rolled corn versus steam rolled corn

[Oats]

I was just wanting some opinions on this. Whether the cost for steam rolled show feeds was enough of a benefit compared to a show feed that is made with corn just going through a roller mill and not being steam flaked. Just want some opinions.  Thanks Jason

 

[Silver]

My uncle rolls grain for a living and he said almost everybody prefers milled grains instead of steam flaked grains because they keep for so much longer.

 

[R1Livestock]

They may keep longer, but the utilization of steam flaked corn far exceeds that of plain rolled corn.  It really depends on what you are trying to do if you need it or not.

 

[Jacob B]

Not even a close one.  Flaked is WAY better, Roasted may be a tic better than flaked.  If you are trying to go on cost, than the rolled corn is cheaper.  What are you trying to do with it??

 

[knabe]

They may keep longer, but the utilization of steam flaked corn far exceeds that of plain rolled corn.  It really depends on what you are trying to do if you need it or not.

please cite sources.  do cost differences offset carcass differences in returns and potential complications of rumen.    costs need to be thrown in for a normalization of benefit.

http://pas.fass.org/content/21/3/200.full.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B9887-4YS4MBR-S&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F1998&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1423247467&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=d6b4ad55ee6caed4b4e598def43b70f0

 

[chambero]

We have our own feed made at a local mill.  They only have cracked corn - not steam rolled.  I worried about this very issue till a trip to John Griswold's about two years ago.  He has his own feed made and it uses only cracked corn.  I asked him specifically about it and he said that all of the show steers and heifers fed out at his barn (some all the way to finish) were fed on this base ration.

Short story - if cracked corn is good enough for that operation it certainly is for mine.

The "keeping" issue is associated with mildew.  Steam rolled corn mildews much faster than plain cracked/rolled.  I did a lot of snooping and could not find any hard data that indicates steam rolled is significantly more digestible than other methods of processing - other than people just saying it is.  Nutritionists say there isn't much difference if any - certainly not any that can't be easily offset with the use of fat additives or - if you have one that just won't finish - cooking corn yourself and adding it to the base ration.

 

[Oats]

I was just wanting to find out if a cost effective show feed would be beneficial using a roller mill and not steaming it and if it would be something that we could sell easily. Thanks for the comments I appreciate them and keep em coming any and all are helpful.

 

[Silver]

When you steam flake corn it makes it more palatable, but you sacrifice something else other than storage ability. Corn actually is a feed that releases slowly when digested, but when you steam it those properties are destroyed. Then you have to more careful with it, because you have a greater chance of bloating and foundering animals. Wish I wouldn't have had to learn that one from experience.

 

[Steer4Caddy]

There is only about 2% advantage for flaked corn vs. cracked.  The perception among show people is that you have to have flaked but many people down here have  proved over the last few years that that is bogus. 
The longevity and freshness of the feed is also a huge advantage.  I also agree that cracked corn has an advantage in rumen health possibly because of it's texture and scratching effect.

 

[simtal]

Grains are processed to improve starch degradability which utilimately affects performance (ADG, F:G)

Flaked> Rolled high moisture> Dry rolled (cracked) > whole corn

Flaked will increase NEg by about 15% to 20% compared to DRC-not a question of if there is a benefit to using flaked corn.

Do you have to feed flaked corn to show cattle?  No, but it would likely help cattle that need finish sooner.Flaked corn will spoil sooner because of lower dry matter compared to dry rolled (~80% vs 90%). 

Recently, their has a been a shift in cattle feeding.  More cattle are being fed near areas (NE, IA) with access to wet distillers and dry rolled corn since their is comparable performance to flaked corn diets and considerably lower cost of gain. Lot of feedlots for sale (or not working) in TX right now.

Anybody feed wet distillers (or dry) to their show steers???

 

[GONEWEST]

They may keep longer, but the utilization of steam flaked corn far exceeds that of plain rolled corn.  It really depends on what you are trying to do if you need it or not.


Flaked will increase NEg by about 15% to 20% compared to DRC-not a question of if there is a benefit to using flaked corn.


I am not trying to argue, but since this post seemed to be by someone trying to save money, I would like to ask my steer planet friend simtal where he gets his information. I would like to see it in writing from an independent study. There have been a gazillion university studies, including one I was involved in, that show that there is no difference in the utilization of cracked vs flaked corn. And by the way, doing one of those studies should be on an episode of "Dirty Jobs."  You have to take the corn from the manure and weigh it and test it to see what is left. A kernel of whole corn has all the total nutrition and  NEg that it will ever have. Cracking it or rolling it does not change the nutrition profile it changes the ability of the animal to use it. If there is information to the contrary of that I would love to read it. So as far as this issue goes I am with Knabe and Chambero.

