The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: macvity on November 18, 2012, 10:49:23 pm
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lawn clippings for silage.i use this grass for feed for sheep.i store in plastic barrels for the winter.it smells realy nice and they love it.do anyone else do this on here what do you think.
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Yup we have done it for a few years now. We fill the blue barrels weigh the grass down and fill again! then we pour about a couple of pints of molasses into the grass, seal the barrel with the lid , pallet wrap and turn them upside down for a good seal. Lawn cuttings are excellent as they are short and no air gets among it, long grass is no good for homemade silage in barrels. When the grass is used it is really sweet and crumbly and my sheep love it. One of my friends runs a grass cutting service so he brings us his as well, as long as he knows it is clean grass, ie no poo or chemicals. Some folk just use black bags but you have to be sure that there are no cats , birds or vermin, cats etc to make holes in the bags . I have Shetlands and they dont get hard feed , just barrel silage, hay when the grass is frozen and licks. We only had to have one large ring of silage last year when my OH was away for a week and he thought I was going to die if I fed the sheep ::)
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hi hermit.thanks for the reply.this is my first time i have tried the blue barrels it works great.i put only grass in the barrels no molasses in but next year i will.i only have 10 ewes.local farmers had a look at my silage they say its better that the black silage bales.we had so much bad weather here in ie over the summer oh what summer lol it was so hard for farmers to get good silage here.where do you get your blue barrels and what do they cost.i also have a grass firm i cut over 10acres of grass a week alot of grass.my local farmer is happy with all that grass.i only fill 20 barrels for the winter so i want alot more next winter.
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Hi , most places up here cannot send blue barrels back to the mainland as it is not worth the deposit on them so they give them away. I suppose cause of the deposit you will have to buy them , but be careful what has been in them. Most up here are from the fish farms and they are always free to uplift just to get shut. A lot of crofters do the blue barrel silage, it is excellent stuff and if you have a few sheep it stays fresher than opening huge bales.Plus I find if you have a huge bale the sheep hang around and make mud, if you feed them from the barrels once a day they go back to the hill to forage .
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We're going to try barrel silage next year.
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I have never heard of this before, sounds great. Does it matter if there are some leaves in the cuttings and how long does it take to turn into silage? Does it then keep well, or does it have to be eaten quickly? I spend quite a lot of time cutting my lawn, and normally throw the cuttings away, but if I could use them for something useful that would be even better.
Laurieston
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hi laurieston.this is my first year i have have put grass in barrels for silage.i have dumped so much grass over the years it was a waste.i baught 10 sheep last year so i came up with this crazy idea of storing this grass.i cut alot of private lawns they pay me for cutting i get the best of grass for free lol.i opened a barrel today there was leaves and twigs in there all was eaten.i get 3 days out of one barrel for 10 sheep.the quality of this silage is better that any silage bale here.you have to try it to believe it the smell is realy nice two.im sorry now i did not make more only 20 barrels alot more next year.sorry to be going on.
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This sounds a really good idea! We have great trouble trying to get rid of our grass cuttings each year. Am I right in thinking that you just get a barrel, fill it with grass cuttings, squashing them down as you go to exclude air, add molasses if you want to, then seal it up and leave? Hermit, I wasn't quite sure what you meant by 'pallet wrap' the barrel? How long do you leave it for? When its ready to use, do you just fork out what you need and keep the rest in the barrel? How long will it keep for when its ready? Sorry for all the questions but I've never made or used silage before for my sheep and I'd like to get it right! Thank you!
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Hi , pallet wrap is the giant clingfilm stuff that buiders merchants use to wrap stuff onto a pallet. While you are filling a barrel you must keep it weighed down and air excluded until you cannot possibly get any more in ( it is surprising how much it squashes down) You must really compress it , that is why long grass is no good as only machinary can compress that enough. You put the lid back and wrap the pallet wrap around the lid to keep any air out, then tip the barrel up( extremely heavy so doing this as close to your feeding area as possible)We put the barrels in order so first made first used but it is ok to use in the same year. We fork it out of the barrels into feed troughs, it is crumbly and very sweet. One barrel lasts us about three to four daysand we just pop the lid back on to keep it clean. Good luck, our sheep cost only a couple of mineral licks last year.
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What is the molasses for? Does it aid fermentation or act as a preservative, or is it just to make it taste sweeter?
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I was told to put it in. Originally I thought it was for sweetness but when watching the Wartime Farm, they used it to aid fermentation. I suppose it does both.
