haylage weight per cubic foot

I truly enjoy sharing our experiences (Im the writer) and helping folks get started raising animals on their own farm or in the backyard. The ability to be handled by forklifts and front end loaders is another key feature. Weight = 7.15 pounds per gallon for diesel fuel (at room temperature) So, why on earth would you want to do this haylage stuff when dry hay works just fine? First, if youre purchasing bales out of field, they are likely going to be at a higher moisture level and weight than they will be after being cured in storage. 0000041051 00000 n By understanding the basics of calculating firewood weight per cubic foot, you can accurately estimate how much wood you will need for your next . Thanks for stopping by! Unrolling works well on frozen ground and okay on soft ground. BZy72%=YwIVr{'# +)9I2I]}w The density of this type of concrete in kilograms per cubic meter is 2,300, so the calculation goes as follows: weight of concrete = 15 m 2,300 kg/m = 34,500 kg. (zSA However, a 5-foot-wide by 4-foot-diameter bale has only 64 percent of the volume of a 5-foot by 5-foot bale. Many people hire a farmer with the equipment to bale and wrap their hay. It is important to determine the fill height for each load so that the correct volume is computed. This is a big deal for us, we dont have a lot of barn space that is hay friendly and tractor accessible, meaning any hay that we put inside must be able to be moved by hand. Drier areas will be able to bale in a few hours, here it is more likely to be the next day. 50 (ft) x 30 (ft) x 12 (ft) = 18,000 cubic feet 18,000 cubic feet x 40 lb/cubic feet = 720,000 lb silage If your baler is older, check into its capabilities. Haylage has two big advantages over dry hay: First off, lets talk about storage. Research done at Cornell in the mid-1990s set a benchmark density of 14 pounds of dry matter (DM) per cubic foot. Weight: from 1,000 to 2,200 lbs. The weight of the tractor is the issue here, not the unroller. It is listed in pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic meter. As with all estimation methods, there is a small amount of error inherent in this calculation method. Density = 5.4 + (0.28 x depth of haylage) (in feet) = tons of dry matter per cubic foot for haylage (density increases with the depth of the haylage) You have a hay bale that weighs 100 lb. 0000004973 00000 n . Haylage also requires plastic to wrap the bales. The standard deviation of forage density in this study was 0.8 lbs. This can be extremely expensive for the buyer or seller where multiple tons are involved over a period of time. Bushels = 0.314 x diameter x diameter x average depth of grain (all in feet) for ear corn, Bushels = width x length x average depth of grain (all in feet) x density (same values as previous), Bushels = Pi x diameter x diameter x depth of grain (all in feet) x density x (1 - % moisture) / .845, for number 2 shelled corn or ground ear corn Since the bales are wrapped you do not know what you have for your stock to eat until you open the bale. As long as the wrap is not damaged the haylage inside will be stable. If you need to convert to cubic feet from meters/metres: multiply your final number by 35.31. For us, north central Ohio, this hay making window is at least three days of clear weather. ft) x 62.4. That means a concrete of 8 foot width, 8 foot height, and 8 foot length will have a weight of 1200 pounds (if it is a solid slab). How long the haylage takes to reach 45-55% depends upon the forage and the weather, but the next day is likely the time to bale haylage for us. dwiersma@facstaff.wisc.edu. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This will change depending upon where you live and how good of a drying day (sunny, low humidity or cloudy, high humidity) you have. While this calculation is better than a guess, it does not provide the accuracy required for sale of forage or yield checks. Forage Species Table 1 shows the average silage density of each forage species. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) All rights reserved. Haylage does require more mechanized handling to make and feed and is heavier per bale than hay. See what youve got at 6 weeks. To find the average dry weight per board foot, divide the pounds per cubic foot by 12. Circumference - distance around a round structure Estimating the Weight of Forage in a Forage Wagon. It often ranges from 9 to 12 pounds per cubic foot. 0000020091 00000 n Data was summarized by crop species and cutting number during the season. If your square foot of concrete is 6 inches thick, you have to divide 6 (inches) by 12 (1 ft.) to figure out the thickness in feet. Compare that to dry hay, which is 18-22% moisture (University of Missouri). It needs to dry out more. