Giving my flock barley mixed

[ezicash]

I have a friend that brews beer and never knows what to do with the left over barley so I decided to start taking it and i bagged them in 2 lbs bags and froze them. I decided to start putting some barley mixed with their food and OMG - they love it. They actually wait each morning for me to give them their barley mix. They have food in a hanging food dish so its not like they are hungry (smile) Today I will try giving my 3 month olds some watermelon...been very hot here so that should be a treat

 

[Irishhenman]

Chickens can't digest barley because they lack an enzyme in their digestive system to break it down. Barley has also been associated with liver damage in chickens.

 

[nurschic]

Chickens can eat barley. Many people make fodder from barley. I have also read on here that people do use the mash from beer making process and give it to their flock.

 

[Irishhenman]

I never said they couldn't eat barley, but they can't digest it properly and is wasted on them. It also fills them up with little or no nutritional value other than carbohydrate!

 

[LindaB220]

Chickens can eat barley. Many people make fodder from barley. I have also read on here that people do use the mash from beer making process and give it to their flock.

You are quite correct nurschic. They've been making fodder from barley forever. It's good for them. I would not add too much mash from beer in place of grower. Just IMO

 

[LindaB220]

Chickens can't digest barley because they lack an enzyme in their digestive system to break it down. Barley has also been associated with liver damage in chickens.

I believe that in both fodder and fermenting feeds, it allows the system to break it down. They are able to assimilate more in the fermented feed.

 

[Irishhenman]

The only way to make barley fully digest able for chickens is to add the exact enzyme that the chicken lacks into the feed and can only be done commercially!!

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agnic/flax/docs/Small_new%20crops%20for%20canadian.doc

"Pigs and chickens are monogastric (non-ruminant) animals, which are unable to digest the fibrous hull. Barley is useful for most classes of livestock, although poultry lack the enzyme to digest beta-glucans, a water-soluble fiber "

http://www.extension.org/pages/68431/feeding-barley-to-poultry#.U6x_gH-9KSM

"Poultry cannot digest barley's carbohydrates as easily as those of corn because of the amount of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in barley. The carbohydrates of corn grain are typically 65% to 70% starch and 11% to 14% fiber. In contrast, barley grains typically contain 60% starch and 22% fiber. As early as 1928, reports described the poor performance of birds fed barley-based diets. The poor performance was originally believed to be because of barley's high fiber content, but hull-less barley cultivars show similar performance levels to that of the hulled cultivars. The antinutritional factor identified in barley grain is beta-glucans (ß-glucan), which, because of its chemical structure, cannot be easily digested by poultry. The beta-glucans bind with water in the intestine, resulting in the formation of gels and increasing the viscosity of the intestinal contents. The increased intestinal viscosity reduces the availability of the nutrients in the diet. It can also cause sticky droppings, resulting in increased incidence of "pasty butt."

 

[LindaB220]

The only way to make barley fully digest able for chickens is to add the exact enzyme that the chicken lacks into the feed and can only be done commercially!!

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agnic/flax/docs/Small_new%20crops%20for%20canadian.doc

"Pigs and chickens are monogastric (non-ruminant) animals, which are unable to digest the fibrous hull. Barley is useful for most classes of livestock, although poultry lack the enzyme to digest beta-glucans, a water-soluble fiber "

http://www.extension.org/pages/68431/feeding-barley-to-poultry#.U6x_gH-9KSM

"Poultry cannot digest barley's carbohydrates as easily as those of corn because of the amount of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in barley. The carbohydrates of corn grain are typically 65% to 70% starch and 11% to 14% fiber. In contrast, barley grains typically contain 60% starch and 22% fiber. As early as 1928, reports described the poor performance of birds fed barley-based diets. The poor performance was originally believed to be because of barley's high fiber content, but hull-less barley cultivars show similar performance levels to that of the hulled cultivars. The antinutritional factor identified in barley grain is beta-glucans (ß-glucan), which, because of its chemical structure, cannot be easily digested by poultry. The beta-glucans bind with water in the intestine, resulting in the formation of gels and increasing the viscosity of the intestinal contents. The increased intestinal viscosity reduces the availability of the nutrients in the diet. It can also cause sticky droppings, resulting in increased incidence of "pasty butt."

Sorry, I think you're wrong. Regular grain may do this, but grains that are sprouted or fermented will not have this problem. Research both kinds of threads. And I don't think that barley will be the only thing in the mix. I do a combination of mixed grain and feeds. IMO

 

[Streetview]

What if its just sprouts that are a few inches tall (like barely grass) that you give them to just pick through/eat?

 

[ezicash]

I do not sprout my barley - did not know I had to??? I just mix it with their food. Should I completely stop giving them barley?