How to choose the right silo

When choosing the most suitable silo for a farm, it’s important to consider several factors that will help us narrow down our search and find the silo that best meets our needs.

Silos are used on farms to store animal feed, often animal fodder. Therefore, it’s important that the silo we choose offers sufficient features for optimal feed storage, ensuring that it won’t suffer losses or spoilage.

That’s why the current silos available on the market have a series of features designed to make these large tanks more functional and practical.

Factors to take into account

When choosing the silo for our farm, we will take into account a series of variables:

capacity

Not all silos have the same capacity. Depending on the amount of feed we need to store, we should choose a silo with a larger or smaller capacity. In this regard, we must also keep in mind that there may be a feed compaction factor that, for example, one silo manufacturer considers but not another. It’s important to ask the supplier for clarification on this point so we can properly choose the most suitable silo for our farm.

Design and materials

Today, we can find silos made from a variety of materials. Depending on the type of material, we will have different features. For example, polyester silos do not generate condensation, so the feed is not affected by moisture. In any case, it is necessary to consider the advantages offered by each type of silo in order to properly evaluate each.

Auxiliary equipment

On the market, we can find silos with different features, each offering specific functionalities, such as an internal viewing window, which allows us to monitor the amount of feed inside. Another very practical element is the metal structures, which allow us to keep the silo upright in any desired location. These metal structures, which support the silo, also have ladders that allow easy and safe access to the roof. Another extremely practical component is the hopper, which can be added to the discharge valve, preventing feed waste.

Price

Depending on our needs and the budget we have to dedicate to purchasing a silo, we can find different options. However, before choosing the cheapest option, it’s worth carefully evaluating the different alternatives, because sometimes a more expensive silo is more cost-effective, as it lasts much longer.