Sii.os and Silage in Colorado. 
7 
building's, if in a delapidated condition, it is an eyesore and a good 
sign of shiftlessness and poor judgment on the part of the owner. 
Nevertheless, the silo which will be attractive and remain so with 
the least expense and effort is the one that will be “A thing of 
beauty and a joy forever.” 
Dimensions .—The inquiry is often made: “What size of silo 
shall I build?” The diameter depends upon the number and class 
of animals to be fed. To keep silage perfectly fresh, two inches 
should be removed daily from the entire surface during the sum¬ 
mer months, and at least an inch to an inch and a half during win¬ 
ter months. This rule holds more particularly to above ground 
silos, as the spoilage of silage is not so rapid in below ground silos 
in this state. This makes it practical to build pit silos for smaller 
herds than above ground silos. It is not generally considered prac¬ 
tical to build above ground silos for less than ten to twelve head of 
cows, while many pit silos are being built and successfully used with 
as few as four or five cows. The cause of poor silage is often noth¬ 
ing more than too large a diameter of silo for the amount of stock 
fed. 
The following table shows the number of animals which should 
be fed from silos of various diameters in order to remove two inches 
of silage daily when various quantities are fed: 
Relation of Herd to Diameter of Silo. 
Number of animals feeding various quantities 
Diameter 
Pounds 
40 lb. 
30 lb. 
25 lb. 
20 lb. 
15 lb. 
5 lb. 
of Silo 
Removed 
per head 
per head 
per head 
per head 
per head 
per head 
10 ft. 
523 
13 
17 
21 
26 
35 
105 
12 ft. 
754 
19 
25 
30 
38 
50 
151 
14 ft. 
1,030 
26 
34 
41 
51 
69 
206 
16 ft. 
1,340 
33 
4-4 
54 
67 
88 
268 
18 ft. 
1,685 
42 
56 
67 
84 
112 
337 
20 ft. 
2,100 
52 
70 
84 
105 
140 
420 
The amount fed varies with the class of animals to which it is 
fed. The following table shows the quantities of silage commonly 
fed to various classes of livestock: 
Kind of Stock— 
Dairy cows . 
Stock cattle . 
Fattening cattle. 
Breeding ewes. 
Fattening mature sheep . 
Fattening lambs . 
Horses and mules (work stock) . 
Horses and mules (yearlings)... 
Horses and mules (mature, idle) 
Pounds daily. 
. . 25 to 40 
. . 25 to 40 
. . 15 to 30 
3 to 5 
3 to 4 
2 to 3 
4 to 5 
8 to 10 
. . . .20 to 40 
