Stormy Day
Posted 2/16/ 16:30 (#)
Subject: Feed grinder savings
North central illinois
I have been feeding a dozen hogs a year for family and friends and most of all for fun. I buy a 16% ground feed from the local mill, it was around $450 a ton for a while, the last ton I bought this past November was closer to $350 a ton, or something like 17 cents a pound. I'm gonna feed two dozen this year i think, if I find a feed grinder to buy and can use my own corn what would the savings on feed be? Grinders are looking pricey but if I can make it pay for itself in a couple years I would be interested. johnwayne360
Posted 2/16/ 17:35 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: Feed grinder savings
near dyersville iowa
Depends..are you buying corn from the mill or raising your own? I honestly dont think having a mill saves you a lot of money, but I dont know grinding charges off the top of my head. For that little bit of feed..Im thinking it will be tough to come out ahead. Jr773
Posted 2/16/ 17:36 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
Indiana
Hello stormy day All of my feed comes from a local feed mill. They charge nothing for grain bank and what they charge for grind/delivery is cheaper then what i could own a mixer for, let alone extra feed bins for supplement and ect. Have you looked into buying from a different mill? Just my 2 cents. Jr773
Posted 2/16/ 17:42 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
Indiana
I forgot to mention also that if i need feed i just have to make a call. Dont have to worry about if the tractor will start when its cold ect. A big plus when working two jobs. tc806
Posted 2/16/ 17:44 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
Casey IL. ( I -70 ) then south on rt.49
Why not consider hole shelled corn with the supplement mixed in. I used hole corn for years. redoak
Posted 2/16/ 19:09 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
deep SW On.
Custom grind.mix and delivery should be no more than 1 cent per lb. on truckload lots ...so say small lots or bags-@ 2x going rate for 24 hogs that will need around 7.5 tons to finish so at 2 cents lb. x 15,000 lbs. it would net cost $300 ...........what would it cost you to be able to grind that......... big feed mills with big capacity using T-T loads will be 6-10 ton ...... tigger
Posted 2/16/ 20:03 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: Feed grinder savings
Iowa
Your feed is really expensive. That's probably mostly due to the small batch sizes and possibly being in bags instead of bulk. Even so, you are not feeding enough to justify a lot of time and money for on farm processing. As said above, you could possibly try looking into another source. You could also check into how much money you could save by picking the feed up instead of having it delivered and by buying it in bulk rather than bags if you are not currently doing so.
Stormy Day
Posted 2/17/ 05:55 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
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North central illinois
K, I buy feed a ton at a time, I take my wagon over to the mill and let em dump directly int the wagon, so no delivery or bag charge. The mill is probably 12 miles away with the next closest mill being 30 miles away, feed mills are getting few and far in between around here. Herdboar
Posted 2/17/ 07:22 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: Feed grinder savings
Mankato MN; Casa Grande AZ
Don't let your feed get stale.
1 ton feed for 12 hogs = 166 pounds each
(last year
).
For a little pig, that could be a month and a half of feed, or more.
I like fresh ground feed every 2 weeks in the summer. No longer than 2 days in a feeder, and licked clean to get the old stuff out.
Today's hog eats 680 pounds, farrow to finish.
I had a hobby farmer friend that bought a whole ton of feed, put it all in a feeder, and he couldn't figure out why his 4 or 5 pigs weren't eating. The feed went moldy in the feeder. tigger
Posted 2/17/ 07:39 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
Iowa
Fewer independent producers and more regulations has lead to fewer feed mills remaining in business. Your feed still seems really high priced considering you are picking it up in bulk. It might still be worth checking with feed mills farther away. Sometimes they deliver feed at what seems to me like crazy distances. If they have a truck with compartments, there is a chance they would deliver your feed in one compartment and another farm's feed in another compartment for less than what you are paying now if you work with them on delivery dates. There is some increased disease risk involved with on farm delivery.
If you buy a grinder, you will still need to get bean meal and need to work out something for extra storage
(or store in old grinder?
). There are a couple IH grinders in Illinois on tractorhouse.com you might be able to get cheap enough to get your money back out of in two or three years if you raise more pigs AND if they are functional with no repairs needed. You'll need a tractor available to run one. It's still a lot of messing around for a small number of pigs. Any expensive repairs or complications could quickly eat up your savings. Stormy Day
Posted 2/17/ 09:15 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
North central illinois
I get my pigs around 50 pounds and two tons seems to feed 6 out to a 300lb average, or about 667 lbs of feed each. to buy in bulk with my wagon they wanna sell a one ton minimum so that's what I get at a time to try and keep it fresh, I haven't seen a hog yet turn it down. Any smaller quantities they wanna sell in bags. cih
Posted 2/17/ 11:18 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
WI
Good feed grinders around here are few & far between. If you purchase one make sure parts are readily available. check the hammer mill see if the hammers were turned over. Another thing is the gearbox for the mixer. A lot of times and the top seal will deteriorate from salt used in the mix from the past owner. Not easy to change without a service pit. I hope this helps. Good luck in your decision. tigger
Posted 2/17/ 11:27 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
Iowa
Maybe I'm missing something obvious. Is your feed expensive because your rations have some high priced additives? If you insist on using high priced additives, they will still be high priced regardless of who grinds the feed. Stormy Day
Posted 2/17/ 12:03 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
North central illinois
No, just commercial feed, called another mill this morning about 40 miles away and was quoted $294/ton for 14% and $312/ton for 16%? Tried calling another mill 50 miles east but they must be off for Presidents' Day. Gotta go to the local mill in the morning for chicken feed so I'll ask current hog feed prices then, they could have gone down since November. farmer82
Posted 2/17/ 13:01 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: Feed grinder savings
S.E. Iowa
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I used to love grinding feed. After I started grinding all the time I now hate it. Before that I loved doing it for just a few head I could us up the junk that was laying around few bushels here and there. That to me added some value. If you enjoy doing it and have time go buy a grinder. Seems like it is expensive to hire done but I like having corn in the bin at home. I have a arts way and ih grinder I like the little one better but it doesn't have the capacity of the big one.
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