how to make a snow fence corn crib?

TDS

Member
Hello group, I'm switching my dairy herd over to full ear corn for grain supplement this year and havnt had any luck finding corn cribs. I remember grandad talking about making snow fence crib but he's gone so I can't ask him how to build one. Does anyone have experience or better yet pics? Thanks in advance
 
No pics, but we made those cribs several times many years ago before we built our own crib. Pick a level spot and roll out the snow fence vertical until it gets to the diameter that you want or reach the end of the roll. Wire the ends together and put in a couple stakes if you want.

Position the elevator to drop the ear corn in the center of the diameter and let the ear corn pile up and slope to the edges. Before the ear corn gets up to within 8-10 inches top of the bottom snow fence, roll out another circle inside the bottom snow fence, keeping the pressure on the snow fence as even as you can for another layer. Some years we only went 2 rings high and some years we went 3 rings high.

We fed whole ears of corn to the cows. If we were feeding steers that winter, we ground the ear corn and poured molasses over the ground ear corn. The steers loved that!
 
I would modify Dick 2s plan...Dad set two telephone poles about 3 feet apart...wrapped each end of the snow fence around them ...that gives you a space to open and shovel out of. Tie the tops of the poles together with wire, so they stay straight under the strain of the corn. Nail some boards on the inside of the poles to close the space, then break them out as needed to access the corn. Also, set some boards on the ground, from that opening, to at least the center of the crib....makes a good surface to shovel on. Shoveling on dirt is no fun! If you have a skidloader, set the poles wider than the bucket, and load into a catch wagon that feeds the grinder mixer.
 
I need to make enough to hold about 5000 bushel. I like the telephone pole idea , now should I put steel posts every so many feet around the bottom like dick said to make th3 base stronger when I go up 3 tall?
 
5000 bushels would be too big for all in one, or at least you'd likely need ventilation thru the pile. Also I think if you go really big you risk the fence bursting open. We used to do those 3 tiers high on a cement apron.
 
I was planning on making at least 2 because I've got one 30 ton wire crib at a neighbors I rent and one 2000bu steel bin
 
We would have used the poles but in the late 30's and early 40's we couldn't afford to buy snow fence and poles too! As soon as we got one ring empty, we took the snow fence and put it to work stopping drifting snow for the rest of the winter. We did a lot of things on the cheap back then.

We may see those times again.
 
tds: The fellows have covered the corn crib ideas. I would like to talk about your switching to ear corn for your dairy cows. I know a fair amount about cattle nutrition. The trouble with ear corn for your grain supplement is that the feed will have higher amounts of NDF or non digestible fiber. This will limit the feed/energy conversions that your cows can do. If your expecting 20-40 lbs. per cow per day then your feeding ear corn will not hurt them too much. IF your expecting more common production of 50-80 lbs. per day then you will be limiting your cows production with the ear corn. Adding shelled corn to dairy rations was the first step 20 years ago for higher production.

So with this in mind I am curious about why your wanting to switch back to ear corn for your dairy cows???
 
I got 75 to 80# of milk last winter on way corn. Many of the guys up here still feed ear corn and find it raises butter fat and helps with health. Also my high moisture silo is a money put and I want out lol
 
We used snow fence for ear corn and silage my uncles put 3 rings on top of an open top silo. Where are you at I got a good Sioux crib.
 
I made one out of wire panels taller ones 16 by 16 square put t post every four feet and zip tied orange plastic snow fence to it worked really good
I have been collecting wood pallets from work and want to build a corn crib with them when I get enough plan for that is to put square post in and put palets between.
Loren
 
Before you start constructing Id put an ad on craigslist looking for a crib or two. Im betting you will get find some locally. We have a customer that built a new drive through corn crib a few years ago. He built it with home sawed lumber and put enough doors in so he doesn't have to do much shoveling. He had gone to more shelled corn mixture like his feed man told him to do and claims he had a lot more twisted stomachs and vet visits. So he constructed the crib, bought a Uni System and figured up a ration for his dairy cattle that he says gets him good production.

I pick ear corn and feed it to our steers, sheep and give a little to our stock cows. I have been working on tweeking my ration as well.

The downside to ear corn that I am seeing is shelling. Todays corn shells VERY easy so if possible use something with stripper plates and be as gentle with the crop as possible.

On a side note read about Roswell Garst feeding his beef cattle with cobs, stalks and topped with molasses and urea.

Jim
 
It's about 1200 bu . I can help just don't tell the doc had shoulder surgery have tractor and loader I can try and get pictures later. It's bolted in three rings plus roof . I'm thinking you could slide boards through to stand on and unbolt.
 
I have wire cribs, and grew up using the snow fence silo/ crib idea. I can say Ive done my share of ear corn. I easiest, simple , fast crib I have used was to line a steel square bale thrower rack with snow fence. We pulled it to the field, filled it with a elevator, pulled it home and cover it with a tarp. Did a few like this over the years. Some racks have spaces between the boards, some dont. The spaced ones let all the shelled corn fall out. Never found a rat in the corn while shoveling out a wagon. Nice thing about it is you can pick as fast as someone can unload. Very little road time. Al
 
Lately I have been putting excess ear corn on the ground between rows of hay bales. It keeps really well if it is picked around 20% moisture and fed throughout the winter.
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No. It gets cold enough here in western MN/northeast South Dakota that most of the precip falling in the fall and winter is snow. I imagine if one lived where it would rain on the pile it might be a good idea to cover it with some tin or fence panels covered with hay. Plastic tarps would condense the moisture and it would constantly be "raining" under the tarp, and the corn would go out of condition rapidly. 20% moisture corn needs to breathe some, so even getting wet would be better than staying sealed up.
 

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