Abstract
AbstractHulless oats are of interest as an alternative to corn and wheat in organic poultry diets because they offer potential to enhance agrobiodiversity and produce locally grown feeds both within and outside of corn-growing regions. Hulless oats are easily certified GM-free and have demonstrated nutritional value for poultry. A feeding study was carried out to examine: (i) the effects of substituting corn, wheat or a fraction of each with hulless oats in organic layer diets, and (ii) the importance of oat variety in feed performance. Productivity and economic implications in the context of current organic markets were explored. Experimental diets included an oat-free control, Oat + corn, Oat + wheat and Oat + corn + wheat, each of which was formulated with three hulless oat varieties, AC Gwen, Paul and Streaker. All but the control diet included oats at 200 g kg−1. Three hundred Hy-Line Brown hens were individually caged and allocated to diets in groups of 10 in a completely randomized design with three replicates per diet. Experimental diets were fed between 24 and 32 weeks of age during which time hen health, egg production and egg quality indicators were monitored. Results indicated that hulless oats had no negative effects on hen health and productivity. On the basis of current organic feed ingredient prices and an estimated cost of USD 533 mt−1 for production of oats in the study region, oat containing diets were more expensive than the oat-free control. In an evaluation of revenue based on current market prices for organic eggs, the additional cost was completely offset by larger egg sizes of hens on oat containing diets. There were no major differences associated with oat variety.
Highlights
In the USA, consumer demand for value added poultry products such as those from organic or pasture raised systems is expanding and is associated with consumer preference for local/regional and environmentally friendly products (Laux, 2012)
US Department of Agriculture data show that imports represented 18.8% of the total value of the US organic corn supply in 2014 and that this figure is increasing year on year (National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015; Global Agricultural Trade System, 2016)
Chemical analysis of feed ingredients indicated that hulless oat variety Gwen was lowest and Paul was highest in concentration of both protein and fat, with a difference between the two varieties being 1.70% of grain dry matter for protein and 2.25% for fat (Table 3)
Summary
In the USA, consumer demand for value added poultry products such as those from organic or pasture raised systems is expanding and is associated with consumer preference for local/regional and environmentally friendly products (Laux, 2012). Seed or forage grown from such varieties is explicitly forbidden as feedstuffs in organic production, and beyond the organic market there is substantial demand for GM-free foods (Heneghan, 2015). US demand for organic feed corn has surpassed domestic production capacity and the shortfall has been made up by imports, primarily from Turkey, Romania and Argentina (Bjerga, 2015; Global Agricultural Trade System, 2016). US Department of Agriculture data show that imports represented 18.8% of the total value of the US organic corn supply in 2014 and that this figure is increasing year on year (National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015; Global Agricultural Trade System, 2016). The availability of imports has helped improve the supply situation in recent years, a large price differential continues to exist between organic and nonorganic feed corn. The 2011–2013 3-yr average price of organic corn in the USA was USD492 mt−1 (Economic Research Service, 2014), compared with USD246 mt−1 for non-organic corn (National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2016a)
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