin of various forms including penicillin type. However we have used bugs additive for last 3 years and silage has not improved . It is a late crop harvested as one crop in early July and is quite dry. Ensiled with cling sheet and top sheet. Purchased a shear grab to minimise disruption to pit face but still getting pockets of mould within the bite of silage . Using a clay binder in our ration to mop up the mycotoxin but it's all added cost ! It's for suckler herd and followers, use big bale silage for ewes and it is perfect. We have a large pit , 60 feet wide , and it's been suggested that we don't get across it quickly enough . Any thoughts , experiences , remedies?

Can I ask how you go about putting the silage in the pit from the mower to sheeting the pit . What D/M is it ?

 

[beefandsleep]

Could you get away withjust putting preserver on the top layer?

Maybe for stopping top waste but it keeps the face cold too and don’t see heating in the trough either which can be a problem with poor fermentation.
I know in an ideal world with perfect weather and a contractor that isn’t just trying to throw it in as fast as he can so he can move on to the next customer we could all make perfect silage every time. Unfortunately it doesn’t always go that way, I’ve always been sceptical about claims made by additive sellers and there’s always the old chap I my ear telling me that I don’t need an additive, waste of money etc. I’ve never made a poor clamp since using it.

 

[kill]

My neighbour did a maize clamp over 30 years ago and I remember he sprinkled ground rock salt on the top of the clamp to apparently reduce spoilage but would that help with grass silage?

 

[Hilly]

Some spread salt before sheeting .

 

[The Ruminant]

How do the additives work? Presumably they inhibit the bacteria that decompose the silage.

The rumen is full of bacteria that decompose silage and your animals’ performance depends on them functioning as efficiently as possible. What effect do additives have on rumen bacteria.....?? Something to ponder, maybe....

 

[Sid]

Salt for shoulders on maize, 3 sheet system for grass and wholecrop

 

[agri knives]

, how did we make silage with a DB1394 and a push off buckrake on the pit, no mould , pit open for best part of a week .? If you have mould in the silage which is not secondary fermentation it came in on the grass. Late cut July grass in a wet year can be pretty manky in the stem.

Because the db had time to roll the 15 acres a day that was coming in.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Making good silage hay and haylage starts now .
Not easy when it's so wet in the fields

 

[organicguy]

Winner of silage competition a few years ago was asked what additive was the secret to his success, reply was OAP135.

 

[beefandsleep]

How do the additives work? Presumably they inhibit the bacteria that decompose the silage.

The rumen is full of bacteria that decompose silage and your animals’ performance depends on them functioning as efficiently as possible. What effect do additives have on rumen bacteria.....?? Something to ponder, maybe....

It’s the yeasts and moulds that are inhibited, the fermentation bacteria work just fine.
I did have the same concern initially but after 4years using it I can say unfounded.

 

[beefandsleep]

Winner of silage competition a few years ago was asked what additive was the secret to his success, reply was OAP135.

?? Over my head?
Anyone still using Add F?
Used to be the gold standard as I remember.

 

[ollie989898]

How do the additives work? Presumably they inhibit the bacteria that decompose the silage.

The rumen is full of bacteria that decompose silage and your animals’ performance depends on them functioning as efficiently as possible. What effect do additives have on rumen bacteria.....?? Something to ponder, maybe....

Additives generally work in one of three ways:

1. Old fashioned version, if you can't get enough bacteria to do the job, just add in propionic acid and pickle the grass that way.

2. Bacterial cultures made up and applied in liquid through the machine as it's being chopped and blown so the additive is throughout the product. Faster and more complete fermentation is the end result.

3. Preservative type materials like sodium benzoate which help stop moulds and fungi using the silage as a food source.

 

[Silly silage]

Thanks for all ur comments .The pit is rolled by 2 250 horse tractors so should be more than enough weight for the job we think it is secondary fermentation that is our problem with white and red mold going into the face around 8 inch deep .Silage is fine on the top it's the face that's the problem we can't cross the face quick enough so we have decided to go half way and dig back .Will look into preservative for this season.

 

[michael N123]

Best thing we’ve ever done is use them clingfilm clear silage sheets before the black plastic no waste on the top now

don’t even bother arsing on with them heavy hessian sheets anymore used to be a right fight on when the wind and rain knocked them off

 

[Silly silage]

Can I ask how you go about putting the silage in the pit from the mower to sheeting the pit . What D/M is it ?

The silage is 30 DM, grass is cut in morning and rowed up in front of chopper a Krone big X , precision chopped, put in pit and was sheeted next morning . Roughly 120 acres. Pit is side sheeted , cling on top then side sheets folded in , then top sheet and tyres to finish. Pit rolled continually with two machines.

 

[Silly silage]

?? Over my head?
Anyone still using Add F?
Used to be the gold standard as I remember.

Best silage made back in the day was with product Add Safe R.

 

[tepapa]

?? Over my head?
Anyone still using Add F?
Used to be the gold standard as I remember.

Old age pensioner on Massey Ferguson 135

 

[tepapa]

The silage is 30 DM, grass is cut in morning and rowed up in front of chopper a Krone big X , precision chopped, put in pit and was sheeted next morning . Roughly 120 acres. Pit is side sheeted , cling on top then side sheets folded in , then top sheet and tyres to finish. Pit rolled continually with two machines.

July grass cut in the morning could well be short of sugars which won't help fermentation.

 

[ollie989898]

I do believe the clear plastic film helps as it stops oxygen a lot better than black sheeting does.

The green heavy sheets I view as a lot more preferable than lugging tyres all over the place, I personally would cut them into strips about 10-12 feet wide and make it much easier for a two man job to unroll and put on top or pull off when needed. Use tyre sidewalls to weigh these down.

With the speed of modern choppers reckon you probably need a tractor (+/- train wheel thingy) to be rolling the pit constantly whilst another machine pushes the silage up.

Lorry tyres, tractor tyres and full size green sheets- no need for them and avoid a hernia or busting grandads back for once.

 

[michael N123]

I do believe the clear plastic film helps as it stops oxygen a lot better than black sheeting does.

The green heavy sheets I view as a lot more preferable than lugging tyres all over the place, I personally would cut them into strips about 10-12 feet wide and make it much easier for a two man job to unroll and put on top or pull off when needed. Use tyre sidewalls to weigh these down.

With the speed of modern choppers reckon you probably need a tractor (+/- train wheel thingy) to be rolling the pit constantly whilst another machine pushes the silage up.

Lorry tyres, tractor tyres and full size green sheets- no need for them and avoid a hernia or busting grandads back for once.

My pits not got a roof on and is faceing the fell/Helm wind had many a ruined morning with a unrolled sheet and snow on top of it

now just throw the tyres back and cut the sheet with stanly knife loads easier