PREPARATION AND BASIC TIPS FOR USING CORN COBS FOR ANIMAL FEEDING

Abstract

The materials of the article are aimed at reviewing the problems and basic principles of preparing corn cobs to increase the efficiency of the use of fodder during animal fattening. In the work performed, it was established that the effective use of corn stalks in feed mixtures requires appropriate preparation of the raw material, namely its grinding to achieve a granulometric composition with the provision of reducing energy consumption for the grinding process. The materials of the article provide data on general recommendations for the preparation of raw materials. The preparation of raw materials involves several technological operations, but the most responsible is the operation of achieving the size of feed particles. This is because there are two opposing views on their use: on the one hand, a finer grind improves digestibility, and on the other hand, coarse ingredients are necessary for the natural functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (GI). As in most animal experiments with feed, the effect of feed particle size is measured on such parameters of live animal performance as feed intake and digestion time, body weight and specific feed utilization. However, a possible change in particle size should also take into account aspects of the manufacturer, such as plant efficiency (eg energy consumption and productivity), as well as changes in feed quality parameters (eg pellet quality) and classification of feed ingredients.