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Description: The effects of additives on silage fermentation and composition can be determined in mini- or laboratory-scale silos shown in the images above, which allow much greater replication than can be achieved in farm-scale silos. Various containers have been used in published research studies that range in size from 50 ml plastic centrifuge tubes, 250ml plastic measuring cylinders (image 2), quart glass canning jars, PVC pipes of various lengths (image 1, 3 foot pipes; image 5 about .5 m tall, photographed in Sweden), 5 gallon plastic buckets, shown in image 3 with a galvanized steel sheet forming a cylindrical guide for filling the bucket, or metal cylinders of various sizes (image 4, about .3 m tall, also photographed in Sweden). Each silo must be fitted with a Bunsen valve or home-brewer's fermentation lock (images 1, 2, 4 and 5) to allow the escape of fermentation gases and prevent ingress of oxygen. Stop-cocks can be added at the bottom of pipe silos to measure effluent production. This does, however, allow air ingress when the effluent is drained off. Ideally each silo should be packed to the same density, which is difficult when packing by hand, and this should be equivalent to the density obtained in a farm-scale bunker or tower silo. This can be achieved by compressing a known weight of forage either by hand or with a hydrualic packer powered by compressed air. If packed by hand the chopped forage can be compressed into the silo with an appropriately sized tamping tool, such as a piece of a broom handle for the 250 ml silos (image 2) or with another bucket (image 3). Packing density and temperature of fermentation can affect the results obtained.

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