Oats as Replacement for Corn in Complete Mixed Rations for Growing-Finishing Swine

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Abstract
Five experiments involving 328 pigs were conducted to evaluate finely ground oats as a replacement for ground yellow corn in corn-soybean oil meal diets. One-hundred-pound pigs in drylot had gains and feed per pound of gain, respectively, of 1.77, 3.67; 1.55, 4.20; 1.38, 4.44; and 1.26, 4.77 for rations containing 0, 29, 60 and 95% oats. In a second experiment using a different source of oats, growth and feed efficiency were decreased markedly on the two higher levels but not on the 29% oats rations on drylot. On pasture, however, reductions in performance for all oats rations were similar. With weanling pigs, neither 8, 16 nor 32% oats in the rations enhanced growth rate and/or feed efficiency. Existing differences in feed quality of oats were demonstrated by feeding oats of 24-pound and 32-pound test weights to 60-pound pigs. Compared to performance on the corn-soybean oil meal control ration, growth rates were reduced approximately the same on oats of the two test weights when fed at levels of 20 and 40%. However, more feed was required per pound of gain on the 24-pound than on the 32-pound oats ration. Including 10% oat hulls in the control ration resulted in gains and feed efficiency comparable to those obtained on the 40%, 32-pound oats ration. Calculated total digestible nutrient (TDN) values of the rations decreased as the percent of oats increased. Variations in performance on the diets containing different levels of oats appear to reflect the TDN value of the ration and the total TDN intake. Voluntary feed consumption was not increased to compensate for the lowered TDN value of the ration. The variation in feed quality of currently produced oats makes it nutritionally inadvisable to recommend specific levels in rations for growing-finishing swine. Replacing corn in a corn-soybean oil meal type ration can be expected in general to reduce growth rate and feed efficiency, the degree of reduction being largely determined by percent hull of the oats and percent oats in the ration. Copyright © . .

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