Milk yield and composition of dairy cows fed concentrate based on naked oats

A 1.5-yr study was designed to determine the effects of feeding isonitrogenous and isoenergetic concentrates based on naked oats, corn, or a mixture (50: 50 on as-fed basis) of naked oats and corn on milk yield and composition. In vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility and ruminal degradabilities of DM, N, and starch of naked oats were compared with those of covered oats. Twenty-seven multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by similar calving date and assigned to 9 replicates. All cows were fed a mixture of grass silage, protein supplement, concentrate, and a vitamin and mineral mix for ad libitum intake. Treatment diets were fed from 3 to 36 wk of lactation. Milk yield and composition, yield of 4% fat-corrected milk, and yield of protein and fat were similar among treatments. Ruminal effective degradabilities of DM were higher for naked oats than for covered oats, but the ruminal degradabilities of crude protein and starch were similar. The rapidly degradable fractions of DM, crude protein, and starch were greater for naked than covered oats; the potentially degradable fractions were less. In vitro DM digestibility of naked oats was higher than was that of covered oats. Naked oats may be a good alternative to corn for milk yield.