Brian Reidy: Changing grass silages and balancing it this winter
As changes in silage supply occur, nutrient supply changes depending on the profile of the new silage.
All cows and cattle take an average of 21 days to adjust fully to any new diet formulation or new ingredient introduced. The animal’s rumen bug population needs that time to increase in numbers in order to be capable of breaking down the new nutrient profile of the diet. December is often a time when there is a change of silages on the farm. This year many have been using up available bale silages before opening pits and as a result, many are moving between different silages. Take care when moving over to pit silage as it tends to be lower in dry matter and more finely chopped which can cause temporary digestive upsets. Many farms are reporting loose dungs in stock during this transition over to different silages.
