Buying packaged silage in kenya will soon be a reality. To use the silage, open the pit from the lower side of the slope, take the enough silage fodder for one day and close the pit again bottom line of silage making. I wish i could understand this language, but anyway. Simple silage making from sweet potato vines and roots for feed conservation, combined with strategic supplementation, is an easy and affordable option for pig feed during periods of feed scarcity and also contributes to reduce. Guide to making nutritious silage for your animals daily. Making silage is one of the best ways to ensure your animals do not lack feeds. Prior engaging in home making of concentrates a farmer should be aware of nutritional requirements of their livestock. I wonder if i can make silage tooas a homestead farmer. Silage making using plastic tubes step 3 pictured above sprinkle the diluted molasses preferably in a watering can onto the chopped forage as evenly as possible. Silage making using plastic tubes information is taken from flyer by usaid and land olakes international development.
Corn silage serves as a highenergy forage for dairy cows. Hay making is the process of turning green, perishable forage into a product that can be safely stored and easily transported without danger of spoilage, while keeping nutrient loss to a minimum. Assessment of kmdp forage interventions in north rift, kenya the. A tonne of silage compacted at 60pc moisture content requires a space of 1. A 20 kg liter can of molasses in kenya retails at an average of sh. Fodder silage train maize, sorghum, oats, grass, specialized fodder production and preservation services for shs, msfs, lsfs. Haymaking turns green, perishable, forage into a product that can be safely stored and easily transported without danger of spoilage, while keeping losses of dry matter and nutrients to a minimum. Farmers training on sweetpotato silage making page 1 expanding utlization of roots, tubers and bananas and reducing their postharvest losses rtbendure is a 3 year project 20142016 implemented by the cgiar research program on roots, tubers and bananas rtb with funding by the european union and technical support of ifad. Silage is considered the better way to conserve forage crops. Incorrect setting of mowers and forage harvested leaving a lot of plant stubble. The key to unlock the potential of kenyas dairy sector lies with the improvement of feed and forage. Basically you need a fertile soil for forage crops and feed cutting. After feeding silage, the bunks and corners of the feeding troughs should be cleaned immediately to prevent contamination. In modern animal husbandry the harvesting and storage techniques of both hay and silage making have.
Napier grass, sorghum, surplus maize and sugar cane tops can all be stored as silage. How to make high quality silage written by maurice rangoma. Silage production a kenya marketled dairy program snv. Take advantage of this free resource from the silage experts at lallemand animal nutrition.
Under proper storage condition, silage can be stored even up to two years. Some forages such as corn or sorghum can be direct cut. Molasses is an important ingredient on dairy farms as it is used to provide sugar to animals, improve palatability of feed rations and is used in silage making to aid in fermentation. The trainer is peter mathenge and he is going an extra mile to ensure kenyan have silage by availing it at an affordable price of 10 shillings per kilogramme. Assessment of kmdp forage interventions in north rift. Findings show that the adoption of silage technologies is still low in kenya eadd, 2010. Introductory remarks surplus green forage such as napier grass, maize trimmings or grass should be conserved for use during the dry seasons. If you are planning on having your own silage, plant maize. Corn silage, with its relatively highenergy content, is also well adapted for use in lowcost rations for fattening cattle. Silage making for small scale farmers is among the ways to guarantee that your livestock will have sufficient quality feeds throughout the year. Maize silage manual your guide to producing high quality maize silage. Silage making is long practiced by the larger agricultural sector, but the production method relies on heavy equipment and large production, in order to dig or build storage pits and to compress the green mass, putting it beyond the reach of smallholder farmers. Silage assists farmers store forage pasture for upto 2yrs while maintaining their full nutrients. The low production is mainly due to low genetic potential of the dairy.
It provides step by step instructions on making cassava silage from production of the material. If proper anaerobic conditions are not maintained, silage produced would have butyric acid content in it. Efficient fermentation ensures a more palatable and digestible feed, encouraging optimal dry matter intake. The silage making technology is spreading at a high rate among the smallholder dairy farmers. How to make nutritious silage for your cows bizna kenya. Maize forage can also be grown specifically for silage. Even though many farmers have a rough idea on how to make silage, one of the problems facing dairy farming in kenya is the selection of appropriate silo to make quality silage. The ideal materials used in silage making should have a moisture content of 60 to 70 per cent or dry matter in the range of 30 to 35 per cent tested by taking a small bundle of the fodder and wringing with two hands and if no moisture comes out, it is ready to ensile and a ph below 4. Silage is an important strategy used by dairy farmers to fill seasonal feed gaps, to. Tube silage making technology for dairy feed security in kenya. Sweet potato silage as pig feed, mitigating feed scarcity resulting from prolonged drought. On talking to a livestock extension expert he said the high demand of this tube silage making technology among the dairy farmers in central kenya gives the livestock extension service providers no rest after the rains.
