Feed Technical Message Week 31 –
Winter Fodder
Winter Fodder
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Do not run short during Sring 2014.
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Work through the following to determine winter fodder quantity :
Know the length of housing , is it 150 days or 180 days ? , experience will tell.
Estimate stock numbers for the housing period.
Estimate how much each animal will eat per month.
Do the calculation.
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Measure what is already in the silage pit.
For example :
Housing period - 150 days , 5 months.
Stock numbers - 75 cows , 25 in calf heifers , 25 weanlings.
How much will each eat per month ? - Cow 1.5 tonnes , In calf heifer 1.25 t , Weanling
0.75 t.
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Do the calculation 75 cows x 5 months x 1.5 tonnes per month
= 563 tonnes fresh weight silage
25 in calf heifers x 5 months x 1.25 tonnes per month = 156 tonnes
25 weanlings x 5 months x 0.75 tonnes per month
= 95 tonnes
Total
= 814 tonnes of silage required.
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Allow at least 10% as a buffer reserve.
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Total including buffer
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Measure what is already in the pits - each 45 cubic feet of space holds one tonne
silage.
First Cut - 50 acres cut - Pit size , 120 feet long , 25 feet wide and 8 feet high.
Amount of silage - 120 x 25 x 8 divided by 45 = 533 tonnes of pitted first cut silage.
Second Cut - 35 acres cut - Pit size , 80 feet long , 25 feet wide and 7 feet high.
Amount of silage - 80 x 25 x 7 divided by 45 = 311 tonnes of pitted second cut silage.
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Estimated total amount of pitted silage = 844 tonnes
Estimated total amount required
= 895 tonnes
Deficit of 51 tonnes of pitted grass silage.
Always aim to have a surplus , this example is using 5.4 tonnes silage per day.
If all animasl are housed for an extra 10 days, 54 tonnes additional is required.
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If surplus paddock grass was baled during the grazing season it will help the surplus.
High dry matter baled silage is a very flexible and valuable buffer feed.
Extending the grazing season or getting stock out earlier will also help.
Finish forward cattle at grass with concentrate will spare silage.
Cull cows not in calf before housing.
Feeding 1kg of straw to all stock in good body condition will spare 4 to 5 kgs of silage
per day.
Feeding 1kg of straw to 125 animals will spare 625 kgs of silage per day or 94 tonnes in
total over 150 days.
Feeding 1kg of concentrate will spare 4 to 5 kgs of silage depending on silage dry
matter.
Feeding 1kg of concentrate to 125 animals will spare 625 kgs of silage per day or 94
tonnes in total over 150 days.
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= 895 tonnes of silage required.
Feeding a combined 1kg of straw and 1kg of concentrate allows a total saving of 188 tonnes
of silage for 125 animals over 150 days.
Plan now for the winter ahead, start saving silage early.