This article includes research that suggests these products may actually perform better than these numbers would indicate. Considerable research has been reported demonstrating the high nutritive value of these feedstuffs to ruminants. Supplementation with these feeds results in an increased bacterial protein flow post-rumninally similar to ground corn and increased ruminal fiber digestion. Therefore, supplementing fibrous by-products, such as soybean hulls, should enhance forage utilization by ruminants. Typically soybean hulls do not require special processing to feed.
Heat treatment destroys the urease activity.
Soybean hulls which have been heat treated are referred to as soybean mill run, soybean flakes or soybran flakes. The fiber in soybean hulls is rapidly fermented and may contain substantial amounts of pectin. Various researchers have conducted winter feeding experiments to determine the feasibility of using soybean hulls in lieu of hay as a winter feed. Other work has been done using soybean hulls as a replacement for corn in steers maintained on forage-based diets. In one study steers were maintained on tall fescue.