Harvesting of haylage: technology and storage rules

In livestock farms, silage and haylage are widely used. They presuppose the execution of operations of wilting vegetation, after which the forage stock enters the hermetic vaults. The use of high-quality harvested haylage makes it possible to provide cattle with fodder at minimal cost. At the same time, some methods of preparing herbal mass make it possible to use the finished product as a dry mixture, which also opens up opportunities for mechanization of the feeding process. Obviously, the technology of harvesting silage and silage can significantly improve the efficiency of the farm. The main thing is to correctly implement the method in practice.

What is senage?

Senage can be treated in different ways. From a functional point of view, this is the fodder base for livestock, and if we consider the material taking into account its origin, we should talk about the aggregate mass of plants of different varieties. Usually senazhom is considered to be food, harvested by special technology from cereals and legumes. Much importance in the process of creating a material has a way of storing. Among the key conditions for the completion of this stage of procurement is a complete lack of access to air. As noted by technology, this nuance makes it possible to provide future feed with the necessary nutritional base. On the other hand, harvesting haylage in such conditions can not but contribute to the development of harmful bacteria.

Plant preparation for haylage

For harvesting it is recommended to use not only leguminous-cereals, but also alfalfa with clover. Quality haylage from legumes can be obtained only if mowing was performed in the budding stage. If we are talking about cereals, then the optimal phase for the assembly will be the output into the tube. Disturbances in the timing of the beginning of the bevel of plants are reflected in the quality of the feed, especially in the case of grass grasses.

Mowing in the stage of vegetative development contributes to the provision of the feed mixture with crude protein. In this case, silage and silage harvesting should be planned in advance, since the mowing period should not exceed 10 days. The high speed of cleaning is due to the fact that drying of the harvested mass on the field is unacceptable due to the loss of useful properties of the material. Also, during the harvesting of herbs, the uniformity of the foraging of the feed should be ensured.

Determination of plant moisture

Immediately after collection it is important to determine the moisture content of the harvested mass. When the liquid content in grasses is more than 60%, further storage will occur according to the type of ensiling. If the humidity level is reduced to 40%, then the loss of important elements of the feed may be observed. At a factor below 20%, a decrease in the concentration of carotene is observed. For this reason, it is necessary to carefully monitor the moisture content of the raw materials. For this, different methods are used. In particular, the classic technology of harvesting silage and silage involves the use of a Chizhov moisture meter. Also, the moisture level can be determined by the technique of repeated weighing. In practice, this parameter is controlled as follows: 10 kg of crooked vegetation is laid out on the frame with gauze hanging, as well as on stubble. If the sample reaches a weight of the order of 6 kg, the mass is considered suitable for canning.

Bookmark the silage

The finished mass is laid in concrete trenches with hermetic cover by a polyethylene film. Along the edges, the material deepens between the walls and canned vegetation to a depth of about 50 cm. Next, a 2-cm layer is poured with quicklime, this measure protects the future food from rodents. Also, the storage of haylage in the film provides straw laying with a layer about 25 cm high. But this method of conservation requires that mowing of the grass be made as high as possible. This is due to the fact that a selection of rolls can be performed according to the same procedure as in the case of unground grass. That is, the laid grass will have different characteristics, but further ramming operations are performed with the same load.

To reduce the difference in the initial parameters of cereal and bean grass, it is recommended to increase the cutoff level in individual cases. The fact is that the machinery for harvesting haylage at the stage of mowing involves the use of pick-ups-shredders, which equally serve the grass of different varieties. Balanced control of the height of the cut allows you to lay a single trench and unmilled mass.

Film laying

After the formation of the main mass for preservation, one more layer of grass can be laid over for sealing purposes. After this, the final cover of the compacted mixture is performed. To do this, you can use a canopy based on a polymer film. In this case, lapping is not recommended. In places where the lining of the edges are formed, the development of mold at the depth of haymaking is often observed up to 20 cm. It is desirable to glue the parts of the films into panels that correspond to the size of the trench. Polyethylene material can be welded around the edges by warm welding, and polychlorvinyl is optimally bonded with glue. Also, haymaking with cover can be carried out using adhesive tape. It is recommended to form a flooring of strips with a width of at least 8 cm. After the operation, the surface of the film is covered with earth, peat and sawdust. The purpose of this coating slightly converges with mulching, which protects the ground and plants from freezing.

