Oats in Ruminant Diets: Dairy Cows to Goats

In today’s feed-grain market, ruminant producers—whether raising dairy cows, goats, or mixed small ruminants—are looking beyond traditional corn and barley. Oat grain offers a compelling alternative. While oat forage is widely known, recent research demonstrates that when processed and blended appropriately, oat grain can supply meaningful nutrition to ruminants, enhance efficiency, and add flexibility to your feed program.

1. Nutritional and Functional Value of Oat Grain

According to the feed-resource database Feedipedia, oats are “a valuable feed for ruminants used to feed beef cattle, dairy cattle and sheep.” The digestibility and nutrient availability improve when hulls are removed or grain is processed—for example, one study found that decorticated oats had higher crude protein and improved organic-matter digestibility compared to whole oats.

For dairy cows, a study from Sweden showed that replacing barley with hulled or de-hulled oat grain did not compromise milk or energy-corrected milk yield, and in fact reduced saturated fatty acids in the milk fat. These data suggest that oat grain can function as a viable component in dairy rations—with both performance and quality outcomes maintained.

2. Practical Inclusion Strategies for Your Grain Mix

• Processing matters: Whole oats often carry high hull content (~24–30 % of kernel weight) which lowers energy density. For the best utilization, rolling, cracking, or de-hulling improves nutrient delivery.
• Blended strategy: Oats should be integrated alongside other grains—not necessarily as the dominant cereal. For instance, for finishing cattle, high-quality oats may be used up to ~33 % of concentrate intake without hurting gains.
• Monitor when switching: When moving animals from forage or high-hull cereals, start with partial substitution to allow rumen adaptation.
• Pitch the environmental edge: Because oats are more tolerant of cooler, wetter, or acidic soils, they can serve as a contingency grain in regions where traditional cereals face climate or quality risks.

3. Why This Grain Matters

• Feed cost mitigation: With fluctuating corn or barley markets, adding oats gives farms another tool to manage risk.
• Performance backed by data: Studies show dairy cows with oat grain maintain milk production and quality. Rations for goats and sheep show promise too.
• Flexible usage: Oat grain fits into growth, finishing, transition, or mixed-species rations—not just one class of animal.

4. Closing Thought

For dairy, beef, goat, or sheep producers, oat grain may not replace all feed cereals—but when used strategically, it provides a resilient, nutritionally sound option that supports herd performance and operational flexibility.