# Shelled or ear corn for feed?



## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

I am going to be growing some feeders, and the cost of regular pig feed from the feed mill is about $350 a ton. In the local sales paper, other farmers are selling ear corn for $100 a ton, and shelled corn for $200 a ton. Could I replace a ton of the feed mill feed with a ton of one of these to save money? I will have 10 to 12 feeders, so figure I will need about 5 ton of food, plus they will have pasture (not enough to live on, but some). Not planning on feeding all corn, but if I could save $150 to $250 by using corn for one of the tons, that would be great. What do you guys think? 

Thanks.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

A problem with corn and pigs is that it goes right through. The chickens who follow love this. The purpose of milling the corn and such is to make it more digestible. I know a pig farmer, not me fortunately, who bought a truck load of barley and learned the hard way.

I suspect you won't save any money avoiding the milling. But the chickens will be happy so it is a way to feed poultry. Unique. 

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Soaking shelled corn in water or surplus milk makes it more digestible.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

As Walter said, if you have chickens, nothing is wasted regardless.

I have yet to find a corn plant growing in my pasture, and cannot recall ever having seen an intact grain of corn laying randomly on the ground, encased by pig dung or not. It's not beyond a pig to eat the corn out of it's own crap.

I think the difference in the price reflects the fact that you aren't paying for the cob with shelled corn. I don't know the nutrient value of the cobs, but I do know that when I throw the leftover cobs from the ears of corn I eat to my pigs, they don't last long. Could be because they taste like butter, salt and pepper.

Pete


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

well the shelled corn is kinda high priced, to the tune of 5.55 a bushel, the ear corn around 3.50 a bushel but the cob is not of much value for pigs. Most pigs fed corn on the cob will eat the corn and leave the cob on the ground. If the had a cracker for the corn it would digest better. > Thanks Marc


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## chicamarun (Dec 26, 2006)

Mine love the whole ear - cob and all..... We don't give it to them on a regular basis (right now we seem to be getting a lot of local "old" bread from stores and that's their treat)....but when they do get it - we give them the whole thing and in minutes it's gone.


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