How do you crack your own corn?

[GreenLove]

I can't seem to find organic cracked corn anywhere! I used to buy it online from Scratch and Peck feed but they no longer ship it and they only carry the 40lb bags. So my question is, for those of you who buy whole corn and crack it yourself, what do you use? Please don't say a hammer, that would take forever!

I guess i could feed the adults whole corn

, but the babies I have in the future need cracked. Any recommendations on how to crack corn would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[pdirt]

You need a grain mill to crack grains. A hand crank one like the Corona will work. you set the grinding plates loose. You can find one Ebay for under $50..

I just buy whole organic corn from Azure Standard. It's human food grade and cheaper than the Scratch n Peck feed grade corn. We currently don't have any chicks. I got rid of our grinder. We do have a flour mill, which only makes fine flour but won't coarsely crack. We use this for corn bread and tortillas, since the corn is food grade.

 

[GreenLove]

You need a grain mill to crack grains. A hand crank one like the Corona will work. you set the grinding plates loose. You can find one Ebay for under $50..

I just buy whole organic corn from Azure Standard. It's human food grade and cheaper than the Scratch n Peck feed grade corn. We currently don't have any chicks. I got rid of our grinder. We do have a flour mill, which only makes fine flour but won't coarsely crack. We use this for corn bread and tortillas, since the corn is food grade.

Thank you! The reviews on that grinder aren't promising. Is that the brand of grinder you used for cracking corn? I've been seeing a lot of people complaining about the corn getting stuck in the grinding mechanism among other problems. If you personally used this grinder for corn, please let me know. Thanks

 

[pdirt]

We used the Corona mill for cracking corn. It worked great. Mind you, it's hard work, though cracking grains is much easier than making flour. You do need a solid (but not too thick) table or bench to mount the grinder to.

I don't understand what people are talking about corn getting stuck in the grinding mechanism. I never had that issue. If it were to get stuck, you just grind it through with a little extra muscle power. It can also take a bit of experimenting with how close the grinder plates are to each other (it's very adjustable) to determine the correct flow rate for cracked grain size and ease of grinding.

 

[Den in Penn]

I can't seem to find organic cracked corn anywhere! I used to buy it online from Scratch and Peck feed but they no longer ship it and they only carry the 40lb bags. So my question is, for those of you who buy whole corn and crack it yourself, what do you use? Please don't say a hammer, that would take forever!

I guess i could feed the adults whole corn

, but the babies I have in the future need cracked. Any recommendations on how to crack corn would be helpful. Thanks!

Have you tried to find smaller grains like millet, wheat or oats? You wouldn't have to grind them.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have observed baby chicks at 7 to 10 days old eating whole kernels of corn and I have yet to see a corn stalk growing out of a chicks' ear.

 

[MysteriaSdrassa]

I have observed baby chicks at 7 to 10 days old eating whole kernels of corn and I have yet to see a corn stalk growing out of a chicks' ear.

Agreed,,,, I have found that cracking corn only encourages waste.

 

[pdirt]

I have observed baby chicks at 7 to 10 days old eating whole kernels of corn and I have yet to see a corn stalk growing out of a chicks' ear.

Agreed. As long as they have grit, this is fine. But grit would be necessary for cracked corn, too. If it was corn flour, grit would not be necessary.

 

[GreenLove]

We used the Corona mill for cracking corn. It worked great. Mind you, it's hard work, though cracking grains is much easier than making flour. You do need a solid (but not too thick) table or bench to mount the grinder to.

I don't understand what people are talking about corn getting stuck in the grinding mechanism. I never had that issue. If it were to get stuck, you just grind it through with a little extra muscle power. It can also take a bit of experimenting with how close the grinder plates are to each other (it's very adjustable) to determine the correct flow rate for cracked grain size and ease of grinding.

I am no stranger to hard work

!! Thank you for the input!

 

[GreenLove]

Have you tried to find smaller grains like millet, wheat or oats? You wouldn't have to grind them.

Yes, I planned on using these as well. Thank you.