way to grind ear corn

[Menglish]

My sister has a Jersey that she's milking. The family (us included) get free milk from her. We help with haying, fencing etc. She is short on money and my dad and I found a field with a lot of ear corn in it that she can have just for picking it up. Is there a cheap/alternative way to grinding it up? Looking for options.

Mike

[mesa123]

Check with some local farmers or even a local feed mill. My farmer neighbor has a grinder and he grinds my corn for me at no charge.

She could also feed the whole corn on the cob. Takes up a lot more storage space, but its free.

[Bearfootfarm]

You don't have to grind it to feed to a cow.

http://www.aragriculture.org/livesto...le_chopped.htm

Corn is one grain that can be fed whole when it is being used a supplement. A study conducted at the University of Arkansas in the early 90's reported no difference in the growth performance of steers grazing bermudagrass pasture and supplemented with either whole or ground corn at one percent of body weight over an 84-day grazing period.

[unioncreek]

We never ground our whole corn. Large feedlots don't either and the reason is, it's not economical to do so. It costs more to grind it than you receive back in feed value.

Bob

[Menglish]

Would the fact that this is for a Jersey cow in milk change that?

[PD-Riverman]

I bought one of the Old coffee grinders at a auction, added a pulley and a motor. Made a big funnel out of a big light fixture like you see at the older ball fields-----hung the funnel over the grinder, pour a 5 gallon bucket of shelled corn in the funnel, added a timer for convenience, start the timer, go do something and when I come back later I got a 5 gallon bucket of cracked corn or ground feed and anywhere in between(according to how I got the grinder set) and the grinder is off. I have the timer set to where it cuts off shortly after it grinds a 5 gallon bucket full. Been working good for 4 years.


If you want to grind cob and all a Chipper/shreader for limbs and leaves will do a Great job.

Originally Posted by Menglish

My sister has a Jersey that she's milking. The family (us included) get free milk from her. We help with haying, fencing etc. She is short on money and my dad and I found a field with a lot of ear corn in it that she can have just for picking it up. Is there a cheap/alternative way to grinding it up? Looking for options.

Mike

[FarmboyBill]

Morrison & Morrison 1938 says PREPERATION OF FEED The various grains should commonly be ground or crushed for dairy cows and heifers, since a considerable percentage otherwise escapes chewing and disgestion P 275. If, you feed the corn whole, Try to either keep 3 pigs or your chickens around the cow so that they can find and finish lost corn.

If your going to pick up corn, get a tree limb shredder, a light one, and run stalks through it and see if she will eat them also. Might lower her hay bill. Get the 3 blocks of salt to make sure u got whatevers needed for the cow. I bought the big blocks of salt, mineral, and sulfer blocks and brought them home and stacked them on top of each other so that my 3 goats could get what they wanted. One time expense.

[springvalley]

Yep the easiest way to grind your whole ear corn is with a chipper, if it will chop limbs it will chop corn. Just put a tarp under your chipper so you don`t get corn all over. It is best fed when ground, I feed my cows ground cob meal, but I also have a grinder mixer for doing the job. You can feed whole ear corn , but your cows will do better if it`s ground. > Thanks Marc

[myheaven]

our co-op charges $8 to grind up stuff. No matter the size load. Bring in a few tons and have it ground. Thats if you have a co-op and can salvage that much corn.

[Menglish]

Thanks gang. I'll check into the feed mills and see what they charge...also will look for a chipper shredder.

Mike

[clovis]

Whatever you do, go get that corn, especially since it is free!!!!!

[Menglish]

Originally Posted by clovis

Whatever you do, go get that corn, especially since it is free!!!!!

OH yeah that's a no brainer!

[Terri]

I have often wondered if just soaking the corn would work?

The old time farmers did not worry much about undigested corn kernals because the free range chickens ate them out of the manure.
It was not wasted.

[geo in mi]

Of course, get the free corn. You might consider the moisture content and maybe go from there, shelled, vs. cracked for digestion. I just spent some time ruminating through this, maybe you can use the information in it. The nutrition content in the food you give her will end up in the milk your family drinks. Good luck, I envy you(a little bit). Obviously there are scores of google websites on dairying, so I offer this at the risk of offending you for information you already know......
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...ms/di0469.html

geo

[FarmboyBill]

Ive picked upmaybe 50 acres of downed corn after picking when I was a kid. Dont think id want to do it now.

I dont think a chipper shredder would grind the kernals all that good. BUT, it could make such a meal of the ear that the cow would eat all of it, which, of course, it would do anyway. My first chore either before or after gthering corn cobs for the outhouse, was to roll up the hammermill belt after dad had ground corn. He had a wards hammermill and used it till one of the hammers went 1/2 way up the pipe. He had the funnel inside the barn, and after grinding, the haymow above would be full of dust/smoke, and spiderwebs everywhere. It was kinda neat to see a wagonload of corn ground up, a sense of accomplishment. It was sure load while grinding, and that hammermill sure spit back a bunch of shelled corn hard.

[taylorlambert]

A feed mill is nothing more than a chipper shredder flail even down to the screen. I got an old Roto Hoe shredder an a clean up job that needed a motor. I put on a big electric one for now. The holes i nthe screen was a bit too big so i foun a punched plate with smaller holes and formed it to the shape of the flail chamber. I use a mixture of hay, straw and ear corn. I have a friend that feeds wheat straw mixed in. Ive been grinding feed for a friend of mines goats this way. I dont get a great mix so I put it in an old concrete mixer I have and run it a few minutes. i also have run into an old JD #10 feed mill its the grinder part with a good screen the mixe and blower are gone. I may build onto that when I get a beef steer.

[fantasymaker]

Just take the ears and drop them in a bucket of water the day before ya feed them for one cow its no problem at all.

[FarmboyBill]

Ever hear of a burr mill? Different than a hammermill/
Whats putting corn in water got to do with anything. Theyll eat it wet or dry

[Terri]

Originally Posted by FarmBoyBill

Ever hear of a burr mill? Different than a hammermill/
Whats putting corn in water got to do with anything. Theyll eat it wet or dry

They will eat it, but cattle fed whole corn can poop out some of the whole kernals. The farmers chickens used to nab those. I was wondering if the corn would be more digestiible if it were soaked long enough to be soft, is all.

If they are given the whole cob, might they choke?

[geo in mi]

Originally Posted by Terri

They will eat it, but cattle fed whole corn can poop out some of the whole kernals. The farmers chickens used to nab those. I was wondering if the corn would be more digestiible if it were soaked long enough to be soft, is all.

If they are given the whole cob, might they choke?

No, a cow is very proficient with her tongue. She will position it on
the outside of her jaw, between her cheek, and grind off the kernals with her back teeth, rolling it each time for a new bite. Normally the cob will stick out of her mouth in front. She will sense the dry cob and won't eat it. (Different for green corn or sweet corn, though.....) Very slobbery process and when she drops it, she is just as likely to pick up a fresh one, leaving a lot of uneaten kernals to go to waste..

The decision to grind or not should be based on the cow's needs--grinding is usually done with cows not on silage-- to ensure faster moisture absorbtion inside, taking into consideration the protein/carb ratio, whether or not wheat or other grains and supplements need to be mixed in, body weight, stage of lactation, pregnancy, climate and calorie needs...... A dairy cow is not a beef steer or a pig. Her food is not so much for weight gain, but production of good quality of milk--and to keep her healthy for breeding again.

geo