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Is there any chance you could take a pic of the barrel and a close up of the silage please Hermit, that would be really helpful - and what do you weigh yours down with? This is really interesting, I could do with spending less on livestock and it doesn't sound too much hassle.
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Second the above questions, we have loads of grass cuttings that have to be disposed of and if I can make sheep feed then brilliant! How long can you keep the cut grass?
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hi guys.you have to keep the grass in the barrel for 6 weeks for it to ferment i did not put any mix with the grass its perfect with a realy nice smell from the silage but you have to get a realy good seal i have barrels with a lid with a type of oring seal.all i do is put one barrel on top of the other and a old paving slab on the top it works for me.but like hermit say you have to get in and push down the grass well to get all air out.when i open off the lid from a new barrel the grass has gone down two inches.remy you should try it.it works.i will get pictures later of the silage.
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Sorry but I cant do piccies, you need a degree to work my OHs supa dupa camera. I hopefully am getting a point and press for xmas. :fc: I will try and get one when we open the barrels when we start feeding the sheep. I weigh the silage down with a breeze block on a round barrel sized board on top of tucked in plastic sheet compressing the grass and keeping it sealed as it fills. It is very simple really and free!
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That's a great tip, you should remind everybody of that next summer when they're mowing ;)
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I can't wait for the grass to grow again to give this a try - I had to bookmark this topic so I didn't forget about it!
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Tryed making my own silage in black bin bags no very successful to many holes in the bags. Going to try the barrels this year, what size barrels and where do I get hold of some cheep smallholder prices please.
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What a brilliant idea. If you're adding grass to the barrel filling it gradually between each mowing how do you weigh down a half filled barrel? Just with bricks so some air is getting in all the time or do you put the lid back on too? (And leave it half full of air?)
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You want to keep all the air out.
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I think this is a fascinating thread. Just one query. Do the barrels have to be plastic or can they be the metal 40 gallon ones?
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i use only plastic barrels only.i would think that steel barrels would rust away inside.the quality of the grass out of a plastic barrel is realy good with a nice smell.and the sheep love it.
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I am definatly going to try this this year, we have about 10 of the blue barrels here already and will watch out for some more at the sale at hexham mart
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Must try this this year, we have an Allen scythe type mower, presumably if I cut some areas regular so its fairly short, this would do?
(Copied this thread into MS word and filed in 'goat feed' so I can refer to it easily.)
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I know this topic has been thoroughly discussed but I have a simple question not mentioned... Will it matter if the grass is damp when cut or will it just go mouldy?
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hi its ok if its damp but not realy wet because you will have alot of liquid at the end of the barrel. :wave:
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hi all,
was just reading this old topic and couldn't find an answer to the question of 'how do you weigh down the half full barrel of grass' - is it as simple as sticking a round piece of wood on top and a load of bricks?
its something i'd like to try as it seems quite simple.
cheers
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Feedback on my experience of making silage.
I gathered my last lawn mowing and stuffed it into a blue plastic barrel. Pressed it down hard, actually climbed in and jumped down on it. Put more cuttings in and jumped again, and repeated until I could just get the lid on. (I don't think one can make a half barrel as that would mean there was too much air in the mixture, which means it would have a different chemical reaction and end up as something other than yummy silage.) Put lid on tightly and turned it upside down. As it was so late in the season there were a lot of leaves already mixed in. In March I openned it and it smelled lovely, I think one could make soup out of it. The sheep were not too impressed, but the following day most of it was gone, apart from the leaves.
I only have 3 sheep, and they are little Ouessants, so they did not get through much before the silage went mouldy and therefore can no longer be eaten. I was surprised how quickly it went mouldy, especially as I was careful to always put the lid back on. I suppose the new air that went in every time I opened it. I'm not sure, but I think it went mouldy within 3 weeks.
I will do it again next year, and early so less leaves. Actually I will do it more for the good feeling of creating something useful out of something 'waste' which always appeals to me. If I could make smaller amounts I would, so that it wouldn't have to stand around open for so long.
Overall easy to do, and worth the effort (very little effort needed), but should be eaten quickly, and keep a careful eye out for the developing mould which I know is bad for horses, so guess to be also bad for sheep.
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OK, dim question alert - do your blue barrels actually have lids that come off? We have loads but they don't have lids, just a wee plastic 'plug' for putting liquids in, to use for clippings you would have to cut the tops off, then I am not sure you could seal them again very well?
