Studies on Feed Efficiency

OATS has been shown to have relatively low digestibility according to Bartlett (1910), Kaupp and Ivey (1923), and Fraps (1928). Roberts and Carrick (1941) compared a chick ration containing 38 percent of ground oats with a similar ration in which ground corn replaced oats. They reported that the chicks fed on the oat ration grew at a slower rate and required more feed per unit of gain than those fed on the corn ration. However, when the corn ration was compared with one containing 19 percent each of ground corn and ground oats there was little difference in either growth rate or feed efficiency. Roberts and Carrick (1934) compared chick starting rations containing 30 percent of ground oats with rations containing 15 percent each of wheat bran and wheat middlings. They concluded that there were no important differences between the two types of rations with respect to the growth rate, . . .