Hello to all,If anyone can tell me how to build(preferebly elctricly driven) or where to buy a corn cracking machine it would be much appreciated,I have had little luck finding anything on the internet that just cracks the corn instead of grinding it,I know they use to make them in the old days. Thank you P.S anyone know if you can feed whole corn to chickens,I know they will eat it I am just wondering if it will be easily digested. Thanks again

-- dave smith (duckthis1@maqs.net), October 03, 2001

Answers

Dave, what about using an old style hand grinder.I'm talking about the ones that people used to use to grind meat. they go at auctions for about two to five dollars Can. money.I'm not sure how to make it electric but it is a straight shaft so a little thinking and you should be in business and if it wears out it's cheap to replace.It's just an idea I hope it helps or springboards another idea.

-- elly snyder (fireliteca@yahoo.ca), October 04, 2001.

Hello Dave,

Check out www.lehmans.com for grinders. A relative purchased a manual one from them and we have hooked it to an electric motor. It has several different "grinds" to use, so we can coarsely crack corn or make flour.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), October 04, 2001.

You do not need to crack corn to feed it to ANY farm animal, you do not even need to remove it from the cob, the chickens will do just fine on their own! Except for peeps, of course, then it has to be cracked then. Provide plenty of granite grit free choice for them, so their gizzards can do their job well.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 04, 2001.

Hi Dave.

Here's how we cracked corn for our chickens. Take your lawnmower to the local welder and have him cut a hole in the base over the blades. Make a plywood or sheetmetal funnel to fit the hole. Start the lawnmower and drop in whole ears of dried corn. No need to separate corn from cob - the chickens will do that on their own.

Cost us $5. for the welder's services, we used on-hand materials for everything else. I made a removable sheetmetal patch for the hole so we can still use it to mow the lawn. We also use it to grind up leaves, weeds and garden refuse.

-- Sandy in MN (onestonefarm@hotmail.com), October 04, 2001.