Maize silage: how dry matter affects feed value
Maize silage is whole-plant maize chopped, packed and fermented for winter feeding. Its feed value depends on dry matter at harvest. For maize silage at 25–30 per cent dry matter, the average is 28.2 per cent dry matter as fed.
What should you check for each maize silage batch?
Note the harvest date, silo or pit, dry matter result and how much silage you use each week. Check each batch separately: dry matter affects the energy and fibre a cow receives, and a seasonal average can hide differences. Typical figures for maize silage at 25–30 per cent dry matter are an average of 28.2 per cent dry matter as fed and a range of 24.1 to 30.0 per cent.
Questions from the farm
Is maize silage the same as silage?
Silage means fermented forage; maize silage is made specifically from the whole maize plant. Treat it as a separate feed when planning your ration, using its own dry matter value.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
HerdMobile helps you use each maize silage batch's dry matter and feed analysis results when planning the ration, keeping different silages separate.
