Silage thread

Bullocks · 25-05-2015 09:43PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

I have a massive problem with the pit for the last few year. The top foot all around rots and has to be forked off. Usually have 30 acres in the pit that is pretty much around or within 400 yards of pit. I have a feeling that the lad on the loader (big Volvo) is not packing it right as it's coming in too quick due to the short draw. He stays about 20 minutes after the trailers have left to roll more but you'd see the silage springing up after he's passed over it. It's like the wheels are too big on these yokes and not enough weight per inch iykwim. I'll tell him to stay longer buy not sure if I will make a difference. Gets silasave and covered straight after.

Would you be in his way if you packed with your own tractor while he was buckraking or even give it a good rolling after they're gone before covering ?

Count Mondego · 25-05-2015 09:47PM

Bullocks wrote: »

Would you be in his way if you packed with your own tractor while he was buckraking or even give it a good rolling after they're gone before covering ?

This is a big outfit, have it done in 2 and a half hours and the Volvo is a massive machine. No room for a tractor u with him. I think your man hasn't a clue how to make a pit and not learning. Previous crowd ten yrs ago had a genius making the pit. There wouldn't be a fork out of place and even the side would be bayte in tight.

jaymla627 · 25-05-2015 09:57PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

This is a big outfit, have it done in 2 and a half hours and the Volvo is a massive machine. No room for a tractor u with him. I think your man hasn't a clue how to make a pit and not learning. Previous crowd ten yrs ago had a genius making the pit. There wouldn't be a fork out of place and even the side would be bayte in tight.

Changed pit contractor this year for that reason alone, was doing wagon silage for last 4 years and the waste was gone out of hand biggest problem was the longish draw ment loader driver spent 5 mins putting up load and half rolling it and spent the next 10 mins talking on phone with tractor off, pit was left like a hoop aswell with the sides a disgrace, didn't know ourselves this year when it took 10 mins to tighten up sides with fork was a credit to loader driver

just do it · 25-05-2015 10:18PM

Muckit wrote: »

You need to let it go into silage so 2-3 weeks at least. Is there any reason you need to know results asap. Be handier especially with bales to wait until you start feeding out. I'd imagine it'd be tricky to pull a bit moreof a bale then try seal it back up

'tis just the curiosity is killing me Ted

:D

Miname · 25-05-2015 10:18PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

This is a big outfit, have it done in 2 and a half hours and the Volvo is a massive machine. No room for a tractor u with him. I think your man hasn't a clue how to make a pit and not learning. Previous crowd ten yrs ago had a genius making the pit. There wouldn't be a fork out of place and even the side would be bayte in tight.

We put our closest fields into the pit aswell and don't find any issue with waste. 3 covers and the tyres laid on tight works a treat. Nightmare taking back 3 covers but the Stanley usually comes out at some stage in the winter. I also started putting the tyres from the centre this year and worked out pulling the cover as I went along. Got a good deal in it that way.

just do it · 25-05-2015 10:23PM

C4d78 wrote: »

Whats the optimum wilt time in this weather for PIT silage. Fairly sunny here now and good breeze blowing. Crop cut dry Sun lunch time, Tedded tea time and contractors don't think they'll be on until Tue lunch time. Is there a worry this will get too dry and therefor hard to preserve.? Did have this problem previously when DM was 46% and silage ended up heating.
This however was July for a second cut and temps were probably 20 +.
Would this be a worry again or what would people guesstimate DM would be on this occasion?

Mine was down 3 days and there was still fresh grass in it. The 24 hrs of drizzle was well dried off. The moisture was still within the grass rather than on it iykwim. Didn't get much sun though

Limestone Cowboy · 25-05-2015 10:42PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

This is a big outfit, have it done in 2 and a half hours and the Volvo is a massive machine. No room for a tractor u with him. I think your man hasn't a clue how to make a pit and not learning. Previous crowd ten yrs ago had a genius making the pit. There wouldn't be a fork out of place and even the side would be bayte in tight.

Taffes the old crowd that were at it?

Count Mondego · 25-05-2015 10:56PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Taffes the old crowd that were at it?

Ya, legends.

Count Mondego · 25-05-2015 11:05PM

Miname wrote: »

We put our closest fields into the pit aswell and don't find any issue with waste. 3 covers and the tyres laid on tight works a treat. Nightmare taking back 3 covers but the Stanley usually comes out at some stage in the winter. I also started putting the tyres from the centre this year and worked out pulling the cover as I went along. Got a good deal in it that way.

