# To those who feed whole oats..?



## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I just found out that whole oats "should" have 16% protein. For those of you who milk, do you get good production... Is this correct about the % of protein? I thought about adding barley as well. They get alfalfa hay at night pellets in the AM. Currently using Nutrena 17% sweet feed and they do really well, but looking for something more economical and more healthy for them.. Opinions...


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Not sure where you found that information. Oats range from 9 to 13% protein. I'd personally err on the low side of that when figuring a ration


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Well, I found this info online, but the place where my ober buck is working "LOL" it showed it on the tag with the analysis.

Protein
Oats
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy1,628 kJ (389 kcal)
Carbohydrates
66.3 g
Dietary fibre10.6 g
Fat
6.9 g
Protein
16.9 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)(66%) 0.763 mg
Riboflavin (B2)(12%) 0.139 mg
Niacin (B3)(6%) 0.961 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(27%) 1.349 mg
Folate (B9)(14%) 56 μg
Trace metals
Calcium(5%) 54 mg
Iron(38%) 5 mg
Magnesium(50%) 177 mg
Manganese(233%) 4.9 mg
Phosphorus(75%) 523 mg
Potassium(9%) 429 mg
Zinc(42%) 4 mg
Other constituents
β-glucan (soluble fibre) 4 g
Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I feed whole oats and whole barley long with BOSS...with alfalfa/chaffehay...our girls are doing well on this...


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

happybleats said:


> I feed whole oats and whole barley long with BOSS...with alfalfa/chaffehay...our girls are doing well on this...


You know, I think I'm going to see if this would save $ as well, and ALL my animals including sheep would be able to eat it. For the BOSS I know it's like $24.99 a bag here, but they should only get like 1/4 of a cup right? So the bag should last awhile.. Do you also feed your growing kids this as well? I might just keep them on the grower pellets for now though.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

For the BOSS they only need a small handful per goat, ours get it as soon as they start eating grain.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Yes, all our goats and sheep get this feed, even the kids...

( one part is what ever you scoop with...we use a coffee can)

we mix 6 parts oats with 4 parts Barley with 2 parts BOSS then serve one part mix with 6 parts alfalfa...We do this mix now since we avoid GMO however if that is not a concern for you another great mix is

6 parts oats
2 parts calf manna
2 parts BOSS
1 part beet pulp.

again serve one part with with 6 parts alfalfa pellets...


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## Hollowdweller (May 5, 2011)

Any time I've fed straight oats milk has gone down. Although it's probably ok to feed bucks and dry does that. Oats don't have enough energy either.

I have my own mix that uses Purina Noble Goat Charge Concentrate, corn, oats, rolled barley, and some black oil sunflower, a bit of molasses. I have it mixed up 1000 lbs at a time and it costs me about 30 bucks for a hundred lbs.

I would suggest not scrimping on the feed. 

:thumbup::dazed:


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

This would actually be $5.00 more for 50lbs then what I'm paying now. I couldn't find any whole oats with the 16.9% protein either... I'm going to double check with the guy who has my buck though, to see where he gets it.However, I did catch a deal on a different goat feed that is $4.00 less than what I'm paying now, but I have to make sure I call the store every Wednesday to place the order... So yay for that;-) Trying for healthier stuff though, but I'm sure their milk is better then what I get in the store;-)


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I can't find anything anywhere that puts oats that high in protein! EXCEPT on a human nutrition chart. And that chart is exactlye the same as the one you posted! Everything for animals says 13 is the absolute highest for protein. Humans and animals process foods differently so the good we get out of something will vary....but you know that so I'm preaching to the choir LOL. Also, the oats for human consumption are the top quality, super clean, etc. You will pay for that....a lot extra! Livestock feed generally isn't the best quality you can find....that is saved for human consumption.

You can always add some extra stuff to the feed you buy to make it work better for you. We have a custom mix done and I take calf manna and BOSS over for them to add into it for me (they don't carry those). 

Yep, regardless of what you feed, the milk you are getting is WAY better than what you get in the store!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we went non gmo..which is a pain!!! I liked the mix of oats, calf manna, BOSS and beet pulp with alfalfa pellets...the girls did well on that...but with so many things being GMO...its frustrating!!...even alfalfa is now GMO...SOoooo we went with the oats, barly and BOSS and add chafehay which is non gmo...and we buy alfalfa bales from a friend who has non gmo...but saddly my kids and bucks get alfalfa pellets still but at least we arent getting gmo in our milk supply...at any rate...YES you have a better product then the store...you know what your goats eat, you know their health..you kno wif they had been medicated...so do what you can...and know that you do have better milk then the store :wink:


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