Is Maize Cob Good For Cows?

The nutritive value of corn cobs obtained in 13 digestion comparisons with four steers each, averaged 51.6 pounds of total digestible nutrients in each 100 pounds of corn cobs. This average figure suggests that cobs for cattle are 64 percent as valuable as the grain itself for energy or fattening purposes.

Can maize cobs be used as animal feed?

Maize (Zea mays L.), a major cereal grown worldwide, generates cobs which can be used as pig feed ingredients (Frank et al., 1983; Kanengoni et al., 2004; Ndubuisi et al., 2008).

Is maize good for ruminants?

Maize is an excellent source of energy, starch and fibre for inclusion in the rations of ruminant livestock. By feeding a proportion of forage maize in the ration, feed intake and milk/meat production will increase.

Is maize good for livestock?

Maize is well accepted as the king of feed ingredients. It is a primary source of energy supplement and can contribute up to 30 percent protein, 60 percent energy and 90 percent starch in an animal’s diet (Dado,1999). About 70-80 percent of maize production is used as a feed ingredient in the world.

What are the uses of corn cobs?

Corn cobs are used on a limited basis for industrial purposes in the United States for bedding, oil sorbents, polishing agents, and other uses.

Can you feed cows maize?

It is commonly used as a supplement to pasture in situations where cows would otherwise be underfed. Maize silage is a high quality forage supplement. However, it is particularly low in sodium (Na), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), and can be used as an effective carrier to supplement cows with magnesium (Mg).

How do you make maize cow feed?

There are 3 common processing methods, namely steam treatment, tableting and coarse crushing (particle size is 2.5 mm). Don’t crush too finely, so as not to affect the digestibility of roughage. Feeding cows with corn kernels, 18-33% is eliminated from feces, and tablet feeding is the best.

How much maize can I feed cattle?

Risk depends on maize silage feeding rates, total levels of dietary fibre (NDF), and on the presence of other starchy feeds. Low rates of maize silage (less than 3 kg DM/cow/day) typically won’t require adaptation. Higher rates (more than 5 kg DM/cow/day) increases requirement for adaptation.

What corn is best for cows?

In general, performance of cattle fed whole or rolled corn is a wash. Feeding rolled corn increases digestibility by 5 to 10 percent and equates to faster growth in cattle due to the higher energy concentration of the diet.

Is dry maize stalk good for cows?

Maize stover (or straw) normally consists of variable proportions of the leaves, stalks, and cobs of maize plants left in a field after harvest. It can be a valuable addition in ruminant feeding systems (dairy, beef, heifers, as well as sheep and goats) as it has the highest feeding value of all cereal straws.

Why maize is used as cattle feed?

Maize grain is a valued energy source in ruminants. In dairy cows, it can support high milk yields because of its high starch content.

Is yellow maize good for cows?

Yellow maize is also good for livestock
The stalks of Yellow maize may be used as fodder for animals such as cows, sheep, goats, horses or any other type of livestock. They may also be given to poultry, such as chicken and roosters as feed.

What crops are good for cattle?

Winter legumes such as crimson clover, hairy vetch, and winter peas can provide high quality forage for grazing. Legumes provide the additional benefit of nitrogen fixation. Brassicas, such as turnips, are high quality, deep rooted and grow in dry conditions.

Are corn cobs good fertilizer?

Are Corn Cobs Good for the Garden? Absolutely. Corn cobs are suitable fertilizer and compost materials, and they even have additional advantages compared to other compost materials.

Are cobs healthy?

Good news, folks. The tasty whole grain breads at COBS are the real deal, by which I mean that the first ingredient is whole grain whole wheat, so you’ll get more than of that than anything else. Additionally, COBS breads have no added sugar and they’re baked fresh daily.

Are corn cobs digestible?

But corn on the cob is a no-no for dogs because the cob is indigestible. Eating some of it could mean surgery – or even death – for your dog.

What happens when cows eat corn?

And when the animals get acid stomach, it’s a really bad case of heartburn, and they go off their feed. Eventually, if you give them too much corn too quickly, it ulcerates the rumen; bacteria escape from the rumen into the blood stream, and end up in the liver, creating liver abscesses.

Is it better for cows to eat grass or corn?

Feeding corn to cattle, instead of grass, gives the cattle more calories to digest each day. These extra calories help them to be able to grow faster. The faster the animal reaches market weight, the sooner it can be sold, the sooner the farmer/rancher gets paid.

How do you increase protein in a cow feed?

Examples of feedstuffs (and their typical protein concentrations on a dry matter basis) that can serve as effective protein supplements include soybean meal (48%), cottonseed meal (41%), whole cottonseed (24%), corn gluten feed (24%), dried distillers grains (27%), and brewers grains (26%).

What cattle feed is high in protein?

The most common protein sources available in the Western U.S. include soybean meal and alfalfa hay.

How much corn should a cow eat per day?

We know that a mature cow will consume from 2.5 to 3 percent of her bodyweight in dry matter each day. If that cow weighs 1,000 pounds, she would eat between 25 to 30 pounds of dry matter per day. At that rate, one ton of hay or corn would provide feed for about 66 days for that one cow.