That being said, I much prefer rolled corn to cracked corn in a show cattle ration because I feel the more texture or bulk in a feed the better it is for the appearance of the animal as far as what they are looking for in the show ring.  Experience tells me that I can get a better appearing animal from a textured feed than a pelleted feed. Or maybe its better said that I can get a larger outlined, softer appearing animal that way. Experience tells me that many animals find rolled grains more palatable than cracked or whole grains, like Barley for instance.  Experience also tells me that adding Barley to a finishing ration will give me a better appearance than straight corn although there is no scientific nutritional evidence as to why that is. So I'm not saying that feeding is all science, just that from a pure nutritional standpoint, I believe the science would bear out that cracked corn is utilized as well as flaked.

 

[Steer4Caddy]

The problem here is what is considered Flaked Corn.  The Steam Flaked corn that is almost like corn flaked cereal is what everyone is thinking is so much more digestible.  And it is, however, this is only used in the feedyards.  The show feeds do not use this flaked corn but rather steam rolled corn.  Most people in Texas and elswhere refer to this as flaked but it's not.  As I said earlier, there is no marked difference between that rolled corn and cracked corn broken into about 5 to 6 peices.  The flaked corn that is 15% more digestible is not used in bagged show feeds because the moisture in it would accelerate the spoiling and molding issues we sometimes face.  I know people will continue to argue this but I've been in the feed business for 12 years and it's pretty accurate.

 

[simtal]

They may keep longer, but the utilization of steam flaked corn far exceeds that of plain rolled corn.  It really depends on what you are trying to do if you need it or not.


Flaked will increase NEg by about 15% to 20% compared to DRC-not a question of if there is a benefit to using flaked corn.


I am not trying to argue, but since this post seemed to be by someone trying to save moneyeconomics are a different subject, I would like to ask my steer planet friend simtal where he gets his informationJournal of Animal Science. I would like to see it in writing from an independent studyjas.fass.org, keywords: flaked dry rolled corn. There have been a gazillion university studies, including one I was involved in, that show that there is no difference in the utilization of cracked vs flaked corn If this were true, the feedlot industry has been flaking corn for 50 years for nothing. Maybe utilization is a lingo thing-- Digestibility? ADG? F:G? Distillers based diets?. And by the way, doing one of those studies should be on an episode of "Dirty Jobs."  You have to take the corn from the manure and weigh it and test it to see what is left. A kernel of whole corn has all the total nutrition and  NEg that it will ever have yes that would be the law of convservation of matter. Cracking it or rolling it does not change the nutrition profile it changes the ability of the animal to use it . If there is information to the contrary of that I would love to read it. So as far as this issue goes I am with Knabe and Chambero.

That being said, I much prefer rolled corn to cracked cornarent those the same thing? in a show cattle ration because I feel the more texture or bulk in a feed the better it is for the appearance of the animal as far as what they are looking for in the show ringI agree.  Experience tells me that I can get a better appearing animal from a textured feed than a pelleted feed. Or maybe its better said that I can get a larger outlined, softer appearing animal that way. Experience tells me that many animals find rolled grains more palatable than cracked or whole grains, like Barley for instance.  Experience also tells me that adding Barley to a finishing ration will give me a better appearance than straight corn although there is no scientific nutritional evidence as to why that isI would guess its related to the way fat is laid down-smoother vs coarser. So I'm not saying that feeding is all science, just that from a pure nutritional standpoint, I believe the science would bear out that cracked corn is utilized as well as flaked.

 

[knabe]

Flaked will increase NEg by about 15% to 20% compared to DRC-not a question of if there is a benefit to using flaked corn.

i hear this claim over and over and over.  please cite specific references that spells out the facts and the costs as it translates into gain.

do you mean you can feed 15-20% less and get the same gain?  if this is so, then do people put less in the ration or put the same amount.  how is the ration balanced for the rumen?

there is not enough facts, only claims that seem like a multi level marketing scheme.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01617.html

"NEg overestimates feeding value of concentrates relative to roughages."


what is the cost difference between rolled and steamed corn, 15-20%?

 

[Silver]

One of my boys has a phd in nutrition and he said the benefits of flaked corn are false so that's good enough for me.
Jeff

 

[sam1988]

I prefer cracked or rolled corn. I have opened to many bags of show feed with moldy steam flaked corn in them, especially in the summer!