Hi protein silage

sucklerlover

This year I want to try and make higher protein silage so I can cut out concentrates in the winter.this would be fed to the weanlings.last year silage was 13% protein and 74 dmd. I said it to my friend who has a diet feeder and he told me one year he used high protein molasses to up protein in the diet.
If I were to try and apply molasses on the Sward before baling do you think this would bring my silage up to 16% or is there an easier way than all this messing.
I'm caught for head room so ideally I just want to feed all bales.
Tia.

trixi2011

Cut early before grass starts to head out. Cut here 15 of may last year grass only growing 6 weeks 84 dmd and 18% protien wouldnt of been the heaviest crops but thats the compromise you have to make

freedominacup

trixi2011 wrote: »

Cut early before grass starts to head out. Cut here 15 of may last year grass only growing 6 weeks 84 dmd and 18% protien wouldnt of been the heaviest crops but thats the compromise you have to make

Contractor provisionally booked for thurs here. 82 and 19% here last yr.

Good loser

Molasses is very low in protein - unless urea is added and this is just Nitrogen, not true protein. I think ruminants can convert urea N to protein in low percentages.

Wouldn't dream of applying molasses to sward. Much cheaper to buy soya.

davidk1394

If the crop is light to ye bale it all or put it into a pit ?

Milked out

To add to the lads cutting early is important but spread S as well on the crop

Night Nav

A few questions to the few lads that are getting hi protein in their silage
Are ye using any additive in the silage?
Is there clover in the sward?
What type of grass seed mix are ye using hibrid or normal grasses ?

freedominacup

Night Nav wrote: »

A few questions to the few lads that are getting hi protein in their silage
Are ye using any additive in the silage?
Is there clover in the sward?
What type of grass seed mix are ye using hibrid or normal grasses ?

No. No. Off the shelf silage mix no real idea what's in it.

blackdog1

Normally end up at about 76 dmd and 15-16% p and cut around May 25th. It's a fine line between quality and bulk.

leg wax

freedominacup wrote: »

Contractor provisionally booked for thurs here. 82 and 19% here last yr.

will you go ahead on thursday after all that rain, need 2 good days drying first no.......

freedominacup

leg wax wrote: »

will you go ahead on thursday after all that rain, need 2 good days drying first no.......

Mower in this morning. Can't attach pics.
Urea ordered for Tue evening to catch the rain. Will book contractor for last couple of days in Jun for second cut.

Timmaay

freedominacup wrote: »

Mower in this morning. Can't attach pics.
Urea ordered for Tue evening to catch the rain. Will book contractor for last couple of days in Jun for second cut.

Making me itch now ha. Late next week hopefully. 20acres defo getting pitted, another 13 acres which I could either put in then, bale then and keep for winter milkers or wait till June 1st...

leg wax

freedominacup wrote: »

Mower in this morning. Can't attach pics.
Urea ordered for Tue evening to catch the rain. Will book contractor for last couple of days in Jun for second cut.

just after putting mower on for morning, slurry out tue,15 acres plus 1/2 paddocks.

freedominacup

leg wax wrote: »

just after putting mower on for morning, slurry out tue,15 acres plus 1/2 paddocks.

Had a little moment here around 5 o'clock. Caught the edge of a thunder shower or maybe one that never properly developed. The drops hardly joined up on the tractor bonnet but it was squeaky bum time all the same.

degetme

Five paddocks cut and thrown out. Hoping to bale monday.

C4d78

20ac cut. Hope to bale Monday. Should be super quality.

freedominacup

Bit of a move on in this area. Got a phonecall from another contractor checking if I wanted slurry spread. He's finishing a job in the area and once that's done they're heading back to hook on baler and wagon. Mower moving atm. If we wanted the ground covered he'd have gotten to us as he was heading home.

