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While feeding corn began out of economics, I have grown to like feeding corn and plan to continue the practice, increasing the scale in time with my sheep operation. What makes it beneficial to me, may also have make it beneficial to other Shepard’s with micro-flocks.
Here 100 day corn yields average 20-25 tons to the acre, while hay ground yields only 10 tons to the acre. The difference is staggering. For those without a lot of extra acreage, a ¼ or ½ acre plot may be able to reduce their winter feed purchases by 40%.
Another alternative is to approach area farmers with existing corn fields and purchase a ½ or ¼ acre plot off them. By using their seed purchased in bulk, and their larger tilling and planting equipment, this is an economical way to obtain corn.
If you are like me though, and just enjoying growing your own feed, thankfully the equipment to plant corn is the same as planting a home garden, and many small scale Shepard’s already own the equipment and have the knowledge to do it. Soil can be tilled by other means as well, including renting equipment, contracting it out, or in the case of plots less then ½ an acre, do it themselves with garden tractors and rotor-tillers. While no-till farming on my farm is not possible, other areas of the country may be able to avoid tilling altogether.
Seeding can be sown by hand or by the use of a single row, push behind planter. I do recommend planting the corn in rows to ease the harvesting of it, but even that is a personal choice. For those that choose to forgo the standard 30 inch rows, studies have proven that increased seed densities per acre increase yields significantly without unduly stressing the plant from overcrowding.
As for harvesting, by using nothing more than a chainsaw, a tractor and a brush chipper, standing corn can easily be converted into sheep feed. After waiting for a killing frost, I simply walked down the rows with my saw held at 8 inches high and felled the stalks. These were gathered up; taken home and stored under cover. As I fed it out to my sheep, I ran the entire stalk through my brush chipper into ¼ chips. Alternatives exist of course and could include using a hand scythe to sever the stalks and a cart to move them under a tarp, or simply fencing in the corn plot and letting the sheep graze on the stalks in the winter.
Assuming you are feeding out, the chipper is the only critical piece of equipment, and its small size is surprising. I use a 5 hp Troy-Bilt Tomahawk chipper/shedder that takes a 3 inch branch, but a smaller or larger one would also work. The stalks are easily severed into chips and blown onto the ground or into a container. The smaller the “chip” the better as it tends to grind the cobs into individual kernels and allow the rumen to extract the nutrients from the finely chopped corn. It takes me about 10 minutes to chip enough feed for 4 sheep for one day. Even more important, what comes out of the spout of my homeowner chipper, is exactly the same of a ¼ million dollar silage chopper. In short, you do not need expensive equipment to produce high quality silage.
******
Tell a welfare recipient they must work and they call their congressman. Tell a farmer he can no longer work and he commits suicide. No wonder 1/2% of the population feeds the other 99-1/2%!!
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As with feeding anything non-traditional, there are precautions a Shepard must take to ensure the health of his flock. The first is storage of the corn stalks. In large farming operations the stalks are immediately chopped and blown into trucks that put it in upright silos or in horizontal bunkers. Unfortunately, neither storage method is practical for the small scale Shepard. The only practical way to store corn is by covering it and allowing the air to dry it so that it does not rot or mold.
Listeroisis is a disease that sheep are especially susceptible to and develops from the black mold of unensiled, or mold ridden feed, so storage is especially important. I like to store my corn stalks on logs so that it is not directly on the ground, cover them with a tarp, but leave the sides open so that the wind can blow through the pile to ensure proper drying. It should be noted that this complete drying does change the status of the plant significantly. Having dried, the plant converts all its sugar into starch which is what gives the sheep its energy. It does make the stalk and leaves slightly less palatable, but my sheep still prefer it over that of hay.
