rjbovine
Well-known member
Wife and I have gleened several bu. of ear corn . If the ear corn was ground could I use for creep feed ? Would I need to add any extra protien to the corn ? Thanks rj
Ground ear corn for creep feed
- Thread starter rjbovine
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Tim/South
Well-known member
Before the days of combines, all corn here was picked with a snapper. We would grind the complete ear and make our own cow feed. My grandfather would add loose mineral salt into the mix. For the dairy cows he would mix beet or citrus pulp, cottonseed meal or cotton seed hulls into the mix. The dairy cows were fed store bought feed with the home grown as a filler.
The beef cows got only to ground ear corn and did well.
I know things have changed since those days but it worked back then. I asked a large animal nutritionalist about the whole ear ground as feed. She said the ground cob was a great buffer for the ground corn and also had some nutritional value.
The beef cows got only to ground ear corn and did well.
I know things have changed since those days but it worked back then. I asked a large animal nutritionalist about the whole ear ground as feed. She said the ground cob was a great buffer for the ground corn and also had some nutritional value.
cowwrangler
Well-known member
i used to grind earcorn and hay together in the creep feeder,older they got the less hay they got in the mix
tnwalkingred
Well-known member
I'm thinking about grinding corn and alfalfa together to make my own feed. I figure a 1000 pounds a piece should make close to a 14% feed. Has anyone done this before? Any recommendations or things you would add to it?
KW
KW
TexasBred
Well-known member
Ear corn or shelled corn?? Shelled is only 8% crude protein, ear corn less so work around that. I'd add more roughage in some form. Something not quite so rapidly digestible.tnwalkingred":30b9owlp said:
shadyhollownj
Well-known member
My neighbors all grind there own feed. I am going to grind my first batch this weekend. Dont know if this should be tweaked at all I will get it tested after I run a batch. All we have around here is soybean so no cottonseed or distillers.
1400 lbs Ear Corn
300 lbs alfalfa
200 lbs soybean meal
50 good mineral
50 molasses
1400 lbs Ear Corn
300 lbs alfalfa
200 lbs soybean meal
50 good mineral
50 molasses
tnwalkingred
Well-known member
Texasbred,
I was figuring the ground corn (ear) would be around 9% protein and the alfalfa will be between 20-23% protein. With this math grinding 1000 pounds a piece would get close to 14% feed. What would you recommend for more roughage? I would be feeding this mix in addition to free choice hay. I'm just trying to save a little money making my own feed and not buying it. I currently feed a 14% pellet with free choice hay to my feeder calves.
I was figuring the ground corn (ear) would be around 9% protein and the alfalfa will be between 20-23% protein. With this math grinding 1000 pounds a piece would get close to 14% feed. What would you recommend for more roughage? I would be feeding this mix in addition to free choice hay. I'm just trying to save a little money making my own feed and not buying it. I currently feed a 14% pellet with free choice hay to my feeder calves.
shadyhollownj
Well-known member
I always figured ear corn to be around 9% based on online research. Alfalfa I would figure on 14-18 so I generally use 16%. The TDN of your ear corn is 83% and alfalfa is only around 50-55. So averaging those numbers wont give you a true protein content. I am by no means an expert but thats what I have found online. That mix I use is only about 10% but that is the actual digestible protein. The mix I used to buy was 14 but it was probably only 10-11 actual protein.
TexasBred
Well-known member
tnwalkingred":17w6f4jk said:
I always formulate with 8.2% crude protein for shelled corn so would use a value less than that for ground ear corn. As long as you can get the calves to eat an adequate amount of hay you should be ok with the ration. Would be nice if you could grind some of the hay and put in the mix. Some of the figures you guys are using I think may be the values for the various ingredients calculated on a 100% dry matter basis instead of "as fed".
tnwalkingred
Well-known member
Thanks for the words of wisdom guys. I'll be curious to get the feed made up and sent off for testing so I'll know if my numbers are close or not. I understand TDN but I'm curious if when you buy a 14-16% if the TDN of that feed is taken into account? If the TDN of corn is only 83 and alfalfa is 50-55 and averaging the twos protein levels won't give you a "real" protein level would you need to know the TDN of every ingredient of bought feed for it to be given a "real" protein value?
KW
KW
shadyhollownj
Well-known member
I also would like to know that. I think a 14% crude protein feed is actually like 11.5% with the TDN figured in. I could be way off in my thinking.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Crude protein is just that....the 14% disclosed on the tag, etc. Shady the 11.5% would be digestible protein based on TDN.shadyhollownj":2tabflxt said:
tnwalkingred
Well-known member
Shady,
What type of mill do your neighbors use to grind their own feed? Do they store it in a grain bin? I want to find a mill that will grind the alfalfa without issue and also have a unload auger long enough to unload it into my 5 ton grain bin. I'm just not sure which model, brand, etc. I need to be looking for.
Kyle
What type of mill do your neighbors use to grind their own feed? Do they store it in a grain bin? I want to find a mill that will grind the alfalfa without issue and also have a unload auger long enough to unload it into my 5 ton grain bin. I'm just not sure which model, brand, etc. I need to be looking for.
Kyle
shadyhollownj
Well-known member
One has a NH the other a Gehl. Both use a two ton bin that has a chute about two feet off the ground. I have a big bin thats about 16 feet up and the augers wont reach so I put it in wooden bins. They both put alfalfa in there mixes. So after a lot of research I didnt add any alfalfa to my mix. Mixed 2400lb ear, 500 soybean, 100 molasses, 100 mineral. I figure its a 15% crude protein with a 12% after TDN.
tnwalkingred
Well-known member
Shady,
What made you leave the alfalfa out?
Kyle
What made you leave the alfalfa out?
Kyle
pricefarm
Well-known member
I grow my own corn and pick it and grind it for feed I grind 3000 lbs of corn 400lbs of DDGS and 200lbs of soybean mill and that will give u around 12%protein. I grind that much because that is how much my grinder will hold at a time. I have a 352 new holland and it has a 16 ft off load auger on it and it will reach my upright bin so I unload it in there. Cows and calves seem to really like the mix
shadyhollownj
Well-known member
I figured with the lb of protein that these calves should be getting per 100lb of body weight that adding alfalfa would bring the protein down too low that I would have to make it a complete feed. Maybe I'm wrong but I would rather have grass hay out there for them to eat than have them on a complete feed even though it has enough roughage mixed in between alfalfa and cob. I just feel like they are gonna eat hay no matter what so I dont wanna feed them a total ration in ground feed and then they eat hay and poop the extra out. Everything i have seen online has been from .20 to .28 lbs of protein per 100lbs. Now weight and sex varies but that about the average. So I figure these 700lb calves need about 1.75 lbs of protein a day give or take. So 8 lbs of my 12.5% digestible mix will give them 1lb and the other 14 lbs of ration will give them the other .75 with reg grass hay thats 10% protein or 6% with TDN figured in. I know I am throwing a bunch of numbers out there and maybe my thinking is wrong but if so someone please correct me. I found two sites that were helpful. I would post a link but I'm sure I would mess that up but I will try.
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A2387.PDF
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/facts/91-067.htm
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A2387.PDF
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/facts/91-067.htm
TexasBred
Well-known member
shadyhollownj":5xlnsp2v said:
You're not wrong...also prety darn smart. ;-) ;-)
