What’s the difference between hay and silage

Silage being compressed and then covered.

OPINION

When school holidays came around, I often packed my suitcase and headed off to Eltham in Taranaki, to stay with my aunt and uncle who were dairy farmers.

My Uncle Fred made silage and when the wind blew the wrong way, phew, you sure could smell It. I didn’t particularly like helping to feed out, but to the cows, it was like candy. My uncle always told me the best silage should be good enough to eat. I never knew whether he was having me on or actually meant it.

So, what is the difference between hay and silage, and does it have the same nutritional value for your stock?

While both products are generally made from grass and are used for feeding various livestock, there are key differences in preparation, storage, ease of digestion, and nutritional value which you must understand and remember when comparing hay vs silage.

Silage is preserved or pickled pasture that has been fermented, usually stored in silage sheets in a specially dug pit, the sheet is held down with old truck and car tyres. Farmers make silage so they keep feeding their livestock when pasture dries up during summer. While the process of making silage won’t add any nutrients, it certainly does a decent job of preserving existing nutrients and is a high-energy source stock feed. Silage is very palatable to livestock and can be fed at any time and can be stored up to three years without deterioration.

Hay is grass that has been cut and dried to use as animal fodder at a later date. Hay has a moisture content around 12% compared to silage which is about 40% plus. Hay is simple to store.

Depending on the animal, hay can make up 50% or more of its daily diet, and in winter, most grazing animals consume even more hay because their access to adequate pasture is restricted. The nutrition from hay is vital to keep the animal healthy, and to protect its digestive health. The quality of the hay plays an important part in the animal’s health, it needs to be high in protein, energy, and fibre to maintain their body weight, plus they know the difference between a good slab of hay and a not so good one.

For most farmers, their choice between silage and hay comes down to availability and cost.