Living on the dairy farm is full of fun as there are cute farm animals that kids can play with, fresh air under which sleeping is anyone’s dream and the food is always fresh.

People would give away their prized possessions to get a lucky chance to live just one day at a dairy farm.

But working there is not as fun as it looks every kind of cattle such as, cows; buffaloes, hens, pigs, etc are like babies, farmers need to take care of them 24/7 which would give nightmares to any normal person but they do it efficiently and feeding them is a part of that.

This article will talk about the different kinds of fodders and why silage dominates them.

Types of feed

1.Silage is a type of fodder that has high moisture; it is fed to domestic animals usually during the dry season. Cereal grains are either fed as whole or ground to the cattle, these grains are entirely grown as feed.

2.High protein meals are what’s left of the seeds after they are used to process oil for humans.

3.Sugarcane byproduct is cane molasses left after sugar production; the molasses are rich sources of carbohydrates.

4.Pasture grass and herbs are the most important single source of feed for cattle, horses, sheep, and goats.

5.Hay is the most common type of feed known to the general public, it is made by drying grasses or herbs during their growth before they fully develop, they are made this way to harvest the maximum amount of digestible protein and carbohydrates per acre.

Why is silage the best?

Silage vs. hay: - Silage is better than hay because it preserves more nutrients per acre due to less field loss; it is also less affected by weather damage because it is not left to dry in the fields as done while making hay.

Plus more crops can be used to make silage, meaning that more silage can be produced which can save costs.

Silage vs. cereal grains: - Feeding cattle grain as a full diet will not harm or kill the cattle but is sure to give them an upset stomach, this is similar to what a person feels when they eat a full box of corn flaxes, but why would a farmer even want that to happen to their cattle?

Silage on the other hand is easily digestible and the taste is also better than cereal grains.

Silage vs. high protein meals: - High protein meals are good for the cattle, but feeding them protein in excess can be harmful because cattle that are fed too much protein will yield less milk which in turn will reduce milk profits for the farm.

Silage not only helps milk-producing cattle such as cows yield more milk but also keeps them, healthy during pregnancy and after reproduction.

Silage vs. sugarcane byproduct: - Cane molasses the byproduct of sugarcane is a rich source of carbohydrates, but feeding it as the only diet can be toxic for cattle and can cause neurological disorders.

Silage is safe for feeding cattle as it improves the digestion of cattle and helps them maintaining a healthy body since it’s a balanced diet and like it’s said ‘a healthy mind lives in a healthy body’, the phrase applies to domestic animals as well.

Silage vs. pasture: - Pasture grasses and herbs are good if the cattle graze them in adequate amounts, but the management of grazing is a tough job, poor grazing management can be harmful to the environment also, for example, farm animals such as horses will become undernourished if they graze on deep green pasture plus pasture that has more water lacks in nutrients and dry matter which is harmful to them.

Silage on the other hand has a balance of nutrients, is easy to feed and the dry matter is also adequate.

Feeding silage to cattle has various benefits, Promaize Silage for Animals is one of the recommended yummy flavors from the Patanjali nutrimeal silage brand which is the best silage in India.