How we grind/feed...(pics)

[mitchwi]

I was asked to post some pics of our (small time) feeding process...

This works for us, if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask....

This is how we get the corn out of the cribs, into the auger to the mill...

Here is a better pic of the side of the mill

This is how the mill augers it out and into our "steer stuffers"

Michele

 

[mitchwi]

45 minutes to an hour per load. About 25 to 30 minutes for the grinding process and about 15 to 20 minutes for the unloading.

There is a small auger on the back of the mill, with a cover... this is where you add any supplements. We put oats in there and mineral. We don't put any salt into the mill, we just throw that in as we are unloading it into the stuffer.

One person can really do the whole operation, even I can when need be. But with any piece of equipment, especially one like this with so many augers, gears and chains, as a safety issue we like to have 2 people there... even if one is one of the kids, just to do a "shut down" if its needed.

Michele

 

[HAY MAKER]

Thanks for posting pictures of your feeding operation,how many head do you normally feed ?.............good luck

 

[mitchwi]

This winter we are only feeding out 15, started out with 15, lost one, then had an open heifer. It has varied in the past, I think the most we ever finished in one group was 49... about 30 to 35 is average.

Michele

 

[somn]

What screen size are using? We always used the 5/8 for the cob corn. Well actually we never had cob corn we bought the cobs by the semi load then ground them alone but it was still the 5/8 screen regardless.

 

[msscamp]

Thanks for posting those pictures, Michele.

 

[mitchwi]

What screen size are using? We always used the 5/8 for the cob corn. Well actually we never had cob corn we bought the cobs by the semi load then ground them alone but it was still the 5/8 screen regardless.

I know the first time we ever used it, the grain was fine and the mill had come with bigger screens, so we changed it out and put the largest one in... If I had to guess right now, I'd say 1/2 to 5/8 .... there is still quite a bit of whole kernals that make it through.

Michele

 

[GaryDG]

Michele:

Thanks for the pics. Are you grinding the cob as well? Didn't see the mechanism for emitting the cob.

Are you feeding beef or dairy cattle. How much do you provide the each day (do you ration or just leave it out)?

 

[mitchwi]

We grind the whole cob... if you are feeding shelled corn, there is no need to grind.

Feeding beef, and it is free choice with everything here... water, hay, feed, etc. But only until they have been ramped up on the feed. Takes about 6 weeks to get them up to be able to go out on free choice....

Michele

 

[cowwrangler]

i used to grind that way also,but for weaned calfs i used to grind hay in with it also and feed free choice,gradually increasing the corn,they self feed on it out of a creep feeder worked really good

 

[Bullbuyer]

Looks like a good set up to me. I'd like to have a wagon load of that ear corn - scarce as hen's teeth around here.

 

[alabama]

Do you grow your own ear corn? of so how do you snap it?
How do you get it in the crib?
I have been snapping mu corn for years but I grind it right out of the gravity wagon then store in 2000 pound bags.
I have thought about getting a silage chopper and just choping it dry and feed right from the gravity wagon but I don't know how well that will work? Just leave it in the field unti i need it then chop a load?

 

[mitchwi]

Do you grow your own ear corn? of so how do you snap it?
How do you get it in the crib?
I have been snapping mu corn for years but I grind it right out of the gravity wagon then store in 2000 pound bags.
I have thought about getting a silage chopper and just choping it dry and feed right from the gravity wagon but I don't know how well that will work? Just leave it in the field unti i need it then chop a load?

We do grow our own, and we have a 2 row corn picker. We have an elevator where we dump from the gravity box and it takes it to the top of the crib. We used to do corn silage, and I like this WAY better...

It was the devil busting loose silage with a sledge when it was colder than cold every dang day.

Also, we bale some stalks this way for winter bedding... and also turn cattle into picked fields for clean-up work.

Michele

 

[alabama]

Do you grow your own ear corn? of so how do you snap it?
How do you get it in the crib?
I have been snapping mu corn for years but I grind it right out of the gravity wagon then store in 2000 pound bags.
I have thought about getting a silage chopper and just choping it dry and feed right from the gravity wagon but I don't know how well that will work? Just leave it in the field unti i need it then chop a load?

We do grow our own, and we have a 2 row corn picker. We have an elevator where we dump from the gravity box and it takes it to the top of the crib. We used to do corn silage, and I like this WAY better...

It was the devil busting loose silage with a sledge when it was colder than cold every dang day.

Also, we bale some stalks this way for winter bedding... and also turn cattle into picked fields for clean-up work.

Michele

I have an old JD one row snapper and it takes forever to snap the corn. What kind of snapper do y'all have? What size tractor does it take? ect ect.
I will try to attach a pic of me snapping corn. Wish me luck.

This was 16 bsl/acre corn a very bad year.

 

[mitchwi]

We have a New Idea 2 row Narrow, it's a pull behind, and has a 12 roll husking bed. I don't run the picker, I am usually hauling the gravity boxes and doing the unloading, hubby runs the picker. I know he likes his IH 1066, he likes the weight on our hills. 2 row takes a long time as well, luckily we are small. We only had 17 acres last year in corn. He really wants to get a JD with a 3 row head on it. But they are quite spendy.

Picking corn is his #1 favorite job on anything with the farm. Go figure :roll:

Michele