Square Bale Wrapper. For Silage?

[Wildcat Ranch]

Would wrapping wet hay bales with a machine like this make them into silage bales? How would the silage turn out with the hay not being chopped?

http://www.kvernelandgroup.com/irj/portal/anonymous?NavigationTarget=ROLES://portal_content/KVG/com.kverneland.www/www.group.roles/KVG.com.kverneland.www.www.group.roles.guest/KVG.com.kverneland.www.com.kverneland.pages.corporate_enduser_bpfwe&navChange=/Intranet/Internet/ien/Brands_Products/Taarup/Taarup%20Products/Balers%20and%20Bale%20Equipment/Square%20Bale%20Wrappers

 

[mark.r]

Isn't the moisture content more important than if its chop or not? I thought chopping it was more so for storage concerns i.e. packing it in a bunk or a pit.

 

[chh]

I have seen the setups that wrap round bales used, they claim that they make good silage and that chopping isn't necessary. Moisture and a good enough wrap to not let air in are supposed to be they key from what I understand. They also need to be handled carefully so that the wrapping isn't damaged.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I was more curious then anything. I haven't seen anybody putting up the round wrapped silage bales but I have heard that there is one operation in our area that has been doing it for a few years.. Its mostly the dairy's around here that chop it and pack the stuff in bunkers.

Now, slightly off topic but I don't know what other category to ask in. We have always had a problem with getting sweet corn to germinate. We don't plant much, just enough for the family to eat. The few plants that do, are usually weaker and we start getting our fall winds which knock the plants over before most of the ears ripen. The few corn fields that are in our area are already 3-4 feet tall, where ours are only 6 inches.... Do they put down a certain fertilizer right after planting to help germination and growth?

 

[Trac-Tech]

Hi Guys
I have had a lot of experience with this machines predecessor Kverneland 7655 and I am sure that Renze will also have had experience with it as well.
Almost all of the silage made here in Aus and NZ are wrapped bales, either square or round. We have round balers with the wrapper attached as one machine and also wrappers towed directly behind the baler as seperate units. I have to sy that seeing these wrappers working in the flesh in full auto mode is very intriguing to me. They are a very clever piece of kit.
There is still call for clamp silage and some contarctors still have self propelled choppers for this job. This has been the case for more than 15 years or so now. They have become more popular as the weather becomes less and less predictable. Grass cut for hay and a rain cloud looming gets baled and wrapped either the same day or the next one depending on the moisture content. The 7664 will wrap two Claas 1100 quadrants at once and there is quite a science that has been put into overlap so as not to waste film. As for the quality, seems that it may be better and as for handling, soft grab bale clamps are used on front end loaders. This particular machine can wrap squares and rounds as well. Good machine that has had a lot of changes made to it over the years and every one of them for the better. There is a McHale machine that is similar but is a lot heavier machine.
Cheers

 

[mark.r]

What has puzzled me about Europe and probably other places outside of the US is that I read about the wrappers being used on horse hay. Talking to my boarders and other customers I have heard that it's an absolute NO NO for the obvious fermitation reason. I could maybe see someone wrapping horse hay 4-5 days after it has dry thoroughly but I have even been told NO on that. What gives?

Sorry for going OT.

 

[kidr]

What has puzzled me about Europe and probably other places outside of the US is that I read about the wrappers being used on horse hay. Talking to my boarders and other customers I have heard that it's an absolute NO NO for the obvious fermitation reason. I could maybe see someone wrapping horse hay 4-5 days after it has dry thoroughly but I have even been told NO on that. What gives?

Sorry for going OT.

There is a product out there called "Horsehage" It's a fermented grass product that's great for horses with respiratory problems, Been sold for years.

 

[chetlenox]

Thanks for the great pictures, Trac-tech. We never see that sort of thing down here in Texas (although we saw it sometimes when I lived up in Western Oregon a few years back). You are right, those wrapping machines seem like pretty amazing peices of equipment.

I have to say, with all the struggles that we all have with timing the weather right, the idea of cutting, baling, and wrapping all in one stretch is HIGHLY attractive!

Chet.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

At what moisture percentage can you start making silage bales?

Trac-Tech, Awesome pictures!

 

[Grrrr]

In the UK we do a lot of wrapped bales - big square, round and small conventional square bales for horses.

Silage is often baled and then wrapped when it is not worth having a clamp, eg for a small heard or for a last cut when opening up the clamp again is not worth it. Also, the wrapped bales are very convenient when you just need a bale somewhere, and you can transport them and sell them.

Wrapped round or big square is pretty much the same, but some of the big squares can weigh an absolute ton. Most of the rounds are kept to 4ish foot to make them easier to handle. We tried some 5ft ones before and the net broke when we tried to pick them up with a spike.

We also have a little bale wrapper for small squares, you have to man handle the bale on to it and then press a button and is wraps it.

They are mainly used for making haylage - basically slightly damp hay. It is helpful because you can bale a bit sooner, so the weather is not so dependent, and most horse owners say the hay is much much better.

It is completely dust free, has more 'goodness' apparently in it, and contains much more energy. You don't need to feed horses as much of the stuff.

They also command a massive price premium, probably the equivalent of $7 more per bale. And the best bit is that the bales are baled a lot shorter, so you get more bales per field. If you make them too long, the bales are too **** heavy to pick up, especially when you have no string to hold.

The wrap has got quite expensive, but they are still popular. If you would like some more details on them I will try and explain.

Some of the big round bales have a set of knives behind the pickup, so they can chop the grass before it gets baled. They use a lot of fuel when there chopping though, but a lot of farmers like them chopped still.

