Horse oats for people?

[Lydia Darragh]

Be gentle with me, please. I'm a city girl who moved to the country 1.5 years ago.

While walking around the ranch store the other day, I noticed they were selling 50 lb bags of oats for horses. Are these oats generally of such a quality that people can eat them, also? I figure people would happily eat them if there was nothing else, but what I want to know, is there anything about them that would make them undesirable to humans under normal circumstances?

Thank you for your answers. I didn't want to ask there at the store. I still have to see these people on a regular basis.

Lydia

[bbwx]

I bought bulk field corn to grind several years ago which was meant for animal feed so I don't know why it wouldn't work. The only thing I can think of is make sure to check if any pesticides, fumigants or antibiotics are put into the oats. There should be a label or some info on the bag or just ask the folks at the store if there are any additives. Oats are oats.

[Disastercat]

My understanding is you want to be sure to pick through oats (or other grains) sold as animal feed as the cleaning standards are not as high. Other than that, they should be fine as long as they are just pure oats. Lots of folks quietly do this, its just that for the last few decades oat cereal was cheap enough that many people didn't bother. Also, many horse feeds do have other things added, so you would want to make sure you were getting pure grain. The same it true for animal quality wheat or corn for chicken feed.

[packyderms_wife]

Make sure you get oat groats. Oat groats do not have the hull on them and are ready to be flaked or ground.

Kimberly

[Limner]

Make sure you get oat groats. Oat groats do not have the hull on them and are ready to be flaked or ground.

Kimberly

YUP. Oat sold for critters usually have the hull on the, NOT something you would want to eat.

[packyderms_wife]

YUP. Oat sold for critters usually have the hull on the, NOT something you would want to eat.

I have a 50 pound bag of oats for growing cat grass now! :mrgreen::shock:

[PlumBob]

Sorry, but I just can't resist -
Reminds me of an old song my Mother sang....

Mares eat oats
and does eat oats
and little lambs eat ivy.
A kid'll eat ivy, too
wouldn't you?

:-P

[Limner]

I have a 50 pound bag of oats for growing cat grass now! :mrgreen::shock:

Sounds like it would sure work for that! :razz:

[Freeholder]

Livestock oats do normally have the hull still on them, and oat hulls are difficult to remove (and totally inedible for us, not to mention nasty in your mouth!). There are machines that will hull oats -- that's how they hull the oats they use for making oatmeal, or oat flour, for human consumption. The machinery is expensive, though. Back when people used to grow their own oats to eat, they grew naked oats, or hulless oats. But these have a lower yield than the hulled varieties, so aren't grown commercially in large amounts. You can still get seed for them and grow your own, if you have the space (a large backyard would work, doesn't have to be a huge acreage!).

Kathleen