# Difference between whole oats and steam rolled oats



## mydaddysjag (Sep 18, 2008)

Ok, for a heads up, I have always fed pelleted feeds, so I dont really know anything about oats. Im looking into a ration balancer that you can add oats to if your horse needs extra calories. Well, I know there are many kinds of Oats, and im pretty sure Ive heard most people say that whole oats are the best to feed. Can someone tell me the difference between whole oats, steam rolled oats, crimped oats, and regular rolled oats.

So far Ive found steam rolled oats for about $12 a bag, rolled oats for $18.29 per bag. I still need to call a few places and try to find whole oats, im sure somewhere local carries them, just havent been on the phone enough yet. Im also trying to look up my closest local feed mill, ive been told I can probably find them reasonably priced there,l I just want to know the differences so I can make a good decision on what to feed, if I do switch to the ration balancer with oats (if needed)


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## trickhorses (Sep 18, 2008)

mydaddysjag said:


> Ok, for a heads up, I have always fed pelleted feeds, so I dont really know anything about oats. Im looking into a ration balancer that you can add oats to if your horse needs extra calories. Well, I know there are many kinds of Oats, and im pretty sure Ive heard most people say that whole oats are the best to feed. Can someone tell me the difference between whole oats, steam rolled oats, crimped oats, and regular rolled oats.
> So far Ive found steam rolled oats for about $12 a bag, rolled oats for $18.29 per bag. I still need to call a few places and try to find whole oats, im sure somewhere local carries them, just havent been on the phone enough yet. Im also trying to look up my closest local feed mill, ive been told I can probably find them reasonably priced there,l I just want to know the differences so I can make a good decision on what to feed, if I do switch to the ration balancer with oats (if needed)


steamed, crimped oats are oats that are split so the hull inside is exposed and they get more nutrition out of it. A whole oat is solid and not split. I feed my minis steamed, crimped oats.


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Sep 18, 2008)

I feed strictly whole oats. I have never had any issues with then horses chewing/digesting the whole seed and I have had problems with the crush oats being too dusty and the steam rolled oats being moldy from the steam used to process them. Since I can't see in the bag until after I open it and don't have time to return bad feed on a regular basis, I will stick with the whole oats. JMO


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## ThreeCFarm (Sep 18, 2008)

I feed whole oats with my diet balancer and always have.


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## h2t99 (Sep 18, 2008)

I was told if you have horses that have no teeth issues, such as a old horse, then use whole oats. It makes them use their teeth more in the grinding process. We have used both, I prefer the whole if we have no old horses, and right now we don't!! Although since we have moved we do not grain, they are on pasture 24/7!!!


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## minih (Sep 18, 2008)

> I feed strictly whole oats. I have never had any issues with then horses chewing/digesting the whole seed and I have had problems with the crush oats being too dusty and the steam rolled oats being moldy from the steam used to process them. Since I can't see in the bag until after I open it and don't have time to return bad feed on a regular basis, I will stick with the whole oats. JMO


Same here.


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## maplegum (Sep 18, 2008)

Hmmm interesting.

What benefits do oats offer to their diet? I'm only currently feeding Bailey and Willow a mixture of hay and they graze in the field I also add a vitamin/mineral supplement daily.

I don't think they need any extra as they aren't working or showing horses, but sometimes I feel they must be bored with the same thing day in, day out.

Are oats highly fattening?


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## LaVern (Sep 19, 2008)

We feed alot of whole oats. We just had 1600 bushels brought in yesterday. And it is nice and clean. A bushel would be about 2/3 of a 50 pound sack. I paid the neighbor 2.50. a bushel delivered. Other years I have just paid between 1.50 and 1.75. It is just so hard to believe that the farmer gets so little of the share.


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## Minimor (Sep 19, 2008)

> Are oats highly fattening?


No. In fact when we want a horse to lose weight we put him on oats--oats gives them more energy & they move around more & tend to lose weight.
We used to always feed whole oats, but in this area it's very hard to get whole oats--the feed stores here do not sell it, so you have to go to a farmer and buy it direct. We did that for a time--I had to go over to the yard & bag my own out of the grainery. That took just too much time so I stopped doing that & now just buy rolled oats from the feed store. More expensive, but much easier/quicker and the horses like it just as well.

