CHAPTER XXVII 

 OTHER GRAINS AND THEIR BY-PRODUCTS 



Oats, Barley, Buckwheat, Rye and Rice 



Oats are one of our most useful feeds, not only for horses but 

 for dairy animals as well. The part left after the hull is removed 

 is called the groat. This is the part used for human food. The hull 

 has less than one-third as much protein and over three times as 

 much fiber as the entire kernel. 



407. Whole and ground oats. — The oat kernel is covered 

 with a husk or hull which constitutes an average of 30 per cent of 

 its weight. This hull together with its awn and beard makes the 

 oat light. In very light oats, the husk may comprise as much as 

 45 per cent of the entire kernel. The lighter the oat, the lower 

 is its protein, the higher its fiber, and the less its feeding value. 



Oats have somewhat more digestible protein than corn but 

 are lower in total digestible nutrients. They contain much more 

 fiber than corn due to the large percentage of hull. This fact 

 makes them bulky and better adapted than corn for combining with 

 a variety of materials in the ration. Oats are particularly useful 

 for lightening up a heavy mixture. They are palatable and easily 

 digested. For the dairy ration they should be crushed or ground. 

 We prefer crushed oats to a finely ground product. 



408. Oats good for young stock. — Oats are very useful as an 

 ingredient of the grain ration for calves and young stock. Some 

 feeders recommend the whole kernels for this purpose but we 

 believe that they will be better digested if the hull is broken by 

 crushing rather than if mastication and rumination are depended 

 upon to do it. If the indigestible hull is not broken the digestive 

 juices cannot get at the material beneath. Even crushed oats alone 

 will serve fairly well as a grain ration for young stock. 



Ground or crushed oats also make an excellent ingredient of the 

 mixture used in fitting animals for test. Their value here has been 



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