Identifying Grains EQS 125

icon located on the bottom right hand side of the slide Lecture Menu You may use the menu to the left to jump to main topics in the lecture or resume clicking your mouse or spacebar to progress through the lecture What is Concentrate? Common Grains Oats Corn Barley Processing Grains If you wish to come back to this menu at anytime during the lecture click the icon located on the bottom right hand side of the slide

What is Concentrate?

What is Concentrate? Concentrate includes the seed portion of plants or the by-product derived from the seeds The nutrient content is more consistent and compact than forages Essentially it is a concentrated source of nutrients, hence where the term concentrate comes from

Higher in energy content What is Concentrate? Concentrate includes the seed portion of plants or the by-product derived from the seeds Concentrates are characteristically… Higher in energy content

Concentrates are characteristically… What is Concentrate? Concentrate includes the seed portion of plants or the by-product derived from the seeds Concentrates are characteristically… Low in fiber content

Generally more expensive than forages What is Concentrate? Concentrate includes the seed portion of plants or the by-product derived from the seeds Concentrates are characteristically… Generally more expensive than forages

What is Concentrate? The term “grain” is often used interchangeably with the term “concentrate” Sometimes we will say grain in the context of a bagged feed, not a single grain If we are talking about a single grain we will typically refer to it by its name, such as oats, corn, and barley

Does the Horse Need Grain/Concentrate? Remember that grain/concentrate is optional! Horses do not need grain in their diet unless: They are under high physical demand In an important life phase – growing, pregnancy, lactation The forage portion is lacking in sufficient nutrients

Concentrate in the Diet Horses do not have “nutritional wisdom” They will continue to eat as long as it is in front of them – never allow concentrate as free-choice! When large amounts of grain are fed (5lbs+), it should be provided in 2-3 smaller amounts daily Grain should never be more than 50% (by weight) of a horse’s total daily ration unless it is a weanling or in heavy race training

Horses must have grain in their diet Knowledge Check Horses must have grain in their diet True False Incorrect Grain is not required in the diet unless the horse is under high physical demand, in an important life phase, or the forage is lacking in sufficient nutrients Correct!

Common Grains

Single Grains Prior to advances in nutrition, horses were often fed a diet that consisted of forage and single gains Today, we often feed our horses a commercially prepared feed that consists of many grains and by- products which has been nutritionally balanced Single grains though make up the base or foundation of our bagged feed - we will look at three common cereal grains used in the equine diet

Oats Oats are a traditional grain that make up more than 30% of all commercially prepared feed They have a low energy density compared to other grains It is considered a “safer” grain because it has a low starch content than hull- less grains, such as corn This is due to a fibrous hull which makes up a large part of the oat seed Oats are very palatable but more expensive than other grains

Corn Corn makes up more than 80% of the grain fed to animals in North America It is slightly less palatable than oats, but more than other cereal grains Corn is a common feed component because it provides almost 2x the amount of DE than oats

Corn Corn makes up more than 80% of the grain fed to animals in North America It is slightly less palatable than oats, but more than other cereal grains But it is also very high in starch – an overload of corn to the hindgut can create gastrointestinal upset (remember what type of carbohydrate starch is and where it is digested!)

Corn Corn makes up more than 80% of the grain fed to animals in North America It is slightly less palatable than oats, but more than other cereal grains Because of the DE provided, many people accuse corn of being a “hot” grain but that is often due to people feeding corn at the same rate as oats and not adjusting based on the increased energy provided

Corn Corn makes up more than 80% of the grain fed to animals in North America It is slightly less palatable than oats, but more than other cereal grains Corn must be processed in order to be digested due to its hard kernel

Barley is a major component in commercial pelleted feeds Barley resembles oats, but has smaller and harder hulls and has a slightly higher protein content Because of this, barley needs to be processed in order to be digested Barley may also be cooked in warm water to make it more digestible and palatable

Cutting Your Feed While we will discuss bagged feed later on, it is important to understand that this is not a sound nutrition practice – each of these grains has its own nutrient content and by adding them to an already balanced feed, you may be unbalancing the vitamin and mineral content The Thoroughbred industry has a long kept practice known as “cutting” feed – which is taking a single grain such as oats, corn, barley, etc. and adding it to a commercially prepared balanced feed

Oats provide 2x the DE than Corn Knowledge Check Oats provide 2x the DE than Corn True False Incorrect Oats are the lowest energy dense grain – corn provides 2x the DE when compared to oats Correct!

Which of the following does not describe oats? Knowledge Check Which of the following does not describe oats? Very Palatable Low Energy Density Needs to be Processed More expensive Incorrect, Try Again Correct! Incorrect, Try Again Incorrect, Try Again

Processing

What is Processing? Some of the grains mentioned, such as corn and barley, stated they need to be processed in order to be digested by the horse Processing changes the physical form of the feed to make it more digestible If this coat is not broken, the horse will not be able to extract the nutrients inside The hard seed coat of some grains is not affected by enzymatic or chemical digestion

Processing Considerations Rolled Oats Processing will make the seed vulnerable to mold and insects Inappropriate storage of these grains may increase this risk While many grains will have increased digestibility after processing, oats are the only cereal grain in which processing has no effect

Mechanical Processing The most basic form of processing, this technique breaks the seed coat and makes the contents more accessible and digestible The following are examples of mechanical processing Crimping Rolling De-hulling Flaking Cracking

Heat Processing A type of thermal processing, this technique uses heat to pre-digest grain to make it more available for absorption Steaming or cooking, the use of wet heat (water), is an example of heat processing

Pelleting Pelleting is a complex form of heat processing that increases digestibility of the grains and creates uniformity in the feed This prevents the horse from sorting out individual ingredients Pellets are formed by grinding the grain(s) and/or hay particle(s), mixing, and compacting those particles through forced steam and a mold to create the pellet shape

Which of the following is not an example of mechanical processing? Knowledge Check Which of the following is not an example of mechanical processing? Crimping Pelleting Rolling Crimping Incorrect, Try Again Correct! Incorrect, Try Again Incorrect, Try Again

Processing can make the grain vulnerable to mold and insects Knowledge Check Processing can make the grain vulnerable to mold and insects True False Incorrect The hard seed coat of a grain is its protection. Any processing that breaks this coat increases the risk of mold and insect infestation Correct!

Finish

End of Lecture You have finished Lecture 11.1 – Identifying Grains. Continue on to Lecture 11.2 – Feeds & Labels and then complete Homework 11 prior to taking your Homework quiz in Blackboard