Proper silage feedout management is essential to maintaining consistent and high-quality ensiled forages and high-moisture grains. Research shows poor face management can easily double shrink losses.
Besides the financial loss associated with shrink, feed quality and consistency can vary dramatically and may contribute to livestock production and health problems.
Porosity is the enemy, so proper moisture (to fill in the air spaces), particle size, compaction (density) and sealing methods also are key to maintaining anaerobic conditions. It also is advisable to remove and dispose of visible moldy feed from the sides and top of the storage structure and to not allow loose, aerated silage to pile up for extended periods of time before feeding.
Proper feedout practices are especially important during warm periods of the year because the biological activity of aerobic bacteria and yeast organisms increases twofold for every 10°F increase in temperature. Consequently, it becomes particularly challenging to stay ahead of aerobic instability during the spring and summer.
It is common to have bunk-life problems with harvested forages that have been rained on before being chopped and ensiled. Rain can splash soil-borne bacteria and fungi (mold) onto the crop, effectively “seeding” the silage with spoilage organisms. Crops stressed by drought, insect damage or hail damage generally will possess elevated fungi counts, dictating that proper management practices be followed when ensiling these stressed crops.
The first criterion for stable silage is obtaining a low terminal pH. This produces a hostile environment that inhibits the propagation of spoilage microorganisms such as aerobic bacteria, yeast and molds. Inoculants containing Lactobacillus buchneri strains also have been a tremendous benefit to inhibiting, in particular, the growth of yeast. A second criterion for stable silage is the maintenance of an anaerobic, or oxygen-free, environment for as much of the silage as possible.
Silages should be removed from bunker and pile faces by shaving the silage face from top to bottom or peeling the silage horizontally with the front-end loader bucket, rather than by lifting the bucket from the bottom to the top. Lifting creates fracture lines in the silage mass, thus allowing oxygen to enter and sustain aerobic activity. Even when removing the desirable 6 inches daily from the silage face, oxygen can still penetrate several feet into the stored mass, thus allowing aerobes to generate heat that is not easily dissipated off the face. Using an inoculant containing L. buchneri allows for reduced feedout rates while still maintaining aerobic stability.
Silage facers are becoming increasingly popular because they “blend” feed across the entire face and cleanly remove the silage without disrupting compaction or producing air fissures, which is often the result of improper use of front-end loaders.
Producers often split excessively wide bunkers down the middle to increase feedout rates. However, thermal imagery of bunkers managed in this fashion has shown that oxygen penetrates the open side, causing heating and dry matter loss upward of 3 feet into the silage mass. When bunkers are inoculated with inoculants containing L. buchneri, it is recommended to feed across the entire face of large bunkers or piles, even if only removing 2 to 3 inches per day, rather than splitting the bunker and exposing the side to prolonged oxygen exposure.
There has been an alarming increase in reported incidents of silage avalanches causing machinery damage (front-end loader windows) or, of greater concern, worker injury or death. It is imperative to think about safety, whether it’s taking forage samples from bunker or pile faces, conducting density measurements, removing spoiled feed or simply operating buckets or facers. Several companies forbid employees to even approach silage bunkers or piles due to the liability concerns.
Here is a list of safety reminders for working around silage bunkers or piles:
- A second individual should always be present at the bunker when sampling feed, removing top spoilage or testing bunker densities.
- Be extremely careful removing top spoilage. A safety vest cabled to a secure wire or post can prevent dangerous falls.
- It is recommended to obtain feed samples at the mixer wagon and not at the silage face.
- When standing on the top of horizontal bunkers, stay at least 15 feet behind the face and do not approach if the integrity of the face is at all questionable.
- Do not be lifted in front-end loader or skid-steer buckets to procure samples or check densities from higher points.
- Be cautious of avalanches in silages with an obvious layer of dry silage between two moist layers.
- Be careful walking around bunkers and piles that have visible silage leachate and slippery, wet conditions. PD
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Bill Seglar
- Dairy Nutritionist
- DuPont Pioneer
PHOTO: Shaving bunker faces top-to-bottom will prevent fracture lines where oxygen can enter the pile and degrade the feed. Staff photo.
