tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post5292212027398740476..comments2024-03-28T12:01:24.909-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: DIY Goat Feed: Experiment #1Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-56458182656974781202016-06-15T19:13:35.283-04:002016-06-15T19:13:35.283-04:00For good feed. Fill it with shredded cornstalks (s...For good feed. Fill it with shredded cornstalks (still moist 30-60%) and pack it into the container then seal it to keep the air out. The silage will go through anaerobic fermentation. Your goats will love it and it keeps good for months if done rightAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318443629923983207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-47865029054172627862015-09-17T00:52:48.984-04:002015-09-17T00:52:48.984-04:00That's brilliant. :-) I saw the comment above...That's brilliant. :-) I saw the comment above that Rube Goldberg would be proud, but I think Red Green would be proud, too! <br /><br />Also, although the chipper still might not work well for larger sticks, the outlet you put on it (the part up to the barrel) might help to keep it from scattering chips all over the place.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-62127567051968006872015-08-16T23:29:30.321-04:002015-08-16T23:29:30.321-04:00I think this is the coolest invention I've eve...I think this is the coolest invention I've ever seen!!!Ngo Family Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15484243776589015749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-36968565679323225112015-08-16T19:29:50.010-04:002015-08-16T19:29:50.010-04:00Brialliant, you really are brilliant but every tim...Brialliant, you really are brilliant but every time I see a wood chopper I think of Fargo and laugh; but I regress. We no longer have goats just a couple pigs and several steers. The steers are all grass fed but our pigs get a corn mix. Buying it all ground up from a friend (in exchange for labor on his place) but looking forward to grinding our own. You've given me (again!) some great ideas.Donna OShaughnessyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266654110280149719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-76170224314836014012015-08-15T21:05:09.330-04:002015-08-15T21:05:09.330-04:00The trick is to find things that grow well in one&...The trick is to find things that grow well in one's area, so it was a combination of research and experimentation. It's a slow process because if something doesn't work, it's another year to try something else!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-43155596803541663642015-08-15T21:02:39.290-04:002015-08-15T21:02:39.290-04:00The ones made for home use all seem to be pretty s...The ones made for home use all seem to be pretty sorry. <br /><br />Not too sure about silage; I've read mixed reports about feeding it to goats. We'll be working with dry stalks anyway, and I think silage is made from green ones (?)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-47836567139865617592015-08-15T21:01:10.541-04:002015-08-15T21:01:10.541-04:00Dan gets the credit for this one. :) I've been...Dan gets the credit for this one. :) I've been wanting a hammer mill, but this is much more heavy duty, and I'm glad of that. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-4151519319468951112015-08-15T20:44:54.696-04:002015-08-15T20:44:54.696-04:00I have been trying to find info on growing all my ...I have been trying to find info on growing all my feed for my animals. Did you find a lot of it online or more by a trial and error?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13366990302818122955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-27720287091272610722015-08-15T12:40:50.956-04:002015-08-15T12:40:50.956-04:00I was more than disappointed in my chipper shredde...I was more than disappointed in my chipper shredder. It seemed it took a mountain od stuff just to make a coffee can full of chopped up stuff. Still though running it the way you are is a good idea. If you were doing mostly corn stalks you could also leave it in the barrel a while and create a fermented silage too that would even soften the larger chunks some.<br /> PioneerPreppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09269878017447335944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-13151443255860452002015-08-14T21:27:36.728-04:002015-08-14T21:27:36.728-04:00Hi! You guys are so great at coming up with creat...Hi! You guys are so great at coming up with creative ideas!!! Nancy Cozy Thyme Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933769393226611441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-16194394019548077902015-08-14T21:20:49.785-04:002015-08-14T21:20:49.785-04:00Aw shucks. It's a relief to do something with ...Aw shucks. It's a relief to do something with it and it's a relief to make progress in the feed department. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-74918314217273814062015-08-14T21:19:31.454-04:002015-08-14T21:19:31.454-04:00I'm glad you all are thinking ahead on these t...I'm glad you all are thinking ahead on these things. We're working on a few improvements to the chopper which should make it work better. First time around was a test. I'll report on the rest and I'm interested in seeing what Jam did with the snowblower. