Oats Cattle Feed

[welger rp 220]

I've been offered a load of whole oats which I've never fed before to suckler cows and a few beasts to fatten..What would they be like compared to rolled barley starch wise?
I can get High Pro Soya or Rapemeal to increase protein and minerals or am I better off sticking with Barley and added soya/rapeseed minerals? TIA

 

[Derrick Hughes]

To put it in layman's terms , oats is more heathy but barley fattens quicker , a mix of both would be ideal but if one then barley , but it would help to have more digestable fibre in your ration which oats provide , similar to Beet Pulp

 

[topground]

Plus whole oats can be digested by young stock without rolling thereby saving costs. 2500 oat grains to the kilo. Try and find more than a few in young stock dung

 

[Agrivator]

I've been offered a load of whole oats which I've never fed before to suckler cows and a few beasts to fatten..What would they be like compared to rolled barley starch wise?
I can get High Pro Soya or Rapemeal to increase protein and minerals or am I better off sticking with Barley and added soya/rapeseed minerals? TIA

It is not economic to process oats for any kind of ruminant. At one time, oats were rolled, turnips chopped and even hay chaffed, to give the cattleman something to do for the rest of the day. But as Derrick said, a proportion of barley is a better feed for fattening cattle.