Crimped oats is just squashed a bit to crack the hulls; rolled oats is squashed a lot, so that the hulls are opened right up and the oat kernals are somewhat flattened--the only rolled oats we can buy here is steam rolled and so that is what we use. If they don't get the moisture content right then there is a problem with the oats going moldy--we had a problem with that with one feed mill and from what I hear they never did get it right and still sell very poor quality grain. I quit buying from them long ago & now use Feed-Rite. Their rolled oats is very consistant in quality and weight and there's no problem with the oats keeping well even in the hot summer months.


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## trickhorses (Sep 19, 2008)

If I want one to loose weight I put them on WHOLE oats because it seems to go right through them and that keeps the weight off. If you look at the nutritional facts, you will find that there is more nutrition out of a crimped oat then a whole oat. I have been feeding crimped oats for 20 years and never had any problems with it getting moldy or dusty - I guess they just bag it differently here. It is about $12.00 a bag here in Ohio. I do top dress the oats with an oat balancer so it is a complete feed. I have also never had one colic off oats either.


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## Minimor (Sep 19, 2008)

> I have been feeding crimped oats for 20 years and never had any problems with it getting moldy or dusty - I guess they just bag it differently here.


Crimped oats is different than rolled, and as far as I know crimped oats are always crimped dry--no steam/moisture involved. We used to have our own crimper on one farm we lived on but that's the only time we've fed crimped--can't buy crimped oats here. Once you get into steam rolling, there is definitely more moisture involved, or there can be. some of the stuff I used to bring home from Nutrena was quite WET feeling.
Whole oats actually don't go right through unless you have a horse that bolts his grain or one with bad teeth.


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## Nathan Luszcz (Sep 20, 2008)

Rolled and crimped are basically the same thing, the hull cracked to expose the inner goodness. Steamed oats, in whatever form, are partially cooked, partially breaking down the nutrients and making more nutrients easier to access. Less energy will be used by the horse to access the nutrition avalible in the oats.

The most efficient product, as far as amount of nutrition per pound, will be found in steamed crimped/steamed rolled. The least amount of energy will be in whole oats, since it takes a lot more energy to get to the energy.

When I feed oats, I feed steamed crimped oats. They are generally cheapest next to whole and they have a lot more energy for your dollar. If you want less, feed less. Don't feed the same amount of a lesser quality product






I've fed oats at many different farms in many different states, and I can't say I've found one to be more dusty than another more than one bag of pellets is more or less dusty than another bag of the same brand.

All and all I feel you get better bang for the buck with better overall nutrition with a quality pellet and good hay.


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## mydaddysjag (Sep 20, 2008)

Right now My guy is on a pellet and quality hay, however he isnt doing any work, and wont be for the next 6-7 months. I am looking at putting him on a ration balancer and hay, but wanted to check into oats incase he needs something extra over the winter to keep his weight. He's quite overweight right now, and I worry about the effects on his health. He's not wormy, just over weight (quite a bit of fat over his ribs, large belly, large butt, neck getting cresty)


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## chandab (Sep 20, 2008)

mydaddysjag said:


> Right now My guy is on a pellet and quality hay, however he isnt doing any work, and wont be for the next 6-7 months. I am looking at putting him on a ration balancer and hay, but wanted to check into oats incase he needs something extra over the winter to keep his weight. He's quite overweight right now, and I worry about the effects on his health. He's not wormy, just over weight (quite a bit of fat over his ribs, large belly, large butt, neck getting cresty)


If he's as large as you describe, he won't need more than hay and the ration balancer til he's lost weight and/or he goes back into work. For that matter, increasing his hay over the winter if needed, would be better for an idle horse than adding grain.

Almost all of my minis are on a ration balancer and hay; and they look good. [i had a few on another product that I tried when I thought I was losing my dealer for the ration balancer, but now that it has changed hands, they are all going back on the ration balancer. Everyone I tried a different feed on gained too much weight this summer, so I can't wait to get them back on the ration balancer/hay diet; I have half a bag of the other feed left, so it won't be long.]


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