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by Suryaa |
Green fodder is available except once during summer of the year. Green fodder is mostly available in winter, especially during the rainy season. At such times the farmers generously put more fodder in front of the cattle than they need for the cattle wool.
Most of the fodder is wasted. Instead of wasting fodder, plenty of available fodder can be stored in a variety of ways to come to fruition during times of drought in summer. Fodder can be stored in two ways. One of them is storing green fodder as dry fodder and the other is potting grass which is called silage grass making. Of these, silage grass production is favorable to farmers.
Preparation of silage
Fodder such as sorghum hybrid napier is suitable for silage production. When it comes to the method of preparation, the process of digging a hole in the ground and storing fodder in it is called potting or silage making. The sock can be arranged in a non-rounded or square shape. The size of the sock should be determined by the number of cattle and the length of time the fodder is needed.
Silage fodder can be given at the rate of 20 kg per head per day. For example, let us look at the method of making fodder silage which is enough for 3 months for 5 dairy cattle per farmer. Each animal can be fed 20 kg of silage per day.
According to this calculation, 5 cattle will need 12,000 kg of silage for 3 months. To make such silage, a pit 25 feet long, 8 feet wide and 5 feet deep should be dug. These pits should be set up on a high place where water is not stored. If a thin wall is built with bricks and coated with cement, it will protect against rain water entering.
The texture selected for the preparation of silage should be allowed to rise to the new stage. Then cut the fodder and put it in the milk in the sun. Dry in light sun until moisture is well reduced. Fodder should be rotated when the sun is high.
The bottom (sock) of the pot (sock) should be coated with cement or at least covered with a polythene sheet or dry straw. This will prevent the soil from breaking down and damaging the silage together. The dried fodder should be cut into small pieces.
Fill the bowl with chopped fodder. Care should be taken to avoid air while filling like this. It is a good idea to start this work in the morning. The layers in the ditch are layered with forage, preventing air from reaching it. The fodder mold will deteriorate if exposed to air.
Fill the top of the sock until it is crescent shaped and cover it with polythene paper or straw and cover it with soil 10-15 cm thick. If the soil is covered with manure, the holes will be filled and it will be more protective.
The grass in the pot will not spoil for 2-3 years. When opening the hole for use, one corner should be slightly opened and closed again, without opening the whole covering. Once the hole is opened it should be used completely within a month.
Suckling
Cattle should be fed silage after milking or 4 hours before milking. Otherwise the milk will have the smell of silage.
