Silage wrap: Round vs Squares

[Extreme Optimist]

We have had contractors make our silage in square bales for years. No complaints. Usually good silage with very little wasteage. However, with the increase in bale wrap prices etc. I am looking at changeing back to rounds.

Can someone give me an insight into the amount of wrap required? At the moment, I have 4' x 3' x 5'6" bales made (about 1100, all chopped). If my maths are correct. there isn't a huge difference in volume between these and a 4'6" round bale.

I get about 11 square bales to 1 roll of wrap. wrapping with 6 layers. Am I right in thinking that you would get around 22 round bales from 1 roll (6layers)?

How would the weight of a chopped 4' x 3' x 5'6" compare with a chopped round bale? Appreciate there will be variations in baler type.

Just looking to see where I can make some savings.

 

[jimmer]

Rectangular bales are for hay/straw
Round bales are for silage
The end

 

[Matthew Britton]

I think you would be disappointed with the density of the rounds in comparison. You generally get around 22 bales out of a roll if 4’ but if your 4’6” you could be down to 18-20. I reckon you would probably be somewhere between 1.5-2 rounds to your squares.

 

[Jrp221]

Rectangular bales are for hay/straw
Round bales are for silage
The end

We find the big square bales of haylage much easier to use with housed ewes, can peel off 'biscuits' easily to carry around. Round bales especially if they're not chopped are a pita.

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Going to be using chopped bales and looking at a Tanco bale shear.
Approx what sort of weight would a chopped 4'6" round bale be?
Looking to try and make the job cheaper and easier. All bales to be fed on concrete along diagonal feed barriers or 20' bunker feeders.

 

[d williams]

I think you would be disappointed with the density of the rounds in comparison. You generally get around 22 bales out of a roll if 4’ but if your 4’6” you could be down to 18-20. I reckon you would probably be somewhere between 1.5-2 rounds to your squares.

There’s never the silage in a square compared to a round of dm is where it should be

 

[C.J]

If a square bale is 3/4 of a round bale you would save 62.5 rolls of wrap

 

[hally]

Going to be using chopped bales and looking at a Tanco bale shear.
Approx what sort of weight would a chopped 4'6" round bale be?
Looking to try and make the job cheaper and easier. All bales to be fed on concrete along diagonal feed barriers or 20' bunker feeders.

Fairly dry chopped fusion bale about 700kg here and 20 bales to the roll

 

[davidroberts30]

£7500 on wrap alone goes a long way to a silage pit over a few years.....just saying...

 

[Extreme Optimist]

£7500 on wrap alone goes a long way to a silage pit over a few years.....just saying...

True, and I have looked into it, but land possibly going for building in the future and am not sure I want to make the investment. Also, having bales of different qualities suits an AYR calving suckler system.

 

[Pan mixer]

If you are wrapping the round bales at the clamp you can wrap all the edge ones with 6 layers and the internal ones with 4 layers.

This gives you 22 bales per roll on the outside and 33 on the inside ones.

It is a bit of a faff though, I didn't do it the last 2 years but may do again this time for economic reasons.

The Tanco bale shear a good and handy thing for me, saves loads of time.

I stopped chopping bales as there was a lot more waste from ring feeders, barriers not so much.

 

[Tomo23]

We work on a 45 - 50% DM round bale being around 600kg. That's chopped through a Lely baler.

 

[DrDunc]

Perimeter of 3x4x5.5 foot is 7.7m
Perimeter of 4 foot 6 round is 5.2m

If the same number of turns (say 24 for 6 layer) rounds use 33% less plastic. However you also have the option to apply 5 or even 4 layers to rounds, especially if wrapped at the stack. If you scrimp on wrap onto squares, the corners will mould.

Volume of 3x4x5.5 foot is 1.9m³
Volume of 4'6" (1.35m) round is 1.8m³

In my experience, rounds will be every bit as heavy (same density) as squares, or even heavier depending upon the driver. Chopped bales of 50% dry matter were 600 to 650kg from Krone comprima variable chamber baler. Similar forage baled and chopped with the replacement new Kuhn fixed chamber are weighing up to 750kg. Bales of young grass at 35% DM out the Kuhn are 1000 to 1100kg



Long story short, 4'6" rounds properly chopped and baled weigh at least the same as the squares made for @Extreme Optimist , can be safely stored for a year with 4 layers, and use less than half the plastic......

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Get it as dry as you dare ,less bales then , round bales coming in here avarage 500 kg but hell of a variation

 

[hally]

From a quality point of view though the longer grass lies before it is baled the more it deteriates so there is a sweet spot for bales in terms of dry matter versus quality. Personally unless feeding dry cows or such like I don’t like this exceptionally dry hayledge, it is also bad to ferment properly unless wrapped with six layers.

 

[davidroberts30]

From a quality point of view though the longer grass lies before it is baled the more it deteriates so there is a sweet spot for bales in terms of dry matter versus quality. Personally unless feeding dry cows or such like I don’t like this exceptionally dry hayledge, it is also bad to ferment properly unless wrapped with six layers.

It's a nightmare even with 6 layers

 

[hally]

It's a nightmare even with 6 layers

tbh assuming the weather is right you might as well make hay and dispense with wrapping altogether

 

[davidroberts30]

tbh assuming the weather is right you might as well make hay and dispense with wrapping altogether

Yes but got the few customers who dont want hay but nice dry haylage
shed space would also be a issue here

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Perimeter of 3x4x5.5 foot is 7.7m
Perimeter of 4 foot 6 round is 5.2m

If the same number of turns (say 24 for 6 layer) rounds use 33% less plastic. However you also have the option to apply 5 or even 4 layers to rounds, especially if wrapped at the stack. If you scrimp on wrap onto squares, the corners will mould.

Volume of 3x4x5.5 foot is 1.9m³
Volume of 4'6" (1.35m) round is 1.8m³

In my experience, rounds will be every bit as heavy (same density) as squares, or even heavier depending upon the driver. Chopped bales of 50% dry matter were 600 to 650kg from Krone comprima variable chamber baler. Similar forage baled and chopped with the replacement new Kuhn fixed chamber are weighing up to 750kg. Bales of young grass at 35% DM out the Kuhn are 1000 to 1100kg



Long story short, 4'6" rounds properly chopped and baled weigh at least the same as the squares made for @Extreme Optimist , can be safely stored for a year with 4 layers, and use less than half the plastic......

Thank you. That pretty much confirms what I was thnking. Using 50% of the plastic is a hell of a saving - particularly this year!!

 

[Sid]

How does the cost of baling compare as well?

Iirc we swapped from square to round to use less plastic and cheaper baling costs