ENSILAGE MAKING

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1934, Page 24 (Supplement)

ENSILAGE MAKING

SIZE OF SILO REQUIRED. HERD DETERMINING FACTOR. The size of the herd determines within fairly well defined limits the most useful size of silo to erect, says the New Zealand Dairyman. Not only is the total content of the silo important, but the cross-section of the silo should be such that when feeding out the silage not less a depth than 2 inches over the whole surface of the fodder (and, if possible, 3 inches) will be used up each day; this prevents the surface silage from becoming mouldy. For a herd of thirty cows a suitable silo would be one 14 feet 6 inches in diameter and 28 feet high, such a structure holding feed for 160 days, calculated at the rate of 401 b per cow per day. If greater capacity than this is required it is recommended that twin silos be erected.

The following table of capacities will be useful in determining the size of silo to build:—

The silo favoured by the experts is one 28 feet high with a diameter of 14 feet 6 inches, having a capacity of 85 tons. If excavating a pit silo it is better to have two silos each 35 tons than one to hold 70 tons. Two such pits would hold sufficient silage to feed thirty-five cows for over three and a half months, allowing 401 b for each cow per day. A pit silo of 35 tons capacity would need to be 50 feet long at the top and 20 feet at the bottom, 5 to 6 feet deep, 9 feet wide at the top and 8 feet at the bottom.

Height. Diameter. Capacity. feet. ft. in. tons. 25 12 0 50 25 14 0 70 25 16 0 90 28 14 6 85 30 16 0 107 35 16 0 125 35 18 0 160