Animal fodder

[jackie c]

Next year I'm looking at growing my own animal fodder. I want to raise grains for chickens and corn for the pigs. I'm wondering how do you crack grains for feed. In a mill? How much do they cost and where can I buy one? And am also wondering what you all use to store the grains if you don't have a silo (or can't yet afford one). I'm currently using green garbage cans, but hoping to find ideas on larger capacity storage.
Thanks all.

[moonwolf]

[QUOTE=jackie c

I'm currently using green garbage cans, but hoping to find ideas on larger capacity storage.
Thanks all.[/QUOTE]

jackie, metal containers for storage would be better. If you have those small red squirrels around, they find a way to chew into those green plastic garbage cans eventually. If you grew corn, I would think that for the pigs you could use them by feeding the cobs whole? For poultry it might be worthwhile to get a hand operated grain mill. I wonder how people who grow grains like amaranth do with harvesting and storing that type of small grain? millet, etc. Oats or rye is good to grow in these parts thay can use whole grain, but then there is mechanical harvesting considerations?

[mpillow]

Hopefully we will get chickens this Spring....and I will also grow Sunflowers to help feed them....I do know that Johnny's Selected seed sells hulless oats. I have often wondered too how to "crack" the corn. My goats get stalk, cob and all and they also eat the sunflowers plant and all when given the chance. Have also thought about mangels but I think they need to be cooked for goats to get nutrition out of them.

Good thread...helpful input WANTED!!

[silosounds]

You could look into building bulk bin for the grain we did this with recycled wood and some coragated siding for about 55$. just build a wooden box and put legs on it so its off the ground make the box so you can fit a slanted roof on it the floor in it should slope sharply to the front of the box then cut a hole in the front and build a sliding door that is just large enough to fill buckets or cans then cover the hole thing with the metal this makes makes a great place to store a large amount of grain even if you were to buy your grain instead of grow it ,a truck from the grain company could pull up to it and fill it up and this usaully cost less because your buying in bulk .AS for a grinder it usaully depend on how many animals you have to feed if your going to have a lot of animals that require cracked corn you may want a larger type mill that does a large quintity at a time and these are usually driven by something more than hand power the one we got was from a farm sale and sold for 100.00$ its driven by a tractor pto and can do 20 bushel an hour of corn meal but is quite old and is hard to find replacement parts so look for somthing that can be repaired we also have a hand cranck one that was new and is driven by a motor we decided to use this one in the house but my favorite one is a freeby I got at an auction it was used in a grociery store to grind coffee and is from the 40s its electric and that sucker can flat grind chicken grains. so a guy just want to evaluate what his needs are and look for good deals you can buy all this stuff new but its a little steep and theres tons of companies that sell them and if you need this stuff right away you may have to buy new but if you have time go to farm auctions look at old farms sometimes these things are sitting around in fields and can be reused . if you need more info on the bulk bin let me know Terry in ks

[moonwolf]

In adding discussion to this thread about animal fodder, what about Dry Beans for feed? This topic got me to thinking that growing a dry bean, such as horticultural or white beans (not necessarily soybeans) and at harvest when the whole plant, pod with beans, and all is ground up and stored for feed?
Has anyone used dry ground bean for poultry feed? turkeys? ducks? other....

[mpillow]

My goats love pole beans so I think grown to climb up the corn would be easier harvesting etc...

[Ross]

Am I wrong to think fodder is the hay and suppliment is the grain? There are two methods to process grains mechanically typical to farms. Roller mills, crack corn or make rolled oats or rolled grains. Hammer mills grind it fine to make a meal (powder like). Silos are for high moisture crops like silage or high moisture corn, to store grains like you want to metal cans would do or a bin as described. You will be storing dry grains I think. Only roll or grind what you'll use in a week or two as it does loose some of it's vitamins and is more prone to pick up moisture and spoil. Ken Scharabok was trying a soaked whole grain method of feeding which would be worth asking about.

[farmy]

There seem to lots of hammer mills in dusty corners of old dairy barns, at least where we are. We got one for the price of hauling it, and are working on making minor repairs on it. In the meantime, we're feeding homegrown unmilled grains to our chickens, pigs, and horses (wheat, corn, oats and sunflower seeds). Less efficient, yes, but so far everyone looks fat and happy and the chickens are laying well.

We also got, for free, a working hand-cranked root grinder. LOVE that thing. Now we just have to get the cows interested in beets, turnips, and carrots. They don't seem to want anything to do with them.

I don't know about other beans, but I know that uncooked soybeans contain an enzyme that inhibits protein absorption. We have a half ton of soybeans sitting in the corner of the feed room, waiting for us to figure out some way to roast them. My DH wants to fire up the maple syrup evaporator. Hmmm. Anyone have ideas on this? Should I start another thread?

[Bluecreekrog]

I don't know how many animals your going to feed, but my family always found it cheaper to take a pick-up load of corn to the mill in town and have it ground, it can also be mixed with supliments at the same time. The best idea I have heard for feed storage, is an old gravity wagon bed. You could build a slat sided corn crib out of pallets and put mouse poison under it, or keep a couple of cats in the barn. Long and narrow for good air circulation is the key to drying ear corn in a crib.
Rog

[Terri]

Originally Posted by Bluecreekrog

You could build a slat sided corn crib out of pallets and put mouse poison under it, or keep a couple of cats in the barn. Long and narrow for good air circulation is the key to drying ear corn in a crib.
Rog

In the South, where moisture is a problem, a corn crib was a VERY popular way to store corn. It was left on the ear until it was needed, to further reduce the risk of mold.

I considered doing this for my chickens, but I found out pretty quickly that in our area I could not buy the protien for the birds. It was complete feed or nothing. Too bad: it sounded like fun.

[gilberte]

Growing some of my own feed is in my plans for next year also. I was thinking of growing corn. If I just put the corn (on the cob) through a chipper/shredder, will that work? Would the product be a good supplement for the pigs?

[jackie c]

Thanks for all the respones. I know what to do now. Silosounds, thats a great idea, and one I'll definately use. Even if I don't get to grow my own, I'm sure bulk buying will be cheaper, now that I'll have somewhere to store it. I can't use poison, so cats will do to keep the rodents down. Soaking the grain sounds like a better way to go. Beans! I never even thought of drying them, they grow like weeds here, great ideas! Keep 'em coming folks!
Thanks again all

[mpillow]

Gilberte...if the corn is dry that might work....Where are you in ME?..we are just outside of Waterville...

Did anyone see Colonial house on PBS? If so the corn was husked down and left to dry on a clothesline on the south side of the houses. Granted the drying was for later cornmeal and future seed but they must have given some to the goats and chickens.....BTW it was filmed in downeast maine
The other food stuff they had lots of were dry peas....my goats are very fond of peas.

[moonwolf]

Field Peas are probably overlooked as a good protien animal feed.
I found this link that gives a short blurb about benefits for growing field peas for animal feed:

http://www.statpub.com/open/46741.html