In Vietnamese agriculture, cassava is known mainly as a crop for tubers and starch production. But the more and the more people know to brew cassava leaves – often wasted – contain many nutrients that can be used as animal feed effectively. In this article, BB Agri will show you how to compost cassava leaves for animal feed, helping livestock to achieve high productivity!

Why to brew cassava leaves for fodder?

Cassava leaves are an extremely nutritious food source for pets such as buffaloes, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. With a high protein content (20-25% in dry matter), cassava leaves provide many flours, minerals and vitamins.

The protein in cassava leaves includes many essential amino acids, especially lysin. In addition, cassava leaves contain many other nutrients such as calcium, carotene, vitamins B1 and C. However, it should be noted that cassava leaves also contain a significant amount of toxins [HCN], especially in bitter cassava varieties.

To reduce the risk of toxins, cassava leaf silage is a smart and safe processing measure. Through anaerobic fermentation, microorganisms produce lactic acid and other organic acids, reducing the content of cyanhydric acid toxin (HCN) to only 32-34 mg/kg. This not only ensures the safety of pets but also complies with international standards (no more than 57 mg/kg).

Cassava leaf silage as fodder is not only a forage preservation, but also benefits the health of livestock. It stimulates the digestive system, helps pets easily absorb nutrients from food.

The principle to brew cassava leaves for cattle

One of the effective silage methods is the use of fresh cassava leaves, and below are the basic principles to ensure maximum performance.

Ensure bibliography

Fresh cassava leaf silage requires strict environmental conditions, especially anaerobic factor. You need to use double-layer plastic bags or tanks, sealed containers to reduce the amount of air in the compost bag to the maximum. This not only prevents rotting and mold from arising, but also keeps the silage in top condition.

Use additives with a high content of dry matter and nitrogen

For fresh cassava tubers with large water content, the use of some additives such as sweet potato leaf string, fresh peanut leaf tops, cassava leaf powder, rice bran, dried molasses and table salt is important. These additives not only help to reduce the percentage of water, but also provide nutrients to fermenting microorganisms, which stabilize the pH value and quality of the silage.

Additives play an important role in providing substrates for rapidly growing fermentation microorganisms. At the same time, they provide starch and sugar to convert into acetic acid and lactic acid. This helps to reduce the water rate rapidly, stabilize the pH value and ensure the quality of the silage is maintained for a long time.

How to silage tapioca leaves as feed for cattle

When carrying out the process of siling cassava leaves for animal feed, proper preparation and implementation of steps is important to ensure success. Here are detailed instructions on how to effectively silage cassava leaves:

• Preparation of raw materials
• Fresh cassava leaves: 100 kg.
• Rice bran or tapioca, potato flour: 5 kg.
• Table salt: 0.5 kg.
• Added dried molasses to stimulate appetite for cattle: 1kg

Choosing an annealing material – one of the most important thing to brew cassava leaves successfully

You can use plastic bags, masonry tanks, digging holes in the soil, phi barrels to carry out the incubation process. The compost pit should have a rounded shape to avoid angles affecting the compaction of feed. Make sure the incubation place is clean, in a high position, avoiding water and air from spoiling the silage.

Steps to brew cassava leaves

Before starting the silage process, harvest cassava leaves and lightly dry them in the shade. Then, use a milling machine or chopper to cut the leaves into segments about 10-15 cm long. Mix well with bran, tapioca, potato flour, and table salt to make a balanced food.

Incubation in the compost pit:

• Spread a thick layer of straw at the bottom of the compost pit.
• Line the banana leaf layer and cover with plastic sheet to ensure smooth fermentation.
• Start putting food in the compost pit, the layer of which is 10-15cm thick at a time.
• Use bran, tapioca, potato flour, and table salt to sprinkle evenly on each layer of food.
• Sprinkle a layer of bran and salt on top to optimize fermentation.
• Place a layer of mulch on the surface and cover the compost pit tightly to prevent rainwater.

Incubation in plastic bags:

• Place food in a plastic bag, both for and compacted without tearing the bag.
• Sprinkle a layer of bran and salt on top, tie the mouth of the bag tightly.
• Place the bag in a shady place for silage.

In order for the silage process to take place efficiently, be sure to compact the feed tightly to remove the air. The air in the compost block can increase rotten fermentation and affect feed quality. This is important to ensure your feed is always in the best condition.

Incubation period

After about 72 hours, anaerobic fermentation will stop. Depending on the season, from 7-15 days after closing the compost block, you can take silage for feeding cattle. Successfully sour food will be yellow, fragrant like sauerkraut.

How to use cassava leaves silage?

Start by feeding your pet less, then gradually increase the amount of food as needed. When not in use, tie the mouth of the bag tightly or cover the compost pit/cassava leaf block tightly to prevent air damage to the food.

Conclude

Hope the information shared above helps you know how to brew cassava leaves for animal feed effectively and achieve high yield. Utilizing cassava leaves through the silage process not only helps reduce waste but also optimizes feed sources for livestock, while supporting farmers to optimize agricultural production. If you have any questions during the breeding process, leave a comment to be answered by an expert!