We have a separate wrapper so we can send the baler and wrapper to different places, and most of the wrapping is done at night. We take it in turns whos wrapping each night.

Wrapping is also the most mind numbingly boring job there possibly is during the summer, especially at night. And you have to get out of the cab every so many bales to change the rolls of wrap over which gets old quick.

 

[Grrrr]

At what moisture percentage can you start making silage bales?

Trac-Tech, Awesome pictures!

Basically whatever you want. Sometimes we bale right behind the baler - sometimes it is made nearly as dry as hay.

You can also add additives etc to it to improve the quality - more popular with clamp silage.

Wrapping is also useful when you have to bale at night, when the hay is damp. If the weather is very uncooperative than baling at night is sometimes unavoidable.

If you bale wet grass and make too bigger bale you will end up with immovable lumps sitting around your field. You wouldn't believe how much moisture grass can hold. Enough to make the net wrap snap when you put a spike in the bale to lift it.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

So you can bale right after you cut? Has anyone tried feeding silage to sheep? Also, who makes the wrapper for the small squares? Here in the NW, I think something like that may have some value...

 

[Grrrr]

So you can bale right after you cut? Has anyone tried feeding silage to sheep? Also, who makes the wrapper for the small squares? Here in the NW, I think something like that may have some value...

Yep, sheep see to like it. I think they normally have it a bit dryer.

For the small bale wrapper:
http://www.orkneytoolhire.co.uk/orkney_agricultural_sales/mchale_PDF/McHales_995LM.pdf

There are other companies who make them as well, not sure if they are distributed in the US though.

 

[mark.r]

Everytime I mention silage to horse owners they start talking about their animals getting colic from the fermintation. The grass is too rich I assume. My current boarder won't feed alfalfa and said she wouldn't unless she was competing heavily as her horses don't need that much energy. It's all so confusing.

 

[art]

Horses and baleage don't mix!!!! Baleage is not new and is good for smaller farms often tied to a conventenal style dairy barn that for one reason or the other can't move to the bunks.
Around here the larger farms were the first to go to the bunk silo's and they lengthened there cut to several inches while chopping hayledge vs the vertical storage silo's with an unloader where they can only function with cut under 1/2 inch. The longer cut of the bunks allowed the farmers to reduce the baled hay to clean the stomachs because of the longer hay for good animal health(twisted stomachs). This made it easier for them to put up larger quanities of higher quality feed for the cows with less chance of a rain.
The recutters in the round balers also assit the conventional silo farmers the ability to take advantage of the long cut haylage and the added milk production with less labor.
In the western US the hay ofen drys so fast that they bale alfalfa at nite so the dew helps to keep the leaves attached for less loss of protein.

Some areas wrap all the hay, not just baleage to keep it out of the weather when inside storage is not available.

 

[mark.r]

Horses and baleage don't mix!!!!

Some areas wrap all the hay, not just baleage to keep it out of the weather when inside storage is not available.

These are the two things that I have always been told. So with that been said . . .

There is a difference between baleage and haylage?

When can "hay" be safely wrapped for outside storage and fed to horses?

What are the Europeans wrapping and feeding to horses safetly, haylage?

We just don't see that down here in VA.

 

[Grrrr]

These are the two things that I have always been told. So with that been said . . .

There is a difference between baleage and haylage?

When can "hay" be safely wrapped for outside storage and fed to horses?

What are the Europeans wrapping and feeding to horses safetly, haylage?

We just don't see that down here in VA.

Never heard of baleage before, not made in Europe I don't think.

Haylage, on the other hand, is just hay baled a bit damper. Still almost hay, just not quite finished ready for hay.

The fact that it is wrapped means that it cannot finish drying out as normal hay does when it is stacked. The moisture it is baled with stays with it.

It is in no way green, but not really fluffy either. Just in between.

It is useful when you cannot get a chance to fully dry hay when rain is approaching.

I would have thought it would be an expensive carry on to bale dry hay just to store it outside, especially with rolls of wrap approaching the equivalent of $200 a roll - good for about 60 bales.

Horses definitely do get fed it in the UK, and most horse owners prefer it, due to it being less dusty, and better quality.

I will get you some pictures of it.

A website with some good information on it: Home

 

[Renze]

Talking to my boarders and other customers I have heard that it's an absolute NO NO for the obvious fermitation reason. I could maybe see someone wrapping horse hay 4-5 days after it has dry thoroughly but I have even been told NO on that. What gives?.

We have used heaped silage for years, even fed them corn silage. They just grew too fat on corn silage.

Now we use wrapped square bales. For horses we like it dry, because of the absence of odour (horse people dont like sour silage smell) but with enough moisture to prevent floating dust.

We use silage for horses, for about 25 years, and have used wrapped bales for about 10 years.
There are many insights on horse feed, but we have our own (?) and the horses do well on it.

Its midnight here in Holland, so i can continue tomorrow

 

[mark.r]

I see a lot of people are feeding it for the lack of dust reason which makes perfect sense. However, and I'll have to ask my boarder, there are some dangers of horses such as colic no?

 

[slowzuki]

Here the different forms of plastic wrapped silage is how most big dairy and beef operations harvest forage. The most popular is 5x5 and 6x5 rolls in tube wrap or individual wrap.

They can't use spikes, they use a smooth grab or an auto bale wagon.

Farmers who do silage feed their horses silage, the horses love it although it takes a bit of a transition at the start, just like going from hay to fresh grass does in the spring.

The plastic prices have sent some people back to pit or bunkered silage, and some silos are back running. Others are cutting back how much they do and using pasture management to extend the time before the cattle come in for the winter.