Help... I'm concerned about Raw Rice in the Hull !!!

[nikki_r5]

A dear friend who has ducks, geese and chickens loose on his property; feeds his birds Raw Rice in the Hull !!!

He gave me about 50 lbs. or so. to help with the cost of feed.
(I only have 11 birds and the feed costs me almost $30.00 a month)

Another friend says, "Yes, she uses it. She boils it or in the summertime she will let it soak in the hull till it's popped open, then feed it to them.

I'm really afraid to give it to my birds.
What is your opinions on it ?

Please Help...[

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I see no reason why they cant eat it raw. They eat other seeds that are as hard or harder with no problems

 

[silkiechicken]

Sure, they can eat it. Raw rice doesn't really cause birds to explode or anything. Just isn't nutritionally complete. Use it as a treat or supplement, not the entire diet, and they should be fine!

 

[Akane]

Afraid of what? I just dumped a bunch of extra rice out for mine. Chickens make good garbage disposals.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

I occassionally give my chickens raw brown rice and wild rice as an extra treat, but I also give them small granite rocks for their gizzards to be able to grind it up. By the way, they go nuts over the wild rice-I don't do that too often because of the expense, but it's fun to watch them!!

 

[nikki_r5]

Ok, now this rice still has the hull on it... and you think it's ok ?

What they get otherwise is scratch & layer crumbles, they don't seem to be too happy with that.

One day they'll eat all the scratch & the next the crumbles.
Maybe it's just the weather...

 

[Akane]

Scratch should be a treat. They shouldn't have enough of it to choose to eat only that for the day. Same with the rice. You can supplement but they should also still be hungry enough to eat some poultry feed that day. They are probably going back and forth because they like scratch more (like kids like candy) but then they feel that they didn't get any nutrition from it, chickens are good at knowing what they need, so they eat the layer feed for awhile before indulging again.

Rice having to be cooked first really is a myth. Animals won't blow up or anything from eating raw rice. The digestive processes break it down too quickly to absorb enough water to cause problems. I don't see why the hulls would cause any problem. Just make sure they have grit to break down the tougher parts.

 

[HenniePennie]

I just bought some scratch for my girls & they are piglets!! Scratch alone does not give them a good balanced food. Giving scratch is like giving your children candy. It is a 'treat' not an every day or atleast not in large quantities.
I mix their scratch with their layer pellets. Some days I will only give them layer pellets depending on the weather. If it's going to be cold they get a little more scratch, it helps them keep warmer.
For their grit I buy a 5o lb back of landscaping sand & put it in a very large stainless bowl

Good luck. new motto: "kiss a chicken everyday....and your life will be a bit easier & less stressful."

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

I know that through the co-op I'm involved with, they have barley for animals with the hull still on it. It is for all kinds of animals. I do have to say that I buy dehulled barley for the chickens though. Just my preference that what they are eating is completely nutritious and nothing that is a "waste" product, which in this case is just extra fiber.

Also, just to let you know, that since it is rice with the hulls on it, it is far more nutritious than white rice, which has been refined. Brown rice is higher in protein and B vitamins, so this would be classified as something nutritious, just not a complete protein, but nutritious, yes. However, a chicken has other nutrition needs as well, and that's where the layer feed comes in to try and balance that as well.

Scratch isn't usually very high on the nutriton list, it has lots of corn in it which chickens absolutely love, so that should be given as a daily "treat", a handful here, a handful there, but not as free choice where they can just fill their bellies with it.

 

[Ron]

Of course, feed it to them as is! Several years ago I got several sacks of raw, unhulled rice from local rice mills and it was the absolute favorite of my hens. I have not been able to get any more but will try again this rice season.