Oat straw for calf feeding

[organicguy]

Usually feed/bed calves on barley straw but only have oats this year.
Is it alright for calves for their first roughage?
Pros/cons?

TIA

OG

 

[Martyn]

We Have used oats for young stock for many years get on well with them.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Absolutely fine, have used it many times, should be slightly higher in protein too!

 

[TheRanger]

Anyone feeding calves winter barley straw? Finding it’s too waxy/stalky and they’re not eating it anything like they would spring barley straw.

 

[DairyGrazing]

Anyone feeding calves winter barley straw? Finding it’s too waxy/stalky and they’re not eating it anything like they would spring barley straw.

Has to be spring barley straw in my experience. Only way to get them to eat anything like what they need is to mill it first then it a pain as you can't put it in racks it has to go in a tough. .

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Anyone feeding calves winter barley straw? Finding it’s too waxy/stalky and they’re not eating it anything like they would spring barley straw.

A lot of winter barley is good for nothing unless it's had a bit of weather Oats can be the same ,to Shiney but they do eat Oats better, I would use soft wheat if you can't get spring barley

 

[TheRanger]

Will need to try and get some new season spring barley then. Winter was all that was available last month when we needed a lorry load