Common Name: Broken Maize, crushed grain, Maize crushed, broken corn
Scientific Name: Zea mays L
Feed Categories: Cereal grains and by-products
Physical Characteristics:
Maize is high in carbohydrates making it good for livestock that need energy for longer periods of time. It is more easily digested by livestock when it is crushed. Maize is the tooth-shaped kernel and is composed of bran coat, endosperm and germ. The tip of the kernel is white. The color of broken maize is yellow or of varietal and the odor is sweet and free from mustiness.
Production/ Availability:
Maize offers a very palatable source of energy; it contains the highest level of starch and energy of all the cereal grains this sets the standard to which all other grains are compared. In some circumstances the feed efficiency of maize improves in some animals when it is crushed however care must be taken not to over feed maize and weight not volume should be the measure when replacing maize for any other grain ration. The Government of Bangladesh is how introducing maize cultivation in winter and summer seasons, and we started to actively expand maize production from 1996. Last year around 20 thousand ha. of maize was sown, and this year it may increase to 25,000 ha. Animal feed in the country is severely deficient due to the lack of an organized feed industry and non-availability of grazing land. Thus, maize could play an important role as animal feed and fodder fed as stover, green fodder or as silage.