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Ours have black lift off lids which should have metal bands round to clip them on (lost all the metal bands of course ::)
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I use the lid-less ones for water barrels, and used the lid-ed ones for silage. The trick is in keeping the air out - I think it is something to do with anaerobic composting as compared with aerobic composting (without air compared with with air) a chemist could explain - are there any out there? - so cutting the tops off would very probably ruin the barrels for either storing liquids or making silage. Can you get some others with lids?
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what is originally kept in the barrels?
you must be cutting lots of grass to fill one in one go? we only have a little lawn but may try this with black bags (and a hoover).
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farmers don't use sealed barrels; they cover with black plastic weighed down with tyres.
I wonder if you have 1/2 a barrel / an open barrel, if you could use a piece of black plastic and pour water onto it to 'seal' it against the sides?
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farmers don't use sealed barrels; they cover with black plastic weighed down with tyres.
I wonder if you have 1/2 a barrel / an open barrel, if you could use a piece of black plastic and pour water onto it to 'seal' it against the sides?
That sounds a good idea - if there is any air it would be pushed out by the weight of water andbe able to escape up the side. Interesting.
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Very interesting thread, slight silly question. Are people using grass mowings from a garden or a small field?..
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been telling B and Mr P all about this and i think they up for it, brilliant idea !
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I just used cuttings from our lawn. Guess it depends how much silage you want to make. As it needs to be sealed up tightly it should, I think, be completed in one sitting. I mean you cannot fill half a barrel this week and then top it up next week, before sealing it shut.
Oh, and it smells wonderful.
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cool beans, we have a campsite soooo i think we ll be able to fill a good few over the summer, i always look at the campsite and sigh when it gets done, at least now we will be able to utilise that grass xx
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does it have to fresh or can you do this after a few days in the sun?
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would the little blue bins that have chutney in them be ok?
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Being very thick here! What size barrels are best and where can you get them from?
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:wave:
I've been looking at 30 litre barrels, so they won't be too heavy to move around.
Just made some today by filling a plastic feed bag and clear wrapping it tightly. Still have to store it somewhere animal proof for 6 weeks though.
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This is interesting but also a bit confusing as I'd been told that cut grass wasn't good for cattle and I'd assumed that went for sheep too. The reason the subject came up was that when mowing our large lawn I was running out of places to dump the cuttings - they make terrible mulch around trees - and I mentioned to my neighbour about dumping it over the fence for the cows to eat and he told me that the grass changes once it's cut. Was he talking rubbish, does this only apply to cows, or is the fermentation the key to making it useable?
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I give cut grass to the goats, but you have to be careful it doesn't start heating up.
Some dairy farms have 'zero grazing' where grass is cut and fed to them, so it must all be in the handling? maybe not giving too much at a time?
Maybe the farmer was also a bit concerned you might treat your lawn with something, forget and tip the grass over without thinking?
But this thread is more about the grass being turned into silage on a small scale, as an alternative to hay in winter, it does change and has quite a smell (which I quite like because it reminds me of happy days helping on a dairy farm, milking in winter, the warmth and smell of the cows & silage.)
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hi all here.i put clippings in polytunnel last year there was abit of rot around the edge.there was a realy nice smell when i opened the pit.sheep loved it
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Being very thick here! What size barrels are best and where can you get them from?
Have a look of 'fleabay' - lots on there in various sizes.
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You have to be careful with clippings, grass produces chemicals when regularly mown that are detrimental to jeep and cattle, I've heard of sheep dying as a result.
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This is interesting but also a bit confusing as I'd been told that cut grass wasn't good for cattle and I'd assumed that went for sheep too. The reason the subject came up was that when mowing our large lawn I was running out of places to dump the cuttings - they make terrible mulch around trees - and I mentioned to my neighbour about dumping it over the fence for the cows to eat and he told me that the grass changes once it's cut. Was he talking rubbish, does this only apply to cows, or is the fermentation the key to making it useable?
we were told strictly as kids not to let ponies near the grass cutting so no you cant chuck it over the fence as i think it ferments etc and can be dangerous.
so back to silage - i cant seem to find any barrels but was wondering if anyone has tried using plastic feed sacks/bin bags if it is taped up well?
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:wave:
We did four bags two weeks ago. Will comment on the thread in four weeks (when it's ripe).
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Do you have to leave a way for CO2 gas to escape from the barrel ? I am thinking of fermenting kraut, where it produces CO2 which must be allowed to escape or maybe rupture the seal.