Ensiling Small Amounts Ideas

[in-too-deep]

Hello all,

We receive spent grains from our local brewery to feed to our beef cattle. In the summer, we'll get 1-2 tons per week and about in the winter about half that.

It's great feed, but very wet and spoils quickly.

I'd like to find a way to bag it during the summer and vacuum the air out and seal it for winter use. It's not enough volume for an AgBag, and too much volume for 100 lb. feed sacks. I think large tote bags (you call them dumpy bags, I gather) might fit the bill, but will they seal air-tight? We use a tracked skidloader for handling hay and feed.

I've been reading the Vacuum Silage thread, and that sparked my imagination back up.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to preserve this stuff?

Thank you.

 

[Optimus]

Silage bags, if you can find them.

 

[Old apprentice]

Not great amounts but do you know of sollway, recycling they have some really good plastic bags just a thought fill them and salt used to be used to help preserve with it? Then seal them and vacume, the air out but tricky to do just one idea . We used to make a pit for brewers grains with galvanized 3ins weld wire the line with a paper that was water proof and fill out of a wagon with shovels you could make small ones for say a month's supply and each time you put one to two tones in put some salt on top and when full put salt on top and cover with plastic same as sides you would have ok work out what size to make each month's bunker weight the plastic when full .put a sheat on after each fill . Any way some thaughts. The brewer grains we used to get you could walk on them to consolidate them tricky thou.

Sorry just realized you are from the states.

 

[steveR]

Silage bags, if you can find them.

Put the bag in a spud box to allow them to be moved afterwards and protect the bag?

I tried to find some bags a month or two back, but not available now I was told, and he was one of the biggest sellers in teh area.

No idea what these are like?

Pardon our interruption...

 

[in-too-deep]

Put the bag in a spud box to allow them to be moved afterwards and protect the bag?

I tried to find some bags a month or two back, but not available now I was told, and he was one of the biggest sellers in teh area.

No idea what these are like?

Pardon our interruption...

That should work. Now to find a supplier over here...

 

[Nearly]

ibc?

dolav box and gaffer tape?

Roll of Dolav Liners - 48/88" wide x 82" long x 80 gauge - 75 liners per roll

DOLAV1 Roll of Dolav Liners (1200/2235mm wide x 2083mm long x 20 microns - 75 liners per roll) - Roll of food-grade Dolav liners for Dolav containers - 75 liners per roll

www.polybags.co.uk

 

[Optimus]

Put the bag in a spud box to allow them to be moved afterwards and protect the bag?

I tried to find some bags a month or two back, but not available now I was told, and he was one of the biggest sellers in teh area.

No idea what these are like?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38587655...neqccln1Kj1mf77yQXc42A|tkp:Bk9SR4r4o76ZZA[/UR

Still got a few left but not many....too. Worth a look? Wonder how much they are?

 

[Kidds]

45 gallon drum, open top.
Plastic version has a good seal but know people tape the joint before sealing.
Plastic ones are fairly cheap and obviously last longer than bags

 

[ritchiekirkland]

Put the bag in a spud box to allow them to be moved afterwards and protect the bag?

I tried to find some bags a month or two back, but not available now I was told, and he was one of the biggest sellers in teh area.

No idea what these are like?

Pardon our interruption...

McVeigh Parker sell them . I’ve done this with small amounts of Draff.
Cut top off IBC and put silage bag in it .
Know a guy that gets small amounts off a micro brewery and just puts them in the 80kg lick buckets and puts lid back on .

 

[steveR]

McVeigh Parker sell them . I’ve done this with small amounts of Draff.
Cut top off IBC and put silage bag in it .
Know a guy that gets small amounts off a micro brewery and just puts them in the 80kg lick buckets and puts lid back on .

I like that idea... a lot!

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Put the bag in a spud box to allow them to be moved afterwards and protect the bag?

I tried to find some bags a month or two back, but not available now I was told, and he was one of the biggest sellers in teh area.

No idea what these are like?

Pardon our interruption...

Or put the bag inside a dumpy bag to be able to move around.
Did some like this several years ago.
Worked well until the rats found it! Find a rodent proof storage location!