The principle and method of semi-dry silage are basically the same as the general silage method, because it also needs anaerobic storage, except that the moisture content of the general silage material is 70%-80%, while the semi-dry silage requires the water content of the raw material to be reduced to 40%- 60%. According to this feature, in order to obtain better silage quality, in the process of semi-dry silage, the following points should be mastered:

Silage materials should be castrated at the right time

The green feed after castration should reduce the moisture to 40%-60%. The rate of water reduction is closely related to the loss of nutrients in the raw materials and the reproduction of aerobic bacteria. The slow reduction of water is not conducive to the control of silage quality. For example, in a raw material with a water content reduced to 55% within 9 hours, only 2% of the nutrients are lost, and in the case of 24-26 hours, the nutrient loss can reach 7%. In the rainy season, it takes 72 hours to reduce the water content to 55% and the nutrient loss is as high as 16%. Therefore, the cutting time of green fodder should be selected in the season when the raw material itself has relatively low water content and fine weather.

Silage raw materials are chopped to be short

Since the semi-dry silage material has a low water content and is not easily compacted during filling, the mashing of the raw material is shorter than that of the general silage material. According to the semi-dry silage effect, the silage material is kneaded into a length of 1.5-3.5 cm to ensure the silage quality.

Suitable method and speed for filling raw materials

The filling method and production speed of semi-dry silage materials are also an important factor affecting the quality of silage. Taking silage dumping as an example, if the silage volume is large, the raw material supply is dispersed, and the silage production time is long, the raw material loading during silage should start from the two corners of the head, and be carried out in sections, and then filled up for a period of time; After a period of time, cover the filled part with a strong plastic sheet and a proper amount of heavy objects. Such a segmented filling is better than a layered filling (only 0.5--0.6 m thick per day), and it is better to install it in 5 days. If the silage volume is small and the amount of raw materials is sufficient, the loading, compaction, sealing and other operations of the raw materials can be completed within 2-3 days, then batch loading is more convenient. The compaction requirement of semi-dry silage in the filling process is higher than that of general silage, especially at the corners.

Seal must be tight

After the raw materials are filled and compacted, they must be sealed in time. The sealing method is the same as the general silage method. Semi-dry silage is generally sealed for more than 45 days, and can be opened for use.