So, i've been reading a very interesting series of articles about formulating your own poultry rations, and this one: http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Rebuttal.html said that barley and oats, by themselves or in combination, should not make up more than 20% of your feed because they will result in incomplete digestion and runny poops. I was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh on this? My thought was it might be fine in a fermented ration, because of the "predigestion" involved. My current feed "recipe" uses barley and oats because they are higher protien grains. they make up probably 40% of my feed in combination, because they are available, high protien, and ferment easier than the harder shelled wheat (I feed wheat in my fodder ration instead). I would love some discussion and opinions? Do you think that the ferment makes the nutrients available enough to avoid incomplete digestion? I think I will continue to observe for a while before making any major changes give their guts at least a month to acclimate. Of course in the summer it shouldn't matter much, since the grains will make up a very small portion of their free ranging diet, thus, although oats and barly make up 40% of the grain feed, grain feed will be less than half their total diet, and thus total consumption of oats and barley should be well under the reccomended 20%. But it is a concern for winter when I will have to feed a more grain heavy ration due to the abscence of good forage. The last thing I want to do is accidentally make my chickens sick in an uneducated attempt at making them (and us) more healthy.
