Biological silage additives reduce feed losses in silage. They also have useful additional effects – and these contribute significantly to increasing efficiency in silage management. Find out more about the Siloferm and BioCoolsilage additives here.

Siloferm and Biocool

Siloferm promotes the desired lactic acid fermentation in the silage and ensures that there are fewer losses. With the help of Siloferm, you get more and more nutritious feed for your animals. The use of Siloferm results in at least 400 litres of additional milk per hectare of grass.

If the BioCool silage additive is used, the additional effect becomes apparent when the silage is removed from the silo. Thanks to BioCool, you reduce the risk of the silage reheating and becoming mouldy. This also means a significant increase in forage yield - up to 1,000 litres more milk per hectare of maize silage.

Animals do not like acidic silage

Many silages today contain significantly more lactic acid than in the past. Why this is the case is not yet fully understood. Farmers repeatedly report that their animals like these acidic silages less. Whether the lower pH value also has an influence on the risk of acidosis is also still unclear. Many farms are already taking prophylactic measures to counteract this - for example with the help of buffering substances such as sodium bicarbonate. However, this incurs additional costs. The low pH values in conjunction with the high lactic acid content can also be problematic if yeasts were active at the same time and were able to form alcohol. Lactic acid reacts with alcohol to form esters, recognisable by a strong, pungent, glue-like odour. The animals also react to this by refusing to eat.

How the lactic acid bacteria contained in BioCool and Siloferm work

If BioCool is used, the lactic acid bacteria it contains use their secondary metabolism to control how low the pH value is lowered. If the critical growth limit is reached, the contained Lactobacillus buchneri switches its metabolism. It now converts lactic acid into a nutrient as well as acetic acid and propylene glycol. This prevents over-acidification of the silage and the resulting problems during feeding. Another advantage: BioCool is also effective against yeasts. The risk of esters forming and a pungent odour is reliably reduced.

Reduce the risk of ketosis with biological silage additives

If you supplement silage with Siloferm or BioCool, you have another advantage: the alcohol propylene glycol is formed. Your animals can utilise it for energy to reduce the risk of ketosis. The lactic acid bacteria in Siloferm and BioCool also form extracellular substances (ECPS). They facilitate access to the sugar in the plant cells. This creates many small entry ports, which are later also utilised by the rumen flora. Cell wall components and crude fibres can thus be digested more easily. This promotes the feed efficiency of treated silage.