3 covers, sila save and tyres. Can't do any more.

Greengrass1 · 25-05-2015 11:08PM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Jeepers your mad for work. You were offering me a hand yesterday.

You need to spend 200k on a parlour and 200 on cows, that'd keep you going....................or make you run like phuck

Ye would want to meet his young lads. 10x worse want to do every job they can think might need doing
right ladd

C0N0R · 25-05-2015 11:12PM

Good man on the pit is worth his weight in money, not this Craic of horsing it in quick as possible and loads tipped all over the shop. Hard to find though

GERMAN ROCKS · 25-05-2015 11:24PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

This is a big outfit, have it done in 2 and a half hours and the Volvo is a massive machine. No room for a tractor u with him. I think your man hasn't a clue how to make a pit and not learning. Previous crowd ten yrs ago had a genius making the pit. There wouldn't be a fork out of place and even the side would be bayte in tight.

spend an hour or two yourself rolling it afterwards. will save a lot of piking in the winter. put all the weights on your tractor and make it as heavy as possible for rolling the pit

dar31 · 26-05-2015 12:17AM

Had 12 t track machine rolling pit for a few hours before covering. Done a great job on it. Contractor rolled the hell out if it as well. May sharpen the shear grab next winter. We usually leave far away fields till last, to give the pit man plenty of time to work pit

Timmaay · 26-05-2015 07:44AM

dar31 wrote: »

Had 12 t track machine rolling pit for a few hours before covering. Done a great job on it. Contractor rolled the hell out if it as well. May sharpen the shear grab next winter. We usually leave far away fields till last, to give the pit man plenty of time to work pit

How long after finishing the silage do you cover? We use to do all that craic of spending hours rolling the pit after the contractor gone, usually wouldn't get it covered until the following day, 1/2 that morning would be spent rolling also, waste on top was always an issue. I only spend 1/2 an hr rolling it after the contractor gone now, and try throw the cover on quick. We only finished up last night at 8, so didn't bother covering it till this morning, but I'll be firing the cover straight on, rolling it now only sucking fresh oxygen into the top layer surely?

And the shear grab gets sharpen about 3 times every winter here!

blackdog1 · 26-05-2015 08:06AM

Count Mondego wrote: »

3 covers, sila save and tyres. Can't do any more.

Do you use additive? . If not do. Also birds could be pecking holes in the sheet leaving air in.

WheatenBriar · 26-05-2015 08:47AM

Timmaay wrote: »

How long after finishing the silage do you cover? We use to do all that craic of spending hours rolling the pit after the contractor gone, usually wouldn't get it covered until the following day, 1/2 that morning would be spent rolling also, waste on top was always an issue. I only spend 1/2 an hr rolling it after the contractor gone now, and try throw the cover on quick. We only finished up last night at 8, so didn't bother covering it till this morning, but I'll be firing the cover straight on, rolling it now only sucking fresh oxygen into the top layer surely?

And the shear grab gets sharpen about 3 times every winter here!

Oh jeepers no!
We spend at least half a day rolling,it's the most important time you spend on that pit along with sealing it!
The less rolling,no matter how dry the grass,the less sinking the pit will do
Sinking means more waste or at best less well preserved
Got finished last night here too so about to start that

Cow Porter · 26-05-2015 09:07AM

WheatenBriar wrote: »

Oh jeepers no!
We spend at least half a day rolling,it's the most important time you spend on that pit along with sealing it!
The less rolling,no matter how dry the grass,the less sinking the pit will do
Sinking means more waste or at best less well preserved
Got finished last night here too so about to start that

http://www.makingbestsilage.com/media/fe_91_BaleSilageBest-ClampOxygen.pdf

- Never roll silage the next morning
because carbon dioxide will have been
produced overnight and the
fermentation process will have begun.
By rolling you will squeeze the carbon
dioxide out and introduce more oxygen
thus reducing fermentation, reduce
sugar content and increase losses.
- If filling again the next morning, fill the
clamp with at least 30cm of forage and
compact as you go.

this lad dave davies seems to have made a career of telling people how to make silage

dzer2 · 26-05-2015 09:13AM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Jeepers your mad for work. You were offering me a hand yesterday.