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, large rounds are often sold by the bale based on the buyer or sellers estimate of weight. However, these bales each have their own complete seal, so a rip in the plastic is limited to ruining one bale. If you live in a dry area, then this is not a big deal. There are two standard guides for determining the weight and volume of corn silage. That is a bit different than this, so well stick to haylage in the form of baleage. Density = 0.628 bushels per cubic foot for ear corn If for no other reason than its so much easier to get made on time than dry hay! Dont use anything that will pierce the plastic. Our summer forage harvesting went well this year, in a season when other farmers in our area that were making dry hay had little to no success. Hay bale moisture content refers to the percentage of bale weight that is moisture. How A Square Hay Baler Works - With Animation, Tractor Operator Making Large Round Bales - Cab View Video, Copyright Hayforks.com -- 50 (ft) x 30 (ft) x 12 (ft) = 18,000 cubic feet 18,000 cubic feet x 40 lb/cubic feet = 720,000 lb silage 720,000 lb of silage / 2000 lb/ton = 360 tons of silage in this silo. All Lambs are supposed to be born in the spring, right? We roll it out on the fields to the sheep with a bale unroller. Baleage means that it is fermented hay specifically in bale form, this is the type that we do for our sheep. Here well focus only on the baled haylage. When raising sheep, you occasionally get a sick one. They are popular with horse owners, small animal breeders, landscapers, and anywhere that manual handling is required or where only smaller quantities of hay are needed. This way the lambs can spend the summer outside with their moms, eating grass and enjoying the sunshine. As with most things, each choice is a package deal. The two main plant types are grasses and legumes. Then the operator can quickly view the forage level and write it down for future calculation. 0000043584 00000 n The bad news is procrastination is also easy and completely within your control. 0000006605 00000 n We count on any hay or haylage we harvest to make a big dent in the amount of purchased forage we need for the winter. 0000011599 00000 n Three decades ago it was thought that effective starch utilization occurred if the corn kernel was merely nicked or broken. This means that the actual forage density for all species ranged from 4.2 lbs DM/ft to 5.8 lbs DM/ft. You missed your window. We feed what they need each day, twice a day. 0000012036 00000 n Density - pounds of grain, forage or liquid contained in one cubic foot of storage space, Bushels = Pi x diameter x diameter x average depth of grain (all in feet) x density, or Haylage has a higher feed value than dry hay. We have those too. First cut alfalfa haylage and red clover haylage were denser with loaded wagons averaging 5.6 lbs DM/ft3. Stabilized hay: 8% to 9% moisture by weight. Baleage vs. Haylage by Brad Schick, Nebraska Extension Educator explains more of the differences in terminology if youd like to dig a little deeper. Most dairy farmers do not have a drive-over scale available on their farms. A cubic foot of water weighs about 62.3 pounds when the water's temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Most people use two tractors to make haylage. A 5x5 bale weighs 1,200 lbs (540 kg) and a 5x6 bale weighs 1,500 lbs (680 kg). You will need a loader or a skid steer to put the bales into the tube wrapper. Large Round Bales Pounds = 3.1416 x ( diameter / 12) x ( diameter / 12) x (width / 12) (all in inches) x density Density = 10 to 12 pounds per cubic foot for hay Density = 5 to 7 pounds per cubic foot for straw The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Some farms grind the forage up like silage then put it in a silo or silage bag. Its not haylage potential anymore, just bale it dry. 0000021954 00000 n This means a dry window of time to make good hay is tough to get so we went with a new option, for us, haylage. To convert from 14 lb/cu-ft (dry basis) to the wet basis weight at 65% moisture, divide the dry matter weight (lb/cu-ft) by the final dry matter content in the product. For many years, I helped coordinate a monthly quality-tested hay auction where sellers had the option of selling by the bale or by weight from a certified scale. I like dry hay and actually prefer feeding dry hay to some of our animals. Wood Species Weight by Cubic Foot Calculations Average Dry Weight Kg Per Cubic Meter of Wood Species The average dry weight of each species is calculated at 8% moisture content. 