Re: More feed questions

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Mia Nalias wrote:
>
> Just my observation. When I feed whole oats, I can see them come out
> in the manure - and so can the birds that tear apart the manure to eat
> them. This is not observable by me or the birds when using rolled oats.

I'm just reporting what's reported by clinical trials.:-)  You might
consider adding a probiotic supplement from time to time that
specifically contains both yeast and lactobacillus specie; the former
species for better breaking down the fibrous outering shell of the
grains, the latter for better digesting the starchy contents of the
grain.


> My feed supplier told me the rolled oats had a shelf life of 6 months.
> I'm not sure where he got that information or whether it is accurate.
> A good portion of that time was in cold weather which presumably would
> help preserve.

Also keep in mind that there CAN be considerable time between processing
and when you actually buy the bag.  And that the difference between
"fresh" and "rancid" isn't like an on-off switch, it's a gradual process
that starts the moment the outer layer of the grain is broken into. 
But, yes, where and how it's stored can make a big difference.
> 
> Is there a nutritional reason to switch from straight oats to COB?

Yes, though it's certainly not life-threatening if you don't.  Any type
of cereal grain is going to provide higher amounts of one nutrient and
lower (possibly deficient) amounts of another.  For example, corn is
higher in energy but lower in some of the trace minerals like managanese
and zinc than are whole oats.  Oats are lower in energy, but a better
source of sulfur than barley.  Barley is lower in energy than corn, but
a better source of iron than corn, but also lower in iron than oats are.

So the reason for using several grain sources is to provide a better
across-the-board balance of nutrients, mostly at the trace mineral
level.  For a totally balanced diet, the grain mix of course needs to be
balanced with lots of good hay---which in most cases supplies the
nutrients in which all cereal grains are lacking (primarily calcium).

Hope this helps?

Susan G