Stocker Steve
Well-known member
How do you store and feed DDG ?
Feeding Shell Corn to Drought Cows ?
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Glad you posted that. I don't think people will ever accept the research though. Their eyes decieve them.There have been lots of studies on the digestion of whole corn. Most if not all show that the difference in digestion between whole and cracked or rolled is minimal at most. Even if it looks whole coming out, its still been digested. Here is just one.
Whole or rolled corn: Which is better for cattle?
Every year, inquiries are made by beef producers addressing the need to process corn. This is an important question to ask because most producers do not have the luxury ofwww.enidnews.com
Processing Corn
Even though corn can be fed whole with satisfactory results, cracking or rolling prior to feeding will increase digestibility by 5 to 10 percent. In most instances, grinding or rolling corn will not markedly improve average daily gain, but proper processing will improve feed conversion efficiency.As the proportion of corn in the diet and the cost of corn increase, the benefits of processing also increase because corn is supplying a greater portion of the energy. When corn is fed whole, the animal must process the corn by mastication (chewing). Rolling or cracking corn for use in a mixed ration may facilitate better mixing.
Don't know how to do links but this is a quote from a ndsu study. just google a lot more of the same but also some supporting shell corn. most agree you get better digestibility rolling it but that doesn"t always mean better gain but better utilization. When you see shell do better it's because the cattle are a lot of times partially acidotic so a cooler diet can be better for them. i always give the example of the line backer selfeeder program Dad used to do couple hundred pounds of pellets and the rest shell corn. Only reason it didn't burn them up is they only absorbed what they chewed so it worked kinda as a buffer
Old hog shed I turned into a commodity shed. I feed in mixer wagon with corn silage, urea, stalks and hay
BFE
Well-known member
I've considered buying shipping containers and cutting lids in the roof to auger commodities in, where I can store a truckload at a time. I've wanted to do this with soyhull pellets, there's a crusher an hour away, hundreds of trucks in and out every day, could easily get a load backhauled here. Haven't bit the bullet yet.
I could always sell the container if I decide to quit or retire, or use it for something else. I'd really like to get two and put a hoop between them, use it for machinery storage and/or set up corral panels to make a working facility, make the whole set up pretty versatile. Put down concrete wash for the "shed" floor, its super cheap and packs down good. Scrape it off with the backhoe or bucket tractor. Be a better overall investment than a some other things, as it would be multi use.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Building with shipping containers is an art form. My favorite is two rows of two containers, with trusses and a building over the top, and doors for a mega shed underneath.
