Whole-Flaked-Cracked What is better?

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mommacow

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May 5, 2007
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76
What is the better way to feed corn?  Whole - Flaked or cracked?

Thanks
 

red

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Jan 20, 2007
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Location
LaRue, Ohio
mommacow, I always like steam flaked corn. Thought it was better utilized, more digestable & just a better product.
I look specificaly for a company that does it to process their corn, barley & oats.

Red
 

justme

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Jan 29, 2007
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Missouri
It's like Red reads my mind lol (isn't that scarey! (lol))  She said exactly (really close) to what I was going to say.
 

sjcattleco

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Apr 4, 2007
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496
Location
Southeast Ohio
Steam flaked is the best as long as it is good to start with..... Several of the feed companies will buy low quality corn and steam flake it... coat it with molasses add some fluffy filler and call it show feed.
 

chambero

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Feb 12, 2007
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3,207
Location
Texas
We feed about 1/2 cracked and 1/2 ground corn, but just because our local feed mill can't steam roll it.  However, it has seemed to work fine compared to what I was used to before we started having our own ration mixed.

For our "summer" or grower ration, we do substitute quite a bit of steam rolled milo for corn though.  Anyone else use milo much?  It has seemed to work well.
 

knabe

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Feb 7, 2007
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13,639
Location
Hollister, CA
great article on this topic.  pdf viewed as an html doc, albeit it's feeding dairy cows for milk.

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:RWRl4xwp7JQJ:www.txanc.org/proceedings/2003/EffectsofGrainVariability.PDF+no+benefit+to+steam+rolling+corn&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us&client=firefox-a

or download the pdf

http://www.txanc.org/proceedings/2003/EffectsofGrainVariability.PDF

another great article

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/EOARC/abouthome/scientists/documents/DWB30.pdf

and another

www.redmills.ie/pdf/newsletter-23-09/newsletter.pdf

haven't seen any cost studies to just compare the cost alone, now with fuel prices going through the elevator roof and the cost to process the feed.  it will be marginal at some point.
 

Jill

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Jan 20, 2007
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3,551
Location
Gardner, KS
We also like the steam rolled, we had trouble getting it back years ago when we ground our own feed and actually bought a roller, talk about work!  For the feed we put out for the cows we just used ground corn, but it is more for maintenance and to keep them coming up.
We don't use Milo but have in the past, it is about impossible to get around here.
 

red

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Jan 20, 2007
Messages
7,850
Location
LaRue, Ohio
I can't think of any milo grown here.
I love the steam flaked products. We have several feed companies that do it here. Makes a big difference.

Red
 
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