The following is cut and pasted from a different forum. I'm not a member of that forum and don't want to sign up to just ask one question. I'd found it by doing a search on Barley feeds.
Barley is of lesser food value than wheat and maize. It has a lower protein and energy levels and tends to be regarded as a 'filler' In fattening birds it produces a hard white fat. It would be preferable rolled or cooked. The outer covering tends to have sharp spiklets (awns) which they dislike, so for this reason it is preferable to feed it rolled or softened by soaking. The other problem with barley is that it has a high beta glucan level, this is poorly digested by poultry, and it forms a gum in the gut which absorbs water so it needs a higher quantity of water to digest and results in sticky wet droppings. If you can get it cheap or free than by all means use it as a supplement but don't expect barley to be as useful as wheat.
Does the paragraph comment above mean that poultry, ducks, etc will age poorly on barley feeds? Or have some problems after a certain amount of time while being on them? What do you think about this?
Barley is of lesser food value than wheat and maize. It has a lower protein and energy levels and tends to be regarded as a 'filler' In fattening birds it produces a hard white fat. It would be preferable rolled or cooked. The outer covering tends to have sharp spiklets (awns) which they dislike, so for this reason it is preferable to feed it rolled or softened by soaking. The other problem with barley is that it has a high beta glucan level, this is poorly digested by poultry, and it forms a gum in the gut which absorbs water so it needs a higher quantity of water to digest and results in sticky wet droppings. If you can get it cheap or free than by all means use it as a supplement but don't expect barley to be as useful as wheat.
Does the paragraph comment above mean that poultry, ducks, etc will age poorly on barley feeds? Or have some problems after a certain amount of time while being on them? What do you think about this?
