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Forage Facts October 2007
Reduce Forage Feedout Losses
With
limited forage supplies this year, it is more important than ever to
maximize the utilization of the forage on hand.
This includes reducing the amount of forage lost during storage and
feedout. What losses occur when feeding dry hay? Limiting
cattle access to dry hay bales is the single greatest way to reduce forage
feedout losses. Livestock
trample, over-consume, foul, and use for bedding 25 to 45% of hay when it
is fed without restrictions (Table 1).
Cattle
waste less hay when the amount fed is limited.
Twenty-five percent more hay is needed when hay is fed with
unlimited supply than when a one-day supply is fed.
Feeding hay daily according to diet needs can reduce hay loss.
A dry, pregnant cow will consume 20-30% more hay than her needs
when allowed free access to hay. Daily
feeding will force livestock to eat what they might otherwise refuse,
over-consume, trample, and waste. Daily
feeding is more efficient, especially when hay is fed free access.
Cattle will waste 45% more hay when a 4-day supply of hay is
offered vs. a single day supply. No
matter how hay is fed, efforts to limit access to hay and offering a
single day supply per feeding reduce hay losses.
What dry losses occur in silage storage
systems? Dry
matter losses during feedout occur with any silage storage systems.
Losses occur during the actual feedout and refusal and wastage by
the animals. Maintaining
anaerobic conditions within the storage structure are critical for
long-term silage storage. Once
the structure is opened and silage exposed to oxygen, dry matter losses
will begin to occur more rapidly. A smooth, firm silage face fed-out at an
appropriate rate is key to reducing silage feedout losses. Table
2 indicates the average percent feeding loss for silages stored in
specific structures.
How many inches of silage should be removed
from the bunker face? The
removal from the face critically affects feedout loss and animal
performance. Recommended
removal rates are 6 inches/day or greater.
Removal rates should never be lower than 4 inches/day in the summer
and 3 inches/day in the winter. At
no time should more than 3 days of silage be unprotected by plastic cover. Bunker
silos and bagged forage losses can vary widely depending on management of
the face. Some studies have
indicated that by removing more than 6 inches off the face, losses can be
reduced to around 5%. If less
than 5 inches is taken off, then upwards of 10% or more can be lost. What bunker removal techniques are
recommended? Many
methods of silage removal are used on farms.
Perhaps the most common is the bucket loader.
It is preferred that silage be sliced from the top and allowed to
fall to the floor. Any method
that results in dislodging the face
silage, creating gouges, cracks and potholes allows air to penetrate deep
into the stack leading to increased deterioration.
Bunker silos that are fed out using a face manager can reduce feed
losses as long as all loosened silage is fed.3 Particle
length can be affected by face managers and should be monitored closely.
It is also important to closely estimate the amount of forage
needed to ensure that all loosened forage is fed. How can dry matter losses be reduced in bags? Remove
at least 6 inches/day. Uncover
only what will be used for that feeding. With bags, it is always important
to close the bag off after each feeding to reduce losses. The site of the
bag is important to reduce feedout losses.
If placed near a wet area or on a soft surface, removal will be
difficult and additional forage could be lost. Is there dry matter loss with tower silos? Feedout
losses with tower silos can occur a few different ways.
The main point is to remove at least 4 inches/day from the surface.
Dry matter losses occur as soon as oxygen is reintroduced to the
silage. Dry matter losses due
to wind can be high if the silage is directed into a conveyor with no
protective shelter or cover. Properly
stored silage in tower silos, which feed into a feeding station or feed
room where wind will have little effect, can have the lowest feedout
losses of any structure (see Table 2).
Making sure all conveyors have covers, drop pans and liners in will
reduce losses. Holes in
conveyor liners will allow forage to fall through, subjecting it to wind
loss or being unavailable to the animal. How is feed loss limited during feedout? Since
feedout losses begin when silage is exposed to oxygen, it is important to
remove no more feed than will be fed in a given feeding.
Not only is dry matter lost in the unfed silage, animal performance
is also lost. For example,
when dairy cows were fed corn silage that had been exposed for four days,
dry matter intake dropped 38%. The
ambient temperature has a major influence on the aerobic stability of
silage. Dry matter robbing
microbes increase exponentially with temperature up to 130ºF.
This means silage fed-out during warm weather will deteriorate
faster that silage fed in colder weather. If possible, attempt to feed
several times per day on hot days. Pushing
up feed regularly to encourage animals to consume silage and reduce
exposure to oxygen will reduce dry matter loss and refusal.
If forages are left in mangers or bunks by milk cows, these forages
can be fed to heifers or dry cows. Another
way to reduce dry matter loss is to not overfill the feed wagon or TMR
mixer. Forage spilled in
transport from the storage area to the animal can’t be recovered.
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We reserve the right to change product specifications at any time. The information contained here is reasonably accurate at the time of posting, however we rely on the warranty and product specifications on the products themselves, not the information on the site. Crop Cure® is a trademark of Domain, Inc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Copyright © 2001, 2002 Crop Cure®. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
