Silage Advice

How many layers of wrap should I apply?

More layers reduces oxygen permeability and the risk of damage to the wrap. A minimum of 4 layers (50% overlap) is essential but increasing to 6 is beneficial as it provides a better oxygen barrier. Some work at CEDAR with black wrap found that 10% DM losses with 4 layers were reduced to just 1% by using 6 layers; the silage also had a better feed value. You should also use more layers with more mature or stalky forages, and very high DM grass, eg haylage, as well as with square bales.

Min. layers
Round <40% DM 4
Round 40-50% DM 6
Square <50% DM 6
>50% DM or stalky 8