# Questions about rice hulls...



## firecattx (Nov 18, 2010)

After doing a search on rice hulls, I'm left with a few questions. Are rice hulls the same thing as rice bran? I've never heard of using it for feed -- we use it for bedding in our chicken coop :lol I can buy it very cheap where I am so I am interested in learning more! I am slowly switching over to oats/barley/boss mixture. What role do rice hulls play in a grain ration, do they take the place of something (oats/barley/boss) or is it simply an addition for added nutrition?? How much would you feed in relation to the other stuff I use? 
Always something new to learn :biggrin


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Rice hulls are the very outermost coating of the grain during growth and are mostly silica and lignan. The rice bran in feed is the next layer in which is still on whole or brown rice but is removed to make 'white rice'. This is full of oils and is actually up to 60 percent of the nutrition in the grain and can be an excellent addition to your fat level in winter feed rations.

We just top dress COB with rice bran in cold weather only. 
You do not want your total fat content over 5%.

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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

I wouldnt replace anything but use as an addition, quantity would depend on what you were feeding it too and what CP % was. Vicki had posted something about Rice about a yr ago maybe try a search. We recently switch feeds the #2 ingerdient is Rice by-products our milk production has went up a little and milk taste great.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Just like cottonseed meal and hulls, you can get ricebran or rice hulls. Hulls of both are usually fed as winter roughage, cottonseed hulls (Usually 50/50 with meal) is very popular out here with the boer goats and they get as much as they will eat daily, I would feed it if I had boers. Never seen rice hulls out here, although I have fed ricebran hulls for the fat, much less expensive to feed than BOSS. And although most fats deplete butterfat in the milk.

Roughage feeding like this if clean can boost butterfat and is a great addition to poorer quality hay or when hay is scarce. Vicki


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## firecattx (Nov 18, 2010)

So, if I am already using oats/barley/BOSS, are rice hulls still necessary? If so, what ratio would i use when adding it to my "mix"? Or would I just top dress with it? It is a LOT cheaper than BOSS!!


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

I would NOT feed cotton products to my goats. How much of the Agent Orange ( 2 4 D ) gets into the hull when it's sprayed as a defoliant before harvest? How much of that chemical goes onto the soil to be absorbed by next year's cotton crop? How much leaf trash with the full dose of poison is in with the hulls?

Total YUK! :nooo


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

Rice hull offer very little nutrients 3% Protien, 0.4% Fat, 0.04% Cal., 0.06 P but 40% Fibre it could be used as roughage especially since hay is scare this year. If you feel your feed needs a little something try Beet Pulp, if your looking for a cheap alternative to BOSS I think you can use Canola, Saflower, Sun Oil I personally never tried it but stopped feeding BOSS and havent really seen a differnce in our girls.


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

> cotton products to my goats. How much of the Agent Orange ( 2 4 D ) gets into the hull when it's sprayed as a defoliant before harvest? How much of that chemical goes onto the soil to be absorbed by next year's cotton crop? How much leaf trash with the full dose of poison is in with the hulls?


I bet none, nadda, zip ZERO Im sure the Government FDA or who ever has tested and done studies on this but since you brought this up I bet BOSS that everyone feeds has something in it says on the package "WILDLIFE FEED ONLY" they are doing something to it and whatever that is does is pass into the milk?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Sorry my post should read, I have fed rice bran for the fat...obviously since the previous sentence says I have never see rice hulls for sale


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