A flail rotor head attachment for use with any type harvesting machine having crop residue processing elements and including an input opening for receiving crop residue. The attachment includes a frame structure for operatively coupling the attachment to the harvesting machine, a flail rotor and an auger each mounted on the frame structure and a drive mechanism for rotating the flail rotor and the auger in the same direction. The flail rotor includes a plurality of cutting elements for picking up and chopping crop residue from a field, each of the cutting elements being attached to a separate bracket member for allowing free movement of each relative to each other. The auger includes at least two flightings positioned in opposite directions for funneling crop residue towards the opening of the harvesting machine. A shield member is positioned under the auger and adjacent to the flail rotor to facilitate the funneling of the crop residue from the flail rotor to the auger.
