**2. Physical and chemical characteristics of feed wheat**

Wheat quality is a complex term, and it depends upon the end-use. For feed wheat, the quality should be associated primarily to energy level and protein content as well as its digestibility in the digestive tract of animals. The feed wheat quality can be assessed with its nutrient content such as content of starch or protein, and physical characteristics like thousand kernel weight, test weight, and kernel hardness which are easily measured and commonly used by commercial feedlots and feed mills to assess the quality of wheat as animal feed. Wheat cultivars can be classified by planting season (Winter and Spring), hardness of the grain (soft and hard), and color (red and white). Winter wheats are winter hardy, so they are planted in the fall. In the spring they resume maturation and are harvested early in the summer. Spring wheats are planted in the spring and harvested late in the summer. Soft wheat varieties have starchy kernels and less gluten which mill easier than the hard wheats, whereas hard wheats have higher protein and gluten levels than the soft wheat with the hardest wheat is durum.
