Silage Production in Plastic Drums and the Use of Silager 1 Technology

News source: Veterinary Research Institute, Malaysia.
See PDF file for e-mail address., 2002-11-01

Drums Are Convenient to Handle and Rat-Resistant

Appropriate technology stands out a key factor in successful silage making and utilization. The technology used should suit the type and scale of livestock production. In Malaysia, plastic drums have become popular as "container type silos" for ensiling forage resources, at both a small and large farm level. They are convenient to fill, pack and seal, are easy to handle, and can conveniently be used when feeding out. Unlike plastic bags or plastic film wrappings, the drums cannot be gnawed through by rats, which would cause spoilage.

Silage Made of Grass, Oil Fronds Etc.

Pasture and fodder grasses, oil palm fronds, sweet corn stover, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) and other forage resources are ensiled in plastic drums of either 100 or 128 litres capacity. To complement this technology, a useful machine, named Silager-1, has been developed by researchers of the Department of Veterinary Services, Malaysia. This machine compacts the forage material in the drum, seals the drum, and finally extracts residual air from the sealed drum through a valve on the side. Benefits include an increase in the quantity ensiled, and less time and cost needed for ensiling.

Drum Silage High in Quality, Low in Cost

Work done using the machine to ensile kenaf in drums showed that the quantity ensiled increased from 46.7 to 76.4 kg/drum (63.3% increase); the time taken to ensile fell from 0.3 to 0.13 minutes per kg (a reduction of 56.6%); the production (ensiling) rate increased from 99.4 to 229.3 kg/ha (130% more); while the cost of the ensilage was reduced from US$0.030 to US$0.026/kg (a reduction of 17.5%). The pH of 3.87 of silage produced using the Silager 1 is preferable to the pH of 4.49 in silage made without it.

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