Advantages of Cooking Corn?

[Spring Creek Farms]

With Louisville right around the corner, I have been trying to get a food final finish on a couple heifers. This week we have started to cook whole shell corn and I was wondering what the advantages of this is? Thanks for any comments. Also if you have any ideas on getting a final fat cover this close to NAILE they would be appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

[stangs13]

It helps break down and gets the starches and sugars going, it also gets the seed coat open that is hard to digest!! you can see corn in the stool that hasnt been cooked.

 

[Jill]

Cooking it will put on a smoother finish quicker.

 

[SlickTxMaine]

How long before the show do you start feeding cooked corn to get the desired results??

 

[Jill]

30-60 depending on how much finish you need

 

[PaPigMan]

Will feeding cooked corn burn off hair?  I have often wanted to try cooking corn but have been weary because of this.

 

[Spring Creek Farms]

Bump

 

[chiangus]

Will feeding cooked corn burn off hair?  I have often wanted to try cooking corn but have been weary because of this.

not that i am aware of

 

[Jill]

IMO most of hair is genetics, if you have them you'll have hair if you don't you won't, having said that adding cooked corn will make the feed hotter, thus the better finishing results however feeding it in the fall and winter it shouldn't be a problem, if it was late spring I would think twice about it.

 

[ECC]

what do mean you cook corn?  do you actually do it or does a local feed mill do that for you.

 

[shortyjock89]

what do mean you cook corn?  do you actually do it or does a local feed mill do that for you.

Most people cook it in a crock pot, but there are such things as cookers made for livestock feeds.

 

[SlickTxMaine]

How many lbs per day would you feed a 1200-1400lb steer??

 

[justintime]

I cook whole corn in a feed cooker and it is quite amazing how much the cattle like it. They will almost knock a person over to get to the feed. I usually cook barley but this year I am using whole corn. I like the cooked  barley smell but the corn is good as well. My feed cooker has been in our barn for at least 65 years. My dad says they used it when he was young and he is now 85. It sat in the corner for many years and I decided to try it again 3 years ago. It works as good now as it did when new and it will hold about a 50 lb bag of whole corn at a time. I add two pails of water and plug it in,.... and in three hours, it is fully cooked. Even though this cooker is quite old, it still looks and works like a new machine. I doubt if if feed cookers were made today, that they would be made a good as they were in that era.    This will last about 3 days and it stays hot for about this length of time.

 

[BCCC]

How many lbs per day would you feed a 1200-1400lb steer??

use a 2:1 ratio of water to corn. For one calfs feeding I use a 32 oz cup,1 corn 2 water, cooked for 10 hours in a crock pot. I run mine on a timer so it shuts off a couple hours before each feeding.

 

[Jill]

BCCC that is the same way we do it.

 

[Jacob B]

Cooking corn is most easily described like this.  The calfs stomach is like an oven, is takes a lot of energy to cook that corn before it can be broken down into it usefull stages.  That energy does heat up the body causing some hair loss.  It also takes energy to break it down that the calf could be using to get fat., it burns fat to a degree if it is not cooked.  Cooked corn is already at a closer stage of digestion for the calf to use.  Taking less energy to go the places it needs to get them fat, less waist from a shell that was once a difficult layer to get thru into a slightly helpful digestable type of fiber.  Same goes for roasted beans.

 

[Lowry5]

How many lbs per day would you feed a 350 lb.  and a 590 - 650 lb steer??

 

[Okie Boy]

How different will this be from Steam Rolled Corn?