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-16074427775248601942015-08-14T21:17:36.762-04:002015-08-14T21:17:36.762-04:00Yeah, I agree that grain and pellets aren't go...Yeah, I agree that grain and pellets aren't good for the rumen, but it is a way to provide needed nutrients. I'm hoping our homegrown alternative will be healthier. <br /><br />Our soil is highly selenium deficient too, but so is anything we could buy. I have to supplement that to meet the need. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80051751666669120792015-08-14T21:15:18.030-04:002015-08-14T21:15:18.030-04:00They only care it's food, LOL. I care that it&...They only care it's food, LOL. <i>I</i> care that it's homegrown! Especially since good quality animal feeds are hard to find around here. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-55294015423373821942015-08-14T21:14:39.157-04:002015-08-14T21:14:39.157-04:00So far so good, anyway. :)So far so good, anyway. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-19344349067447036712015-08-14T21:14:23.744-04:002015-08-14T21:14:23.744-04:00I'll be interested in what you do!I'll be interested in what you do!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-20505948317406098752015-08-14T17:47:19.191-04:002015-08-14T17:47:19.191-04:00That's an ingenious device. Rube Goldberg woul...That's an ingenious device. Rube Goldberg would be consumed with envy!Harry Flashmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05071021900005041592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-17417891663718262492015-08-14T12:22:59.520-04:002015-08-14T12:22:59.520-04:00"As a piece of junk to clutter up the carport..."As a piece of junk to clutter up the carport it did great"<br /><br />me and jam went into fits of laughing about that - bahahahahah! we don't have animals yet leigh, but when we do jam already has a snowblowing machine-thingy that he has set up for breaking down food for animals. he says that your husband's use of your machine is brilliant. he also says to tell your hubby to run the dried cobs/amaranth through one time, then sift (like many people have mentioned) and then run the remainder through it again and that that will probably work to make all of the stuff smaller.<br /><br />hope i'm making sense here. congrats. and keep us updated how it all works!<br /><br />your friend,<br />kymberkymberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02607117635648274823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-65012257878687605882015-08-14T12:01:08.767-04:002015-08-14T12:01:08.767-04:00You amaze me! Great job. Yes, those little chipper...You amaze me! Great job. Yes, those little chippers are useless (unless you need to chip toothpicks or something else of that size).<br />We just had someone harvest our lower 10 acres for free if he kept the hay. We don't grow our own for our goats because the Willamette Valley soil is very deficient of minerals especially selenium. We buy hay from Eastern Oregon.<br />We have tons of free choice and it is really amazing how they eat what they need of that.<br />I'm not a big fan of grain but do feed it on the stand. I mix it with alfalfa pellets. I don't think it is great for their rumen .<br />I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this works out for you. Thanx for letting us learn along with you.Karen@ onthebanksofsaltcreek.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10939656531839491575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-28016014383058907672015-08-14T11:26:23.320-04:002015-08-14T11:26:23.320-04:00Very creative! I bet they love the home grown :)Very creative! I bet they love the home grown :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00576053785355324560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80767308633292911962015-08-14T09:31:06.549-04:002015-08-14T09:31:06.549-04:00Sounds like a win!Sounds like a win!Renee Nefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08167893445846427824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-66508161967278320992015-08-14T09:23:10.068-04:002015-08-14T09:23:10.068-04:00I love this idea! AND it's something I can tr...I love this idea! AND it's something I can try. I have all the equipment somewhere in one of the barns. Thanks for the fun post...my chickens, pigs and turkeys thank you, too!<br />Lyndahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14189157322930654023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-34664122450346227042015-08-14T08:20:58.197-04:002015-08-14T08:20:58.197-04:00And to think I almost sold it countless times. Now...And to think I almost sold it countless times. Now I'm glad I didn't!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-42781101931825914982015-08-14T08:19:49.533-04:002015-08-14T08:19:49.533-04:00We have a terrible time with mold here, especially...We have a terrible time with mold here, especially corn stalks and leaves. Everything has to be hand sorted to pick and choose what can be fed to the goats. We probably won't process anything that isn't completely dry for that reason. This experiment was laid out on an old window screen and thankfully, we had nice dry weather to finish it out. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-58193542721941744272015-08-14T08:18:03.635-04:002015-08-14T08:18:03.635-04:00Ah, so it's a design element in the machine it...Ah, so it's a design element in the machine itself. No wonder they're so common on craigslist, LOLLeighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.com