Oats

Oats are generally lower in energy and have more fiber content than other small grains. The hull of the oats will represent 24-30 % of the weight of the grain (John and Boyles, North Dakota State University.) Thus, their value as a source of energy in high-grain diets will be limited. Because of the high fiber content coupled with a relatively high energy value, oats are most effectively used with younger cattle to transition them to a grain diet. This can include using oats as a creep feed for nursing calves. Feeding programs for club calves and junior steer projects will often include oats as a means of adding energy to the diet with a lower potential for bloat and acidosis as compared to corn-based diets, although weight gain will be reduced. Oats may be processed by rolling or crimping and processing can add 5% efficiency to their use by the animal. However, this improved efficiency may not be enough to offset the cost of processing. Oats are usually not effective in a finishing diet because the energy value is lower, the total intake of feed may be reduced, and the cost may be prohibitive. As shown in Table 2 corn will be a cheaper source of energy than oats when corn is priced at $4.00/bu and oats are more than $1.85/bu.

Table 1. Protein and Energy Values for Small Grains