Avena sativa

Oats

The feeding value is inversely related to the hull content, which can be approximated from the thousand-kernel weight. There is a great variation in the proportion of hulls in oats and consequently in their feeding value. The hulls are of limited value in animal feed and have practically no value for cattle. Oat-mill feed is also a low-protein roughage and can to an extent replace hay in the ration. Coarsely ground oat hulls and oat feed have been reported to prevent gastric ulcers in swine. Oat grain should not be used as feed for three or four months after harvest as it needs to be properly dried. Oats can be fed to all farm animals. For pigs and poultry, ground oats have a considerably higher feed value than whole oats. Hulled oats are more palatable to cattle and older pigs, but it is generally not economical to hull the grain before feeding. The high fibre content limits the use of oats in pig and poultry rations. Usually not more than 25% oats is included in rations for growing pigs, whereas the level in diets for brood sows is generally restricted to about 40%. For poultry the fibre content of oats can be reduced by clipping the awns and pointed tips. Up to 30% ground oats of good quality has been used in rations for growing chickens and up to 50% in rations for laying hens. It is usually advantageous to mix oats with other grains. 

The rich magnesium content of oats helps prevent perosis in chickens. Finely ground oats with skim milk make a satisfactory ration for table chickens during the final three or four weeks. 

Oats are preferably crushed or rolled before being fed to stock. Crushed oats are excellent for ruminants; they are the standard cereal in horse feeds, but contain too much fibre to be the chief concentrate in pig rations.

					As % of dry matter
				DM	CP	CF	Ash	EE	NFE	Ca	P	Ref
Grain with hulls,
Chile				86.1	11.7	16.0	2.9	6.6	62.8	0.15	0.23	315
Grain, hulled,
Chile				89.3	11.7	11.1	3.5	7.6	66.1	0.13	0.31	"
Hulls, Chile				89.6	3.8	37.0	7.0	1.3	50.9	0.45	0.07	"
Oat-mill feed,
United Kingdom				92.0	6.0	30.4	7.0	1.8	54.8			3
							Digestibility (%)
					Animal		CP	CF	EE	NFE	ME	Ref
Grain, hulled					Sheep		78.0	37.0	82.0	83.0	3.01	315
		Amino acid composition as % of crude protein
Seed											Ref	449
Arg	Cys	Gly	His	Ils	Leu	Lys	Met	Phe	Thr	Try	Tyr	Val
6.5	2.4	4.7	2.1	3.6	7.1	3.8	1.5	4.8	3.3	1.4	3.6	5.0
Hull											Ref	118
Arg	Cys	Gly	His	Ils	Leu	Lys	Met	Phe	Thr	Try	Tyr	Val
4.0	1.5	4.4	1.3	3.4	6.6	4.0	1.8	5.3	3.3	2.1	2.8	4.8
Mill feed											Ref	505
Arg	Cys	Gly	His	Ils	Leu	Lys	Met	Phe	Thr	Try	Tyr	Val
4.1	-	-	1.1	3.4	5.8	3.5	0.4	2.8	2.6	0.7	2.8	3.7

References

3, 118, 315, 449, 505