feeding shelled corn

stifflej · #1 10/08/10, 01:23 PM

Ok, been doing some reading trying to find if there is a problem feeding feeders shelled corn. I don't plan on this being a main feed, but would like to add 50lbs of shelled corn to a 100lb bag of grain cattle mix I get from our local feed mill. This would save a little money on feed. I would like to use it to feed our 3 calves (8 wk old Hereford, and a 6 and 5 week old Holstein). What are your thoughts on it? (they will be getting hay as well over the winter)

springvalley · #2 10/08/10, 01:33 PM

Shelled corn is fine but you need to have it rolled or cracked, the cattle won`t chew it much, so for them to utilize it you need to crack or roll it. Otherwise it will go right on through them, and they won`t digest it all. And don`t over feed them, up their feed *over time or you may founder them. >Thanks Marc

65284 · #3 10/08/10, 03:02 PM

Feeding shelled corn to cattle is wasteful unless you are running hogs or chickens behind them, they will pick up what would go to waste.

topside1 · #4 10/08/10, 05:58 PM

The 100# bag of grain cattle mix your feeding now is more than likely 80% ground corn now...No point in giving more corn, especially not whole as already mentioned. Corn is only 8-10% protein...Not much at all.

francismilker · #5 10/08/10, 09:37 PM

There is a product on the market called Ten-der-lean (sp?) that is made uniquely to allow animals to be fed a sole diet of whole or cracked corn. (no roughage I believe). I've checked into it before but there are not dealers in my area to try it out.

One of my neighbors used to use it with his string of dairy steers each year when he could contract a lot of them out when ccorn was cheap. Not sure if it would be worth a try or not.

As a side not, I read somewhere on one of the ag colleges websites that studies had been done on the corn that appeared in the manure of cattle. Supposedly, the tests resulted in the corn being utilized fully even though it appeared to be full.

jwal10 · #6 10/09/10, 05:46 PM

Do not feed it to 8,6 and 5 week old calves. Are these calves still getting milk? Don't skimp on the good feed now. That ration might work when they are 6 mos old....James

sammyd · #7 10/10/10, 10:14 AM

tend r leen is designed for straight whole shell corn.
Whole shell corn will work for cows wastage isn't as bad as some folks think.

http://extension.missouri.edu/adair/...le%20Corn.html

Callieslamb · #8 10/10/10, 06:16 PM

I agree on the wastage of corn. That corn you see in the maunre piles is usually just the outer shell.