You need to spend 200k on a parlour and 200 on cows, that'd keep you going....................or make you run like phuck

Have the parlour and road way watered paddocks and all just waiting to see what way price goes:D:D

Timmaay · 26-05-2015 09:37AM

WheatenBriar wrote: »

Oh jeepers no!
We spend at least half a day rolling,it's the most important time you spend on that pit along with sealing it!
The less rolling,no matter how dry the grass,the less sinking the pit will do
Sinking means more waste or at best less well preserved
Got finished last night here too so about to start that

You can only compact the top foot of grass though. It's down to the man on the buckrake to keep rolling it all day, took the boys here about 10 hrs to put in 44acres, so he wasn't under pressure.

Anyways I'm going on past experience here, pit use to only get sealed 24 or 36hrs after it was filled here, with plenty of rolling between that, our covered probably wasn't up to scratch either then also, anyways we'd end up forking the top 6 inches off, it would be pure dung. Last 2yrs I've fired the covers on asap, with much less waste, last year I put maize in on top of it and only had to fork away afew small patches where abit of an air pocket was.

mahoney_j · 26-05-2015 09:41AM

Contractor rolls for 20 minutes after lady load then on with covers and tyres before they leave yard.most important job of the lot!!

White Clover · 26-05-2015 11:16AM

mahoney_j wrote: »

It'll be fine and preserve well just make sure roll it well and seal well.mine was cut sat afternoon ,Tedded ,again Sunday and again today.will be at least 45% dm I hope and 75 plus DMd .wont have room in pit so will bale some of it.will be raked around 10 in morning and picked an hour later .

How many acres/hr are u doing with the tedder Mahoney. A krone 550 isn't it ?

Reggie. · 26-05-2015 11:23AM

White Clover wrote: »

How many acres/hr are u doing with the tedder Mahoney. A krone 550 isn't it ?

Should be good for around 10 acres I'd say

MfMan · 26-05-2015 11:29AM

Anyone use the clingfilm stuff, e.g. Visqueen Clingseal? Wonder is it any good?

Cow Porter · 26-05-2015 11:35AM

MfMan wrote: »

Anyone use the clingfilm stuff, e.g. Visqueen Clingseal? Wonder is it any good?

Use it here a few times, grand on a calm day with help.... Its not that expensive for what it does / supposed to do

MfMan · 26-05-2015 11:45AM

Cow Porter wrote: »

Use it here a few times, grand on a calm day with help.... Its not that expensive for what it does / supposed to do

Can you re-use it or do you get a new roll every year?

When putting it on, do you cover entire pit with it and pull the polythene completely over it, then throw weights on top --- or, pull it on completely first, then roll it back, put on rolled-back polythene, then roll both forward as applying weights? (If you get my meaning

)

Cow Porter · 26-05-2015 12:08PM

MfMan wrote: »

Can you re-use it or do you get a new roll every year?

When putting it on, do you cover entire pit with it and pull the polythene completely over it, then throw weights on top --- or, pull it on completely first, then roll it back, put on rolled-back polythene, then roll both forward as applying weights? (If you get my meaning )

Doubt you could reuse it,.flexibility would be gone from it.

Cover pit, put on other covers asap b4 wind rises (high country here) hold edges cover with loadall from the ground. Could roll back all the sheets too I suppose

Count Mondego · 26-05-2015 12:36PM

Cow Porter wrote: »

Doubt you could reuse it,.flexibility would be gone from it.

Cover pit, put on other covers asap b4 wind rises (high country here) hold edges cover with loadall from the ground. Could roll back all the sheets too I suppose

Did you notice any improvement with it?

Cow Porter · 26-05-2015 12:43PM

Count Mondego wrote: »

Did you notice any improvement with it?

Ya first year we did half and there was a difference.

Last year crows attacked maize pit, netted that and they moved on to grass pit. So hard to say on last years

Its not the be all and end all, just a help

WheatenBriar · 26-05-2015 12:55PM

Cow Porter wrote: »

http://www.makingbestsilage.com/media/fe_91_BaleSilageBest-ClampOxygen.pdf

- Never roll silage the next morning
because carbon dioxide will have been
produced overnight and the
fermentation process will have begun.
By rolling you will squeeze the carbon
dioxide out and introduce more oxygen
thus reducing fermentation, reduce
sugar content and increase losses.
- If filling again the next morning, fill the
clamp with at least 30cm of forage and
compact as you go.

this lad dave davies seems to have made a career of telling people how to make silage

I think I'll stick to our own tried and tested route for the last 40 years

For the above to be accurate,anyone on a long draw taking more than a day to fill a pit must make bad silage and I doubt that to be honest

just do it · 26-05-2015 01:57PM

First cube of storm gone last night

. Now any other tricks to keep the cats off my bales?

Silage thread

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