Why not buy crimped or rolled oats?
Processing, by whatever means, typically increases digestibility only about three to five percent compared to feeding whole oats. Since this also increases their price, horse owners need to consider whether the increased cost is justified by the small increase in digestibility versus simply feeding a larger quantity of oats. Since crimping or flaking exposes more of the soft groat’s surfaces to air, stored processed oats are more susceptible to vitamin losses, protein degradation and fat oxidation. As a result, they have a very short shelf life of only a few months compared to unprocessed whole oats.