Highquality silage is the result of adoption of appropriate techniques, starting with soil preparation and fertilization. This involves reducing its moisture content by drying the forage in the sun. Stabile composition of the feed silage for a longer period up to 5. Silage making process information guide agri farming.
This method of storage uses the acidifying power of lactic bacteria, which reduces the ph to around four, below which all chemical reaction and fermentation ceases. Silas mwirigi is a professional dairy farmer who is milking millions of shillings from his thriving 15acre farmcumhome at ndaiga location, laikipia east, just metres away from the merulaikipia counties border. Making quality corn silage 3 are suspected, then cutting at 18 will result in material that is lower in nitrates since the majority of nitrates are found in the bottom of the stalk. A complete guide on how to plant the best sukuma wiki kales in kenya kales are one of kenyas most demanded green vegetables especially due to their nutritional value. Successful silage department of primary industries. The silage safety handbook offers practical tips for building, maintaining and feeding out silage bunkers and piles, plus information about the potential dangers of gases formed naturally during the ensiling process.
The fermentation process harvesting forages as silage is a compromise between minimizing field and fermentation losses. Silage preparation by kvk baramati from dairy farm guide. Guide to making nutritious silage for your animals. This fermentation process preserves forage in its wet state away from air. Pdf coastal kenya region produces only 40% of its milk requirements. Livestock ownership in kenya currently supports the livelihood of an estimated 700 million small holder farmers. Finger millet farming in kenya is an important agricultural activity in western kenya and uganda. Forage crops such as maize, are too thickstemmed to dry successfully as hay. Groundnut farming project report, cost and profit details.
Phil, cmg chair, dairy australia i am delighted to introduce the first of our topfodder products successful silage the definitive technical manual on all things silage for the australian dairy industry. This now has changed from ample land farming and storage to high compression of silage baling. Silage making will allow women and youth to reduce time sourcing feeds for their animals. Provides a high potential dm yield to fill feed deficits helps mitigate climatic risk. Dairy farmers in kenya should consider making their own silage rather than buying from outside. Losses in silage making can be in the field or in the silo. It accounts for the largest share of agricultural enterprises contributing more than 40% of the agricultural gdp and 10% of the total gdp. This is most important for highproducing herds and on farms experiencing problems with making or buying high quality hay crop forage. In thailand, silage making has become popular year after year and proved to be an easy solution to feed shortage in dry season in dairy cattle farming. How to make silage for your dairy cows in kenya oxfarm. Silage making is an addition to hay making, which is simply drying green material in the sun. Kenyas most important pine and key ally in the climate change fight.
Understanding silage making process and utilization subject. The crop must have high dry matter content, adequate nutritional value, and good characteristics for fermentation during the ensiling process. Silage silage is the term used for the feed produced by controlled fermentation of high moisture herbage. Good quality silage should not have any butyric acid, which gives off flavour to silage. Silage for animal feed encyclopedia of life support systems. In climates with a low wet weather risk haymaking may be preferred, but where the weather is variable silage making has largely replaced haymaking. Silage making for smallscale farmers graduate farmer. Prepare silage from excess forage when it is still green and of good quality, and during a dry spell. There is a good scope for commercial production of silage in india. Dairy farmers in kenya will soon see the cost of feeding their animals go down after a group of investors introduced the first silage baling machine into the country. In kenya, the common method of silage making are through use of. This greatly reduces the risk of weather damage to the. Silage note 1 role for silage in australian grazing systems pdf, 49. The optimal combination found for making silage with good levels of protein and digestibility.
Studies have demonstrated that sps is a cost effective feed. Dairy farming in kenya silage making for smallscale. Turnmix the forage repeatedly to ensure an even spread. After mowing, most other forages can be adequately wilted for silage production in less than 24 hours. A guide for silage making and utilization in the tropical regions. The machine can bale 400 bales of silage in a day with one bale selling for ksh 5,000 weighing between 350 and 400kg. Understanding silage making process and utilization. Silage making silo with silage good silage trench silo above ground silo tube silo excavated pits and trenches stacks, tower silos, raised silos, concrete walled. Step by step guide to silage making for more milk during.
Making quality maize silage high quality maize silage provides many benefits for the farmer, including. Fodder is packed in airtight condition to preserve its nutritional value, improve its quality and taste and to make it easily digestible this is called silage or pickle of the fodder. University of nairobi sweetpotato silage east africa. Profitable poultry farming and production in kenya.
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