What's the advantage of oats in a grain mix?

[Amo]

Looking at weaning feeds. Last several years I've fed just a ground/rolled corn, ddg mix. Ballencer, etc, but it just corn & ddg in a meal form.

Feed man from different supplier showed up today. He basically had same type of product. Instead of ddg in a meal form it was a pellet. Also a dimension pellet. Guessing that's where the ballencer, vitamins and minerals, etc are at. It also has liquid molasses & oats.

I think most grind and mix feeds have molasses now to control dust. I like the idea of oats. I was somewhat of the impression of it as a filler like mids or hulls to keep them from getting too loose. Is that the main purpose of oats in a feed? What else is the oats an advantage to? His product is $20 a ton higher than my normal supplier. Just wondering if the oats would be worth the extra? Sometimes I think my calves get a little fleshy when I background. Wondering if the oats might give a little ffiber/scratch factor to the ration?

 

[TexasBred]

Oats are a great addition to a grower ration primarily because about 30% of the weight of oats consists of the hull which is fiber. Higher protein than corn but lower energy levels. It still should only compromise a portion of ration and would work well blended into your DDG-Corn mix. Molasses added to a mix is little more than added expense. Properly balanced with adequate roughage your mix will perform just as well as the "feed man's" mix (wonder what's really in that pellet"??) :shock: :shock: You'll never know.

 

[Amo]

Both feeds are made by mills.

Product A- is rolled corn, dried distelers in a meal form, & some form of a calcium balencer with maybe some vitamins & minerals. Another feed store has basicly same product with some rumension in it.

Product B- is rolled corn, dried distelers in a pellet form, the deminsion pellet is just the calcium ballencer in a pellet form, oats, & molasses. The distelers pellet has some vitamin & minerals. The deminsion pellet has some ruminsion in it.

The guy manufactures product b with distelers pellets because he can get it formulated with the vitamins & minerals. Plus then he can run it through Hubbard feeder finance. Plus some customers like a pellet. This product is $40 a ton higher. Not sure how much the oats cost to be added in. Should ask company A what it would cost to add oats to their product. I know they make another grind & mix product with oats.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I like the idea of oats. I was somewhat of the impression of it as a filler like mids or hulls to keep them from getting too loose. Is that the main purpose of oats in a feed? What else is the oats an advantage to?

Fiber.
Heifers won't get too fat.

 

[Amo]

I called feed store that makes product A. Asked them about putting oats in their feed. He recommend against it due to higher cost with poorer conversion. He said they put oats in a creep feed due to it not being self limiting. He said if your feeding hay with the grain, they are getting all the fiber you need. The extra cost per ton of the oats, plus needing to feed more pounds to get the same amount of gain that he recommended against adding oats.

I do understand what he is saying. Its kinda funny feed store b is pushing it. He always talks about feed conversation etc.

 

[TexasBred]

I called feed store that makes product A. Asked them about putting oats in their feed. He recommend against it due to higher cost with poorer conversion. He said they put oats in a creep feed due to it not being self limiting. He said if your feeding hay with the grain, they are getting all the fiber you need. The extra cost per ton of the oats, plus needing to feed more pounds to get the same amount of gain that he recommended against adding oats.

I do understand what he is saying. Its kinda funny feed store b is pushing it. He always talks about feed conversation etc.

Keep in mind that you are growing a calf, not trying to fatten one up for the freezer so it needs to be a bit more mellow. True oats are a little more expensive but personally I'd still want them in my feed. There is no guarantee they will voluntarily eat all the roughage they need to give a keep a proper balance of grain:roughage.