Cracked corn

[coachg]

How much can a cow actually break down and benefit from ? I see a lot in the manure !

 

[farmerjan]

All the dairy farmers use a kernel processor to get the corn more digestible. The finer the crack the better, coarse cracked will go through them quicker. Make sure they are not hungry when you feed it, need to be full up on hay so that it passes through their system a little slower. I've been told they get 50-60% benefit from it but don't know for sure. Maybe someone who feeds it regularly would have an analysis???

 

[dun]

This was hashed over time and time again several years ago. Just becuase you see it in their manure doesn;t mean it hasn;t been digested. If I remember the difference is something like 7% difference in the amount digested between whole corn and ground corn. The microbes in the guts digest the feed and leave the solids. The reason you see more with whole corn is basicaly because it;s bigger then ground or cracked corn. The ground stuff is digested much faster then whole so it can upset their digestion anmd cause ( I think it's) acidosis

 

[True Grit Farms]

This was hashed over time and time again several years ago. Just becuase you see it in their manure doesn;t mean it hasn;t been digested. If I remember the difference is something like 7% difference in the amount digested between whole corn and ground corn. The microbes in the guts digest the feed and leave the solids. The reason you see more with whole corn is basicaly because it;s bigger then ground or cracked corn. The ground stuff is digested much faster then whole so it can upset their digestion anmd cause ( I think it's) acidosis

The feed studies at Auburn and UGA pointed to somewhere between 5-10% less digestibility for whole corn. Your dead on the money again Dun.

 

[dun]

This was hashed over time and time again several years ago. Just becuase you see it in their manure doesn;t mean it hasn;t been digested. If I remember the difference is something like 7% difference in the amount digested between whole corn and ground corn. The microbes in the guts digest the feed and leave the solids. The reason you see more with whole corn is basicaly because it;s bigger then ground or cracked corn. The ground stuff is digested much faster then whole so it can upset their digestion anmd cause ( I think it's) acidosis

The feed studies at Auburn and UGA pointed to somewhere between 5-10% less digestibility for whole corn. Your dead on the money again Dun.

Even a blind hog..................

 

[TexasBred]

This was hashed over time and time again several years ago. Just becuase you see it in their manure doesn;t mean it hasn;t been digested. If I remember the difference is something like 7% difference in the amount digested between whole corn and ground corn. The microbes in the guts digest the feed and leave the solids. The reason you see more with whole corn is basicaly because it;s bigger then ground or cracked corn. The ground stuff is digested much faster then whole so it can upset their digestion anmd cause ( I think it's) acidosis

Exactly. All the other feed ingredients can be found in the manure as well if washed and observed under a microscope. Corn is just large and brighter in color and shows up better. There will be some pass through as I've seen it actually germinate in cow piles but negligible. I still prefer cracked corn though. Only cost about $10 a ton more down this way.

 

[jedstivers]

Also depends on the age of the animal. 5-8wt calves need the chew factor of whole corn. Older cows with less teeth might benefit from ground corn but the price of grinding and the loss associated with it can also pay for the passage of some corn through the animal.