Silage

[M-J-G]

But plastic is designed to stretch. It will naturally try to contract and pull the bale tighter. I've not once seen a bale split open due to pressure, only from rough handling. It's friction that causes splits and weaknesses in the plastic. When a stack sags, the bales just slump together rather than rubbing against one another.

Most of our silage grass is stemmy sugary ryegrass but but we have plenty of leafy stuff too. All of it feeds out better when chopped. Chopped grass is also more palatable and easier for the cows to pull out of a bale and digest. Our whole stack reeks of sugar this year as you drive past it

No we don't have a clamp and I don't wan't to feed clamp silage to them TBH. I believe around 10-15cm is the optimum chop length for cattle. Very short grass is not as good for the rumen

At the end of the day chopped bales work well for us and turn a very good profit. The cows milk well on it and put on goood condition. The last 2 barren holstein cows we sold were 754kg @ £1123 for the small one and 862kg @ £1336 for the big one so they seem do ok on it

I recall reading a study that suggested that once a bale is wrapped the sooner it's placed and the less it changes shape the better, due to the plastic loosing it's clinging ability after it's stuck once meaning they don't seal as well of they slump or settled too much after wrapping.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I recall reading a study that suggested that once a bale is wrapped the sooner it's placed and the less it changes shape the better, due to the plastic loosing it's clinging ability after it's stuck once meaning they don't seal as well of they slump or settled too much after wrapping.

The good thing about fusion balers too, is that as soon as the bale is made it needed to be wrapped, then as you say, as soon as it's wrapped it needs putting in it's final place.

 

[Sid]

The good thing about fusion balers too, is that as soon as the bale is made it needed to be wrapped, then as you say, as soon as it's wrapped it needs putting in it's final place.

Agree with the wrap ASAP part.

Worse thing about a fusion is bales get left for days weeks and months.

7 days is recommended latest time for moving a bake as after that wrap can unstick and allow oxygen into the bale.

 

[M-J-G]

Personally I'd class stacking immediately after wrapping more important than wrapping immediately after baling.