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Delivering DDGS to the herd?

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LCP

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I bought 100 ton of DDGS this summer to use as a protein supplement this winter while grazing cornstalks and dormant range. Now the question becomes, how do I get it to the cows? (It was much cheaper than alfalfa per unit of protein, so I bought it without worrying about delivery) The largest herd I have is 330 head of young cows, 5 miles away. I would like to make a trip every 3 days. I'm figuring 3 lb per head per day, so 9 lbs x 330 hd = 2790 lb. Probably should make it 3500 lb because I know there will be waste, despite feeding it on 4' wide conveyor belt. To my knowledge there isn't a cake feeder big enough to hold that much DDGS. And I don't really want to tie up the back of my pickup all winter. Here's what I've come up with so far:

1) I have a small forage wagon that I think would dispense it ok. Except I hate driving the tractor down the road that much.
2) buy an old ground-driven manure spreader. Except I don't think I'd want to pull that down the road real fast, and still might not be enough volume for 3000 lb of ddgs.
3) buy an old fertilizer spreader and cut off the spinners. Except that might not get around real good in the snow behind the pickup. And the pitch on the sides might not be steep enough to keep the ddgs flowing?

Any suggestions?
 
do you have access to a auger wagon ? I have small snowco one that holds 3 ton that I use for by product pellet we have made here. I don't feed near what you do but old technology works pretty good.
 
my neighbor feeds it on the ground and has about zero waste they lick the dirt clean to get every morsel of course the ground is frozen. Put it in a grinder mixer and feed it out the discharge auger.
 
1) I have a small forage wagon that I think would dispense it ok. Except I hate driving the tractor down the road that much.
2) buy an old ground-driven manure spreader. Except I don't think I'd want to pull that down the road real fast, and still might not be enough volume for 3000 lb of ddgs.
3) buy an old fertilizer spreader and cut off the spinners. Except that might not get around real good in the snow behind the pickup. And the pitch on the sides might not be steep enough to keep the ddgs flowing?
4) Move to Texas.
 
joestout said:
1) I have a small forage wagon that I think would dispense it ok. Except I hate driving the tractor down the road that much.
2) buy an old ground-driven manure spreader. Except I don't think I'd want to pull that down the road real fast, and still might not be enough volume for 3000 lb of ddgs.
3) buy an old fertilizer spreader and cut off the spinners. Except that might not get around real good in the snow behind the pickup. And the pitch on the sides might not be steep enough to keep the ddgs flowing?
4) Move to Texas.
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:lol: :lol: :lol: Nice to see you back, haymaker!
 
Yes good to be back, I tried to sign in with my old stuff but I guess I was banned (smile)
Good Luck
 
Faster horses said:
Nah, no one was banned. Especially not you :wink: .
How are things with you and how are things in Texas? We've missed you!
Sure terrible about that church shooting today. :cry2:
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Aint that sumthin damn idiots are every where nowadays, I think he killed 8 members of one family including a 4 yr old and shot a poor old geezer 74.
 
joestout said:
1) I have a small forage wagon that I think would dispense it ok. Except I hate driving the tractor down the road that much.
2) buy an old ground-driven manure spreader. Except I don't think I'd want to pull that down the road real fast, and still might not be enough volume for 3000 lb of ddgs.
3) buy an old fertilizer spreader and cut off the spinners. Except that might not get around real good in the snow behind the pickup. And the pitch on the sides might not be steep enough to keep the ddgs flowing?
4) Move to Texas.
Click to expand...

We spent Christmas 2015 in Corpus Christi visiting my sister in law. I noticed a lot of ducks by the ocean...mallards, teal, pintails, etc...same ducks we have during the summer. I got a little jealous. Thinking those birds aren't so dumb after all!
 
m5farm said:
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Looks like a handy outfit. I'm wishing my bale bed was operated by an engine pump rather than electric over hydraulic...then I would convert one of those boxes over to a hydraulic orbit motor and run it off the pickup.
 
Strong said:
https://www.herdbossllc.com/
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I saw those when I was researching, but they are on the small side.

Has anyone used a Meyerink ear corn feeder? They look to have the capacity I'd need. Except they Really take up the whole back of the pickup.
 


This thing is coming up on a retirement auction next week. I wonder if I could make it into sort of a "dump box" for my bale bed, have a small hole in the end and let it flow out as I drive along? Then I could set it off when I'm not using it. Might be worth a try?
 
LCP said:
m5farm said:
Click to expand...

Looks like a handy outfit. I'm wishing my bale bed was operated by an engine pump rather than electric over hydraulic...then I would convert one of those boxes over to a hydraulic orbit motor and run it off the pickup.
Click to expand...

With the technology today im sure it could be converted pretty easy. the self contained hyd log splitters would give you the tank pump and engine. just need to match a HYD motor to it then you could pull and feed with anything. I transfer the pellets I feed to 5 gallon buckets for my little bunch.
 
If you have a bale bed couldn't you just get some super sacks and use it to hoist the bag and open the tube on sack and drive ??? if you trying to get in troughs just build a slide off to the side so the tube drops into it and flows down the chute. might have to engineer some longer arms.
 
We built a nifty feed dispenser for the bale deck this summer out of an old fuel tank. It will hold a lot of feed, and you could build it bigger if you manufacture your own. I will try to grab some pics, or google Nifty Feed Dispenser.
 
RSL said:
We built a nifty feed dispenser for the bale deck this summer out of an old fuel tank. It will hold a lot of feed, and you could build it bigger if you manufacture your own. I will try to grab some pics, or google Nifty Feed Dispenser.
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that's pretty nifty
 
RSL said:
We built a nifty feed dispenser for the bale deck this summer out of an old fuel tank. It will hold a lot of feed, and you could build it bigger if you manufacture your own. I will try to grab some pics, or google Nifty Feed Dispenser.
Click to expand...

I made one as well, out of a floater tire, but it only holds about 700 lb of DDGS. If my math is right, I don't think I could get 3500 lb of DDGS in two tires and still be able to lift them with my bale bed. 1750 lb of DDGS plus the tire is more than I could handle.

1750 lb ddgs / 15 lb/cu ft = 117 cu ft
Need a cylinder 4 ft wide x 6 ft tall for 117 cu ft. That's a big (heavy) tire. Maybe fabricating one out of metal would be lighter.
 

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