Another caution I must make is that while a Shepard might be inclined to feed straight corn silage, it really must be mixed with hay, haylage, balage or green chop, and for two reasons. Corn silage can be acidic in nature and cause the rumen of sheep to be inflamed. Hay or a variation thereof, helps to settle their stomachs and is a common practice on dairy farms. As added insurance, I like to give my sheep probiotics to ensure the rumen is working properly and is aiding digestion. The second reason is corn silage shortcomings in regards to protein and calcium. Fortifying with Urea (45% nitrogen) can be accomplished, but failure to get the right ratio right can result in death. For that reason I am a strong advocate of using corn silage to reduce the dependence on hay, but not eliminate its place in the manger.
While debating the concerns of genetically modified foods is beyond the scope of this article, it is in a Shepard’s best interest to select their seed carefully, or if purchasing standing corn from dairy farmers, to ask of its status.
The final caution is rather strong, and that is to refrain from feeding lambs corn silage. Lambs lack the rumen size to allow enough corn silage intake to get the nutrients they need. They literally can be stuffed from eating, and yet die from starvation. Good quality hay must always be available for lambs.
******
Tell a welfare recipient they must work and they call their congressman. Tell a farmer he can no longer work and he commits suicide. No wonder 1/2% of the population feeds the other 99-1/2%!!
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After gaining valuable experience in feeding non-traditional feeds, I have come to look upon corn silage as the feed for this farm well into the future. The tonnage per acre is extremely high, the purchased grain will be considerably less, and nutritionally it is more than adequate for the sheep. Granted I may soon outgrow my rather intensive method of harvesting corn, but when the number of sheep dictates it, but when a better method is needed, buying my own chopper may be more beneficial then haying.
******
Tell a welfare recipient they must work and they call their congressman. Tell a farmer he can no longer work and he commits suicide. No wonder 1/2% of the population feeds the other 99-1/2%!!
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| Sue, please don't take this wrong, but what humans like for corn, and what animals like is two completely different things. |
No, no...I'm talking about a nice treat of green cornstalks thrown over the fence to supplement late summer grazing (which is pretty darn poor down here), NOT a staple of the diet! Rather in the vein of feeding giveaway pumpkins after halloween or Christmas trees (to goats) after Christmas. Growing corn for silage would be impossible down here. In fact, I honestly have not seen a corn field in seven + years. Sue
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I understand now...I thought you were talking about growing heritage varieties for winter feed. The funny thing about this topic is, I have harvested corn for years in the 1000 plus acre range, but I have also harvested a small scale plot for my sheep. I really like feeding corn silage, but so many people think hay is the only way to go.
Not so. Up in Canada they feed sheep and goats silage a lot.
They do claim that if you chop grassland every 28 days, and put lots of manure on it, and get 4 crops per year; grass ground will give you the same tonnage as corn, without the tillage, fertilizer and seed costs. I am not so sure about that. We average 21 ton per acre here with corn, so I would think to get that with grass silage everything from the weather, to a lack of mechanical breakdowns would have to be on your side to beat out corn.
This year both the corn yield is down (about waist high now) and the grass is pretty bad because we got 2 months of straight rain. Now the temp is not helping. This morning the temp hit 40º here and the maples are already starting to turn bright red. Last year the same thing happened early, but that was in September, not a week into August.
******
Tell a welfare recipient they must work and they call their congressman. Tell a farmer he can no longer work and he commits suicide. No wonder 1/2% of the population feeds the other 99-1/2%!!
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| Thanks Sue for the websites. BTW. The mailman dropped off our HF mag today. I have to wait my turn to read it. P2 got excited when he saw the goats. I told him first thing first the keets got to get out of the brooder. The pig pen needs to be built and we get him 2 and then and only then (when they are grown) will talk about a pair of goats. Where becoming the McWeick Family Farm. I've see in a seed catalog a red sweet corn. By any chance do you know what it is? I think it had the queen name in it somewheres. Thanks!
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cweick (8/8/2009)
Thanks Sue for the websites. BTW. The mailman dropped off our HF mag today. I have to wait my turn to read it. Thanks! Really? I never seem to get my copy until two weeks after everyone else has theirs. Bummer. I'm really looking forward to reading this one, too. :o( Sue
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