Do you know what is the difference between fresh-cut plants and silage and why the fodders are wrapped into it? The fresh ones are the cut plants without the fermentation process. Meanwhile, silage is otherwise. It is the cut plants that have been fermented or acidified. This fermentation process is to preserve the silage as animals fodder to face famine season. In famine season (usually in the dry season), the fresh plants are not in the best condition. The natural water supply (rainfall) is very low.
Some kinds of the plant even couldn’t survive. Preserving fodder is needed every time. But in a certain season when it is hard for plants to grow, the benefit of preservation is higher. In preserving the fodder, farmers have some methods. One favorite method is to wrap the silage with silage film. Although the name is ‘silage’ film, this wrap can also wrap the other fodder like maize and hay.
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How Long Will The Silage Last After Being Wrapped?
After being wrapped, the silage should stay longer because that is the point of preservation. The fermentation process is not enough to preserve the fodder. The silage that has 40% to 60% moisture can last a whole year if the wrap is not ruined. However, to avoid premature rottenness, the wrapped silage is highly suggested to give the wrapped fodder to the animals in a maximum of 10 months. In 10 months, the forage in the silage film certainly performs great quality. Feeding the husbandry animals with the wrapped silage can be started at least two months after the wrapping process. Before starting to use the new silage bale, the farmers could use the silage bale that was wrapped in the previous period.
A Roll Of Silage Film’s Value
This does not talk about the price but about the amount of the bales that a roll of silage film could wrap. This wrap could come from different brands, so the number is only an approximation or the parameter. The number is not the exact number. Moreover, some farmers like to wrap the bales with extra covers. The maximum number of bales of one roll silage film is 32 (4 layers for each bale). For extra coverage because of the upcoming extreme season, a roll of the wrap could wrap 21-23 bales. If the bales are less than 21 (under 20), maybe you need to evaluate your wrapping process. The overused wrapping film can cause bulky wrap. If each bale is bulk, you need a larger space to store the bales.
Why We Need Silage Film?
For husbandry, especially cow husbandry that produces milk, silage is the best fodder. Silage is nutritious with a high energy source that can support cows to produce milk in a good amount. It is suggested to give silage and other plants for cows to be more productive. However, always provide silage as a livestock staple food. Besides, silage has no extreme smell. Sometimes, it even has no smell at all.
To make odorless silage, the best substance is lactic acid. It also results in an earthy smell which signifies that the silage is good. Then it is wrapped with the film to get maximum preservation. So, before wrapping the silage, make sure that the silage is of good quality by checking the smell. If the smell is not good (extreme or has a non-earthy smell), it might be stored for no more than 12 months. If the livestock refuses to eat it, there is still something you can do.
Deal With The Stinky Silage Bale
When opening the wrapped silage bale, sometimes an unwanted thing happens. During the storage, some of the silage might get rotten. It results in bad smells. For grass silage, the smell might be like rotten meat or the smell of vomit.
For maize silage, the bad smell might be vinegary. In other cases, the smell of the maize silage is fruity, smell like alcohol, buttery, and buttery that are good for us to smell. However, it indicates that the fermentation substance is excessive. Many farmers assumed the smell was a good sign, but it is wrong.
The other kinds of smell are tobacco, caramel, and ammonia. The two smells (tobacco and caramel) show that the silage loses sugar, while ammonia smells show protein breakdown. Cows could eat silage with tobacco smell, but they might be uncomfortable with the ammonia smell.
To overcome the stinky fodder, there are two ways. The first way, before making silage, make sure that all the ingredients are in good condition. Set the fermentation substance in the proper amount. The first way is only possible for the next batch. For the silage that is already ruined and stinky, you can remove the thickest smell spot and any rot silage. Then blend the silage with the good silage. Some farmers use this method and work. So, the ruined silage in the silage film is not wasted too much.