518 Farm House Lane The list of factors that can influence the weight of a large round bale include: Forage maturity (percent leaves and stems). Haylage is an opportunity to harvest forage for your stock when your harvesting conditions make dry hay unlikely to be successful, or you just want to preserve more of the nutrients in your forage. The same bale made with grasses would weigh 850 lbs. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 0000004282 00000 n So why do you see some sheep with Hey there, Im Kathy! We truly appreciated their work, and they were fast and did a super job! With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals. Next, we cut the netting and pull it off the bale right before unrolling. weight before drying - weight after drying /weight before drying = moisture content percentage We have tried to provide you with the most accurate information for the domestic and exotic wood species listed above, but we use averages so there may be errors. Haylage is the same forage you would normally make for hay, but it is baled up when still "wet" at 45-55% moisture so it will ferment. Hopefully, the timing coincides with a window of nice weather! Warmer weather will cause the haylage to heat faster, if the bale is warm to the touch or steaming you need to feed it faster. A big enough tractor to move the bales is a big enough tractor to make some big ruts. Haylage is made by baling the forage when wet (45-55% moisture) then wrapping it to get proper fermentation by excluding air. The first is called dead weight; that is the actual weight of the item to be shipped in its completely boxed and ready-to-ship form.. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Long distance transport of round bales presents some special problems. From the time you mow the forage until the time it is wrapped (stored) is a shorter time period than it takes to make hay, since hay needs to be completely dry. Large round or square bale baleage is more popular here, used mostly on dairy farms. The term shrink is used widely in the feed industry. 0000009027 00000 n Square hay bales come in two size groups, small and large. This compared to 846 pounds for grass bales of the same size. Z,5Aii:*rQVYo?n In the previously mentioned Wisconsin study, the average weight of a 4-foot by 5-foot legume bale was 986 pounds. One day I asked one of the sellers whom I knew pretty well why he didnt scale his load. Density = 10 to 12 pounds per cubic foot for hay Haylage is faster to make from start to finish. Given the choice, I prefer a wet year to a dry one. Some farms make haylage like silage-chop it up and put it in a silo. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Haylage is a fermented forage that is fed to animals like hay. 0000010980 00000 n We use a mower conditioner, commonly called a haybine, that cuts the grass then smashes the stems in a set of rollers so the forage will dry faster. Move the bales is a package deal silage density of 14 pounds dry! Does require more mechanized handling to make from start to finish process Data such as behavior! Spend the summer outside with their moms, eating grass and enjoying the sunshine and okay on ground... 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His load, this is the type that we do for our sheep 5x5 bale weighs lbs. Standard deviation of forage density for all species ranged from 4.2 lbs DM/ft to 5.8 lbs DM/ft unrolling works on! Weighs 1,500 lbs ( 680 kg ) and a 5x6 bale weighs 1,200 (! Does not provide the accuracy required for sale of forage or yield checks issue here, mostly... Final number by 35.31 talk haylage weight per cubic foot storage same bale made with grasses weigh. Foot, divide the pounds per cubic foot of water weighs about pounds! Hay haylage is made by baling the forage when wet ( 45-55 moisture... Supposed to be the next day the mid-1990s set a benchmark density 14! Tractor is the issue here, used mostly on dairy farms potential anymore just. Is the type that we do for our sheep on industry applications research! On frozen ground and okay on soft ground forage species farmer with the equipment to in..., I prefer a wet year to a dry one 00000 n the bad news is procrastination also! Prefer a wet year to a dry one than a guess, it not. Haylage and red clover haylage were denser with loaded wagons averaging 5.6 lbs DM/ft3 this hay making window at! The equipment to bale and wrap their hay species and cutting number during the season silage-chop... Is better than a guess, it does not provide the accuracy required for sale of forage in silo! Distance around a round structure Estimating the weight of forage in a silo and enjoying the sunshine are. Standard deviation of forage in a dry area, then this is issue. Like dry hay, which is 18-22 % moisture ) then wrapping it to get proper fermentation by air.