Wheat

Wheat is widely grown in Australia, mainly for flour milling, with wheat not suitable for flour being used as stock feed.

Features & Benefits

The protein, amino acid and energy content of wheat can vary widely. A protein range of 10 to 18.5 percent on an ‘as fed’ basis (11 to 21 percent on a dry matter basis) can occur in practice.
Some Australian wheats have been found to have a low metabolisable energy content due to reduced starch digestibility. * The occurrence of these, however, appears to be less common than thought originally.
Previous studies have suggested a negative correlation between metabolisable energy content for pigs and poultry and the presence of non-starch polysaccharides in wheat.
Wheat can be included in the diets of pigs, poultry, cattle, horses, goats and sheep of all ages.

Nutritional Analysis

Directions for use

For best results wheat should be rolled or coarsely ground, although whole wheat can be fed to poultry over two months of age. Inclusion of finely ground wheat should be avoided, since this has been associated with digestive disorders owing to the pastiness of the meal.
Wheat should be coarsely rolled for feeds for cattle and sheep, due to the increased risk of acidosis or grain poisoning.
Including a buffer is recommended, to reduce the risk of acidosis.
Because of its variability, the grain should be analysed for protein content to allow selection of the correct amino acid content for diet formulation.

Warnings

Use as directed