Had some time tonight so I thought some of you might like to see the process of how we make flakes when feeding cattle in a commercial feed yard.

Pic 1) Corn is delivered and goes in the holding bin. Augers bring it to the scalper. Inside the scalper is a series of different size screens or drums turning and they sift the corn. Pretty much like sifting when covering a trap. Cobs, rocks, chaff, and any other foreign material is removed. After that it is moved to the soaking bin. While it is being moved water and enzymes are added bringing it to 23% moisture. The natural enzymes and moisture help soften and breakdown the protected coating on the kernel.

Pic 2) After 8-12 hours of soaking the corn enters the steam chest . It’s about 40’ tall and 8’ in diameter. Inside 4 sets of rings blast it with Steam. The top ring delivers steam at about 225 degrees and decreases to about 210 at the bottom ring. This is a bit of a art. If corn enters a bit dryer or wetter that 23% the steam is adjusted. Dryer steam or wetter steam can be added.

Pic 3 and 4) Since wet corn doesn’t like to flow and the steam chest is shaped like a giant funnel. A peg feeder helps it move into the rollers. It looks like a auger but pushes the corn down instead of moving it side to side.

Pic 5) Flaked corn is moved up and down in drag chain to the main holding area. Drag chains can move grain in a S or curve.

Last pic is the final product. Flaked corn. This is considered a 25 pound flake. Meaning you can get 25 pounds in a bushel basket. A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds.

What's the advantage of feeding flakes?

Very interesting. Ya never know what you're gonna learn on this site!

Used to run pigs behind them

Thanks Pawnee, learned something new today!

Zim

What is the advantage of flaked corn over cracked corn? Cracked corn is what I buy. Just curious.

Looks edible to me. You eat any of that for breakfast?

Ethanol boys engage in a like process, creates ethanol, produces a more digestible product for the livestock, and that is a great deal of expense on your part with beef and dairy prices falling in prices paid to producers.

Nothing to do with this, but I miss Post Toasties, best corn flake ever made.

This is partially not so. When fed as the only ingredient in their diet, and is commonly so during the last 120 days, corn can be fed whole.

Thanks for sharing that with us. Very interesting.

It makes the starch more available. It’s a very fine line. If the flake is steamed and rolled to much the starch availability will be to high. 66% would be high causing bloat, cattle going off feed, and or loose stools. At 60% availability you would let to much starch pass through the animal and be wasting it. 63% is what they are shooting for now.

I’ve been known to grab a handful now and then. It’s not as good as it looks! Taste like damp cornmeal

Thanks for the info...very interesting.

thanks pawnee I learned something today

Thanks for the explanation, everyone.

It is quite common, especially in fattening of the dairy breeds. Pawnees system is very good, don't get me wrong, just not feasible for feedlots under 500 head. When you feed steers a basically 100 % corn diet, their digestive system shuts down 3 of the 4 stomachs, they no longer chew their cud, yet they can digest whole kernel corn. It is very effective at weight and fat production but is very hard on the animal and can only be done for a 150 days or so, the last 150. Commercial feedlots now have byproducts of the ethanol trade to use and they are mostly corn, so with a little soybean mixed in, its still mostly corn.