Whether feeding fresh or pitting, it is important to follow these simple steps to minimise any wastage and maintain the products nutritional value
It is NOT recommended to drive onto fresh, moist feed. Once compaction is complete, seal the pit with clean, high quality polythene sheets. This should then be covered with mats, truck tyres or sandbags to ensure close contact between the top layer of the feed and the pit cover. This will provide an even airtight seal throughout the entire pit. Lighter car tyres or pallets should be avoided as they may not provide a sufficient seal. Mixing moist feeds To give the pit added structure and allow the pit to be piled higher while complimenting the feed’s nutritional content, moist feeds can be pitted with other products such as beet pulp, soya hulls, hay and straw. If mixing moist feeds with other products for storage, it is important to ensure the pitting mix does not exceed 65% dry matter content as it cannot be adequately compacted. Feeding out moist feeds Once properly pitted, moist feeds can be fed immediately and included within the cattle or dairy cow diet. When feeding from the pit, it is important to keep the face as clean as possible. Ideally, the exposed pit face should allow the farmer to work back 18” per day in the pit. If using a loading bucket, it is important not to push in at the bottom and lift; as this disturbs the face greatly. Instead, the bucket should be used to cut down from the top, with the material then scooped away. Any loose material should then be pushed together to ensure that it is used next.
Storing Liquid Feeds Tanks should be built to hold and dispatch bulk liquids and care should be taken to ensure they are cleaned out from time to time to ensure no build-up of sediment. 4 inch diameter pipework is adequate to handle the liquid. Available in lots of 10 tonne or greater.
48 | Moist Feed and Forage Specialists
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