Silage for Buffalo: Murrah Feeding for More Milk & Fat

Buffaloes give most of India's milk, and buffalo milk is paid on fat. That makes the buffalo's ration a direct line to the farmer's income. Corn silage suits buffaloes well: it is soft, moist and energy-rich, and buffaloes are efficient at turning fibrous feed into milk and fat.

How much silage for a buffalo? A milking buffalo of 400–450 kg needs 18–25 kg of corn silage a day, split into two feeds, with 4–6 kg of dry fodder and concentrate at about 1 kg for every 2.5 litres of milk. A buffalo giving 6–8 litres sits in the middle of this range; a high-yielding Murrah sits at the top. A dry or pregnant buffalo needs 10–15 kg of silage with 5–6 kg of dry fodder and 1–1.5 kg of concentrate.

Switch slowly. Over 7–10 days, start with 3–5 kg of silage after milking, raise it to 8–10 kg while cutting dry fodder by the same weight, then move to the full ration. A sudden change is the most common reason a buffalo goes off feed in the first week.

Why is my buffalo eating less? Farmers often search 'bhains chara kam khati hai'. The usual causes are: a sudden change of feed; heat stress in summer; spoiled, mouldy or heated fodder; dirty water or too little water; and illness such as fever, indigestion or mastitis. Check the feed and water first. A good silage smells pleasantly sour; if it smells of ammonia, is black or slimy, or feels hot, throw it away. If the buffalo still eats less for more than a day, has fever or the milk drops sharply, call a veterinarian.

Protect the buffalo in summer. Buffaloes suffer more in heat than cows because their dark skin absorbs heat and they sweat less. Give shade, plenty of clean water, a wallow or water sprays, and feed more of the ration in the cooler morning and evening. Moist silage helps intake on hot days, when buffaloes eat little dry straw.

Silage and milk fat. Because buffalo milk is sold on fat, the quality of the roughage matters. In a KVK Baramati study, milk fat rose 6% after farmers adopted silage, and in a small Kashmir trial, milk fat yield went up 16.67% when maize silage replaced part of the straw. Results vary by herd, so record milk and fat at the collection centre before and after the switch.

Do not forget minerals and water. Every adult buffalo needs about 50 g of mineral mixture and 30 g of salt a day, and unlimited clean water. Silage does not replace water.

Choose the right bale size. An opened bale must be finished within 3–5 days. A farmer with two or three buffaloes should choose 100 kg bales; a herd eating 80–130 kg a day finishes a 400 kg bale in time.

Want a ration chart for your buffaloes? Send their number, daily milk and current feed on WhatsApp and our team will prepare one with your first order of Richnest corn silage.