Spring moves north at around a mile per hour. I assume heading out moves at the same pace. First ryegrass heads I saw around here were on Wed in silage ground. At a mile per hour this puts heading out north of Dublin by this evening. Passed you yesterday Tim. Forecast for the second half of next week isn't great. Late next week could be early the following one very fast. Cows increased solids and litres when we had to house them in March this year compared to getting 50% plus of their forage as grazed grass. The quality first cut discussion for 2017 starts on Wed as it'll be finished for this year by then.

CloughCasey1

freedominacup wrote: »

Bit of a move on in this area. Got a phonecall from another contractor checking if I wanted slurry spread. He's finishing a job in the area and once that's done they're heading back to hook on baler and wagon. Mower moving atm. If we wanted the ground covered he'd have gotten to us as he was heading home.

Spring moves north at around a mile per hour. I assume heading out moves at the same pace. First ryegrass heads I saw around here were on Wed in silage ground. At a mile per hour this puts heading out north of Dublin by this evening. Passed you yesterday Tim. Forecast for the second half of next week isn't great. Late next week could be early the following one very fast. Cows increased solids and litres when we had to house them in March this year compared to getting 50% plus of their forage as grazed grass. The quality first cut discussion for 2017 starts on Wed as it'll be finished for this year by then.

Sorry in advance for my ignorance on the subject. I think I read a post from Frazz or GG before stating that with the right amount of Nitrogen in the ground that the growing crop would push out the heading out of seed date?

freedominacup

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

Sorry in advance for my ignorance on the subject. I think I read a post from Frazz or GG before stating that with the right amount of Nitrogen in the ground that the growing crop would push out the heading out of seed date?

You could be right but most crops react to prompts from weather/daylight hours. Lack of N could cause it to happen sooner due to stress maybe. Heading date here is between the 12th and 15th of May. After that your quality feed starts to turn to undigestible crap.

Timmaay

freedominacup wrote: »

Bit of a move on in this area. Got a phonecall from another contractor checking if I wanted slurry spread. He's finishing a job in the area and once that's done they're heading back to hook on baler and wagon. Mower moving atm. If we wanted the ground covered he'd have gotten to us as he was heading home.

Spring moves north at around a mile per hour. I assume heading out moves at the same pace. First ryegrass heads I saw around here were on Wed in silage ground. At a mile per hour this puts heading out north of Dublin by this evening. Passed you yesterday Tim. Forecast for the second half of next week isn't great. Late next week could be early the following one very fast. Cows increased solids and litres when we had to house them in March this year compared to getting 50% plus of their forage as grazed grass. The quality first cut discussion for 2017 starts on Wed as it'll be finished for this year by then.

Late to the party but jsut in time.

Dawggone

Timmaay wrote: »

Late to the party but jsut in time.

Leaving skips at the corner...now, now, can't be having that!

freedominacup

Timmaay wrote: »

Late to the party but jsut in time.

I literally hope it stays fine for you Tim. Misty drizzle here until lunchtime. Raining again now. Suited me grand as we got urea blanket spread across all ground bar 4-5 days grass we've skipped. Going to reopen the pit asap and get it in. Probably mow tomorrow evening. When it was only two days we were baling but with the extra there's not much difference in effort to pit it. Gr unreal atm. Finally.

I got a taste of being the older generation covering the pit on Sat evening. I was just putting the first fork of tyres on to the pit and didn't put them quite where I was told. Got a serious earful from the eldest lad and all I could do was take it as he was fully in the right. He finished with "it's exactly what you'd say yourself if someone else did it". Hoisted on my own petard.

Timmaay

Very light shower an hr ago, looking good otherwise. Picking up tomorrow, I'd have left it till thur but ment to turn tomorrow night proper. Main slatted tank 1/2 full again with plenty of dairy washing etc turned into it, aim is to get that out ASAP, actually someone remind me again, I should put fertiliser out 1stly and wait 3/4 days before the slurry goes out? I'll be nearly following the harvester tomorrow with the fertiliser.