Oats
Oats is mainly grown in for human consumption and only smaller quantities are used for livestock feeding. Oats contain greater amino acid digestibility and more favorable amino acid balance than other cereal grains (Cervantes-Pahm et al., 2014). In contrast, the concentration of energy is lower and fiber is greater in oats than other cereal grains, which limits application in swine diets (Stein et al., 2016). Oats are most commonly included in post-weaning diets because the greater content of insoluble fiber may improve gut health of weanling pigs (link to NP6 Fiber in Nursery Diets fact sheet). Oats may also be included in gestation diets for sows.