Take Advantage of Small Grain Silages

by Dr. David Porter Price

To most cattle feeders, the generic term silage refers to corn silage. But it is also possible to make good quality silage out of small grains. I have always been an advocate of small grain silages, not because there is any particular advantage over corn silage, but rather, small grains can be double cropped with corn, providing a winter or spring crop.

It used to be that generalizations could be made about small grain forages grown for silage. Indeed, that is still possible as long as we are referring to varieties primarily designed as grain crops. Whether the crop be barley, wheat, oats, or even triticale, put up correctly, they will be higher in protein, phosphorous, potassium and virtually all trace minerals than corn silage.

Small grain silages will also be slightly higher in fiber and significantly lower in energy. Without going through a lot of calculations, it can be said that small grain silages put up correctly will normally result in roughly 1/2 to 3/4 lbs./day less gain than good corn silage. In other words, good corn silage will typically result in gains of 1.75 to 2.25 lbs./day. Properly cut and ensiled, small grain silages will typically result in gains of about 1.5 to a maximum of about 1.75 lbs./day.

In actual practice, however, it must be pointed out that most small grain silages have grain added to them which boosts gains substantially. These figures are for silages with protein and mineral supplementation only. Indeed, it should be admonished that all silages require supplementation. Occasionally we see farmer feeders try to feed silages without protein or mineral supplementation, resulting in disappointing performance.

It should also be pointed out that harvesting times with small grain silages are much more critical than for corn silage. This is why the phrase, "properly cut and ensiled," was used as a disclaimer. Delayed harvesting or incomplete packing can result in an exceedingly poor quality feed.

With respect to harvesting, corn silage is relatively forgiving. Small grains are not. The reason is that when small grains begin to mature, lignification of the stalk occurs much more rapidly than corn. Lignon, of course, is a woody type of fiber that is virtually indigestible to the animal. With small grains, within 2 weeks the plant can go from a good quality forage to little more than straw.

University research has indicated that maximum yields will be obtained when small grains are cut at a mid-dough stage. However, if cut at the milk stage, reduction in yield is only about 10 percent. I therefore recommend to my clients to begin cutting at the milk stage. That way if there are any weather or mechanical problems that create harvesting delays, we have some breathing room.

In addition to the reduction in digestibility, increasing maturity of small grain forages increases packing difficulty exponentially. As a general rule small grains are much more "spongy" than corn silage and difficult to pack. When mature, it is virtually impossible to remove all the oxygen, and a dark, lower quality silage will be inevitable. This dark color not only indicates reduced energy, but denatured protein as well.

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