Hard Red and White Wheat for chickens?

[al6517]

Yes you can surely feed it whole and they will love it................. the red wheat will benefit the roosters as this is great fertility booster for them and more so in the winter. good score.

 

[birdmomma]

This thread is timely for us because we are talking putting in a "salad bar" in our new run and use our extra wheat and spelt to grow for the girls - I figured it was safe for them, but it's nice to know for sure. My grain has been in our deep freeze for several years, but I'm hoping that it will germinate and am glad that it's so nutritious for them!

 

[fluffbucket]

I recently received some large containers of red wheat and wonder how much of it I can feed to my adult layers per day.....should I just use it as a treat/scratch?

 

[dgermanshepherd]

I called around to the different feed mills in the area and only one place carries hard red wheat! They told me it was for seed and not for feed; and they don't recommend feeding it to the birds. Is there a difference between the feed version and the planting seed version?

 

[ashcons]

dgermanshepherd,

Yes, there is a difference in food-grade (or animal feed-grade) wheat berries and seed wheat berries. The seeds for planting can be treated with fungicides and pesticides to protect them in storage. You do not want to eat or feed treated seeds. If you have a co-op or feed store around, you may have luck finding it in 50+lb. sacks in food-grade. Health food stores usually sell both red and white wheat berries in bulk, but it has a relatively huge markup. Even Wal-Mart carries large buckets of the stuff, though it's usually a special order item that you may or may not be able to convince a manager order, since people are more interested in both raising animals and food storage since the 2008 recession.

 

[dgermanshepherd]

Phew! I'm glad I didn't buy the stuff!! thanks!!!
Quote:

 

[GreenMountainEric]

Wheat is an excellent grain to feed to laying hens. I will also echo the others in saying that it should be fed whole. There is only one downside to feeding wheat, and it is a human perception problem, not a nutritional problem....... Feeding wheat will lighten the yolks a little bit. The more wheat you feed, the lighter they will be. Feeding small amounts (10% of the diet, or less) will probably not make any difference in yolk color. Feeding 20%, or more, will. Corn free diets, often use wheat as a replacement. When that much wheat is used, the yolks tend to be very pale. However, those eggs are just as nutritious as eggs with a dark yolk. (Provided that it is only the wheat that is making the yolks lighter).