Optimum storage conditions

If the main task in the preparation of raw materials for haylage is to control the moisture of the grass, then after the bookmark should pay attention to the quality of sealing. The quality of protection of the material from self-heating depends on this. In other words, it is important to ensure the complete cessation of the access of air flows to the senage mass. Oxygen, penetrated into the formed trench, is rapidly absorbed by the plants. As a result, the mass loses its nutrients, the harvesting of haylage in the future will be ineffective. To prevent disastrous phenomena of this kind is possible only under the condition of maintaining tightness, which is achieved at the stage of laying film material without seams. Experts also envisage the implementation of a whole range of measures to combat the development of microbes. In particular, if the concentration of dry components in the mixture is increased, this will slow the reproduction of putrefactive and oleaginous bacteria. Measures to eliminate mold fungi, as a rule, reduce to compaction and shelter of the hay mass.

Hay harvesting technique

The method of manufacturing a cavity has its own nuances. The matter is that the space of the closed storage is filled with carbon dioxide and partly with nitrogen. At the time of depressurization, this mixture is replaced by air, resulting in the active development of harmful microorganisms. For this reason, it is important to consume the feed as quickly as possible, rationally performing the excavation. If the haymaking was carried out in a trench, then after removing the shelter, the mass should be cut by vertical layers not less than 50 cm high. The cutting and subsequent excavation are done in such a way that the integrity of the remaining layer is not violated. It is not difficult to comply with this requirement if the operation is performed with the help of grader loaders.

Features of rolled haylage

This method of preservation of haylage provides for the execution of the billet with the placement of the mass not in a trench, but in a special package. But before this, the rolls are formed with the pressing of grass. As a rule, the harvesting of haylage in rolls is carried out with the help of gripper-canters. This equipment, which allows you to twist layers of plant mass with the maintenance of the desired shape and compliance with the requirements for tying.

The material is placed in the packaging right on the storage site, not far from the farm. The faster the corn is pumped into a container, the greater the probability of preserving nutrients, including protein, sugar, carotene, etc. As the technology requires for the preparation of haylage in the package, the sealing material must be a cylindrical film, for example, agrostreich.

Advantages of roll haylage

For the most part, the advantages of this method are due to the high mechanization of the process. In any case, the use of modern technology allows you to increase the speed of the formation of rolls, to ensure the safety of useful properties of feed. The advantages of the film itself are also noted, in which coils with a grass mass are laid. It provides a sealed storage, reliably protected from moisture, air and ultraviolet rays. As a result, the harvesting of haylage in the package makes it possible to increase the productivity of the cattle farm. Eliminating the need to use concentrated feed additives, for example, causes an increase in milk yield.

Determination of the quality of haylage

In the process of storing the harvested mass and before the work of the digging, an organoleptic control is carried out, which makes it possible to determine the qualitative characteristics of the future silage. In particular, experts fix the structure of the material, odor and shade. If the technology of harvesting silage was correctly observed, then the color will be olive or yellow-green. As for the smell, it should resemble sourish-fruity shades. At the same time, the mass should not be smeared, but also have mucus. At the same time, it can quite conserve whole leaves, fragments of stems, grains and beans. The most important thing is that in the senage there are no traces of mold and fungal processes.

Conclusion

The very concept of senage comes from the desire of farmers to save feed resources. At the same time, the use of this technology does not mean a decrease in the quality of the food product of cattle. It is on the preservation and maintenance of a sufficient nutritional base that hay and haymaking are traditionally oriented. This concerns not only the requirements for the content of the ready-made basis for feed, but also the stages of preparation of the grass mass. In particular, even at the bevel stage, it is recommended to prepare the material correctly for further laying, to determine, among other things, moisture indicators. Further control of ensuring the safety of useful elements provides for compliance with the rules for laying silage and its further excavation.