Corn spill

[lazy gardener]

@Titan Farm Thank you for that information. I was not aware that earth worms were that low in protein. However, I did an other search, and found this:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071668008416688?journalCode=cbps20

Abstract
1. Feeding trials were conducted with chickens from 1 d to 8 weeks of age to evaluate the nutritional value of earthworms. The growth rate of chickens fed on maize or a protein‐free diet supplemented with earthworms and vitamins was not significantly different from that of control birds fed on a complete grower diet (150 g protein/kg).

2. The amino acid composition of earthworm homogenate was found to correspond fairly well with the amino acid requirements of chickens.
_______________________________________________________________________
While this article does not support my theory that good quality free range provides excellent nutrition, it does support the theory that free range can go far in meeting the dietary needs of a flock. Which is the point that I was trying to make. When my birds have free range, their feed trough does not get empty.

 

[Titan Farm]

@lazy gardener
Ive seen that study and if I'm not mistaking the earth worms that were used in that study were a dried earth worm somewhat like a earth worm meal. The advantage of the dried earth worms is that the protein content is higher than the live worms.

 

[Sublight]

Cows can kill themselves from eating too much corn.
We lost a few cows because they broke the barn door, or someone left it open. And the cows got into the feed bin and ate too much. Not sure what it does to them, but corn can kill cows. I saw it twice. They died within days.

 

[Chickassan]

Cows are rumanids,meaning they chew cud and the food matter they eat is highly dependent on bacterial gutload to process so it basically gets chewed rechewed and actually fermented to a point. When cows eat a ton of sugar rich corn their gut bacteria goes ham and for lack of a better way of putting it they swell up internally and gas themselves to death.

Cows can kill themselves from eating too much corn.
We lost a few cows because they broke the barn door, or someone left it open. And the cows got into the feed bin and ate too much. Not sure what it does to them, but corn can kill cows. I saw it twice. They died within days.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Cows are rumanids

 

[Sublight]

Cows are rumanids,meaning they chew cud and the food matter they eat is highly dependent on bacterial gutload to process so it basically gets chewed rechewed and actually fermented to a point. When cows eat a ton of sugar rich corn their gut bacteria goes ham and for lack of a better way of putting it they swell up internally and gas themselves to death.

Cool! Good to know. I have never looked up why.

I know it cant kill chickens like that, I just thought I would bring it up. In my mind someone read that and was like "WOW, I didn't know that".

 

[Lazy Farmer]

My comment is on the O.P..

Corn is not bad for livestock if used in moderation. The spill in your drive would be a gift from the Heavens around here.

We use it as a supplement, not a meal anyway.

We raise goats/swine/turkeys/countless chicken. I would have shoveled that score up stat and rinsed it off and sun dried it as needed.

Most feed store corn has been triple washed anyway.

I scatter corn in the runs almost everyday. Whole is more nutrified but cracked can be more easily consumed by the younger ones.

My eggmaker pellets are loaded with cracked corn. Even with my ever blurring eyes, I can see the corn in the broken pellets.

I personally have no evidence of egg production loss on our farm that has been ever linked to feeding corn to my poultry flocks. (in moderation)

 

[Titan Farm]

Cows can kill themselves from eating too much corn.
We lost a few cows because they broke the barn door, or someone left it open. And the cows got into the feed bin and ate too much. Not sure what it does to them, but corn can kill cows. I saw it twice. They died within days.

They most likely died from Acidosis.
Acidosis is when cattle, sheep or goats eat large amounts of grain and the grain releases carbohydrate into the animal's rumen then rapidly ferments rather than being digested normally. Bacteria in the rumen produce lactic acid, resulting in acidosis, slowing of the gut, dehydration and often death.

 

[Sublight]

They most likely died from Acidosis.
Acidosis is when cattle, sheep or goats eat large amounts of grain and the grain releases carbohydrate into the animal's rumen then rapidly ferments rather than being digested normally. Bacteria in the rumen produce lactic acid, resulting in acidosis, slowing of the gut, dehydration and often death.

Cool, thank you for the explanation.