Processing cereal grains for livestock feed

In most cases, cereal grains need to be processed or rolled to crack the seed coat before being fed to cattle. The exception is oats, which can be fed whole to calves up to eight months of age before processing is recommended. The extent to which dry grains are processed should be limited to that needed to achieve an acceptable level of digestion. They should not be ground too finely as this can cause rapid fermentation in the rumen.

Whole grains (other than maize) can be fed to sheep over two months of age, as the slow rate of passage of feed through the gut means they can be fully utilised. As well as saving the processing cost, feeding whole grain to livestock means starch is released relatively slowly so the risk of is much reduced. Acidosis occurs when grain rapidly releases carbohydrates into the animal’s rumen, which then ferment rather than being digested normally. Bacteria in the rumen produce lactic acid, which slows the gut down and can lead to dehydration, bloating and even death if not treated immediately. When feeding wholegrains, a proportion of whole grains may come through the gut undigested if forage quality is high.