Objectives The pathway of developing silage industry with high-quality in Shui Nationality Autonomous County of Sandu, Guizhou Province, was studied to realize the sustainable development of animal husbandry. Methods The local forage planting, the processing, utilization and development prospects of silage feed was analyzed and summarized in detail based on the practice, visiting on the enterprises of processing silage feed and farmers (households), and reviewing literatures. The corresponding countermeasures and suggestions were innovatively proposed. Results Shui Nationality Autonomous County of Sandu, Guizhou Province, had good conditions for forage planting and a good foundation for livestock and poultry farming. However, there were problems including the lack of technical personnel, the shortage of leading enterprises to drive, low technical level and uneven quality of silage processing, single forage varieties and low utilization rate of silage raw materials, insufficient understanding of silage feed, insufficient support, and low rate of mechanization. It is necessary to strengthen personnel training, establish specialized technical teams and strengthen technical guidance, introduce supporting policies and strengthen financial support, implement experimental demonstrations for planting forage and processing silage feed, introduce leading enterprises to drive, comprehensively improve the rate of mechanization, and implement projects of processing silage feed to boost the revitalization of silage industry in Shui Autonomous County of Sandu, Guizhou Province. Conclusions At present, Shui Nationality Autonomous County of Sandu has favorable conditions for vigorously promoting the processing of silage feed, providing juicy, and palatable silage feed with balanced nutrition for livestock such as cattle and sheep, which can bring good economic benefits to the people. It will provide a solid foundation for the sustainable development of animal husbandry in Sandu County, Guizhou Province.