Silage pit: construction and installation

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Silage is one of the most valuable types of feed for farm animals. In summer, cattle and small cattle can get a large amount of greenery on pastures. In winter, such food, of course, is completely unavailable. This is where silage comes to the rescue of livestock breeders. This feed represents the same green mass, but canned. Its taste is sour, but in terms of nutritional value it is significantly superior to most other varieties of winter food, including hay. Mankind has learned to preserve green mass in this way for a very, very long time. Of course, such food should be prepared correctly. For conservation, a silo pit or trench specially equipped for this purpose is used.

What plants can be used

Most often, silage is prepared from the green mass of corn, melons, legumes, cereals and root crops. Sometimes these types of plants are laid separately in the pits. But more often, farmers who keep farm animals prepare combined feed in this way.

In any case, the silo pit should be filled with well-prepared green mass. In order for conservation to be as successful as possible - without loss of nutritional value, the plants should be properly crushed. In this case, the size of the pieces should be approximately 3-5 cm, depending on the crop being prepared.

Types of ensiling

Green mass can be preserved in two ways: cold and hot. In the first case, all the crushed plants are laid in the pit immediately and compacted. Next, the mixture is covered with a layer of clay. Sometimes a special film for silo pits is also used. You can buy it from companies involved in the manufacture of mulching and various kinds of agricultural covering materials. On top of the clay, a layer of earth is usually additionally poured. It is possible to close in this way a pit sealed with a film. However, in the latter case, this operation is not mandatory. Usually the film is simply pressed down with some kind of load. It can be, for example, even old car tires.

When hot ensiling, the laying is done in portions. In this case, each layer is preliminarily kept for some time to warm up in a loose state. Next, it is rammed. After that, the next layer is laid on top of it and also aged. Ultimately, under the weight of the upper layers, the lower ones are compacted. As a result, conservation processes begin to occur in them (as a result of the vital activity of anaerobic bacteria).

Most often, farms use the first method of ensiling. Firstly, it is technologically simple, and secondly, with this method, the greatest amount of nutrients is retained in the feed. The hot ensiling technique is used only when it is necessary to preserve coarse-fibered green mass. In the process of conservation, the latter becomes much softer, as a result of which it is better eaten by animals.

Silage pit: the basic principles of the device

Sometimes the green mass of plants is conserved in special towers. In this way, mainly large agricultural enterprises act. Ordinary farmers, as well as owners of farmsteads, carry out ensiling in pits or trenches. Of course, when arranging such storages, certain technologies should be observed. Before starting work, you need to determine the size of the pit. So, for example, its capacity can be 12-35 m³. Depending on this, as a result, 7-20 tons of silage are obtained. The depth of the pit can be equal, for example, to 2.5-3.5 m with a diameter of 2-3 m. The length of the trench should not exceed 20 m. Its maximum capacity is 180 m^{3 (for 100 tons).}

Equip silo pits and trenches only on dense clay soils. And, of course, in places where groundwater does not come too close to the surface of the earth. It is best to make a pit or trench on some hill, and as close as possible to the stall of cattle or small cattle.

Materials for the pit

To dosilo storage, you need to prepare the following materials:

• clay for bottom lining and plugging (may be replaced with material such as silo cover film);
• bricks for cladding (can be replaced with cement mortar);
• boards and beams for arranging a canopy.

Arrange storage

Before excavation begins, the area allotted for the pit should be leveled. Next is excavation. At home, this work can be done manually. Farmers use special equipment for this, of course. The bottom of the dug hole should in any case have a slight slope towards the center.

The vault is lined to keep water out of the ground. First of all, you need to brick or pour cement (in the assembled formwork with reinforcement) of the pit walls. Next, the bottom of the storage is waterproofed. You can use clay for this. But, of course, more modern material is better for this. The film of the silo pit is laid on the bottom with an overlap. Further, brickwork is performed on top of it in one layer. You can also pour a thick concrete screed at the bottom of the pit. According to the standards, the binder mortar for masonry is supposed to be prepared in a ratio of 1: 2. To fill the walls and bottom with concrete, it will be enough to mix sand and cement in a ratio of 1: 3-1: 4. For small pits, metal barrels or concrete well rings can be used as lining.

Mass bookmark

After the silo pit is ready (approximately two weeks after the completion of work), it is filled with cut greens according to the selected technology. As soon as approximately 20-30 cm of free storage space remains to the surface of the earth, it is blocked. To do this, film or clay is used first, and then earth or cargo.

Assembling the canopy

The construction of the silo pit ends with the arrangement of the roof. This design is necessary to protect the storage from rain in late autumn and spring. It is mounted from wooden shields pre-assembled from boards. You can install a canopy on ordinary supports made of timber, dug into the ground. The lower ends of the latter should be treated with bitumen before installation. The use of drying oil or used machine oil is undesirable.

This is how silo pits are built. As you can see, the procedure is technologically quite simple. The main thing is to try to prevent the penetration of water from the soil or air to the green mass. In any case, a DIY silo is just a great way to get the best quality food for farm animals in the winter.