ANN 111: Principles of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology (2+1)

SILOS

• The size of the container will generally depend upon the number and kind of animals to be fed.
• The container plays an important role on the nature and quality of silage.

Types of Silos

Pit silo: The pit can be excavated in any suitable soil located at non waterlogging area. Silo can be cylindrical or rectangular with strong stright and smooth walls. The dimension of the pit varies with circumstances and the number of stock to be fed. About 10 kg of silage can be accomodated in one cubic feet of silo.	Locate at non water logged area. 10 Kg silage /cubic feet.
Characteristics of silo pits: Size of the silo depends on the number and kind of animals to be fed daily, the length of the feeding period, and the amount of forage available for ensiling. Silo walls should be strong to withstand pressure with stright and smooth to prevent the formation of air pockets. Silo should have adequate depth to facilitate better packing. Silo should have provision to drain effluent. Silo pits should be conveniently located and accessible in all kinds of weather, for filling as well as for unloading. To avoid water seepage, silo pits (not tower type) are always located preferably at the highest spot on the farm.	Size depends on number of animals. Strong walls. Depth facilitate packing. Provision to drain effluents. Accessible for loading & unloading. Locate pit at elevated place.
Advantages of pit silo: A pit silo is very economical to build & last indefinitely. Less power is required for filling. The smooth plastered walls allows the silage to settle and retain the juices.
Disadvantage of pit silo: Unloading silage from silo pit is difficult process. The pit silo occupies farmland that becomes permanently inaccessible for cultivation. The main difficulty is ensuring adequate compression.