A significant factor in the health and productivity of poultry is high-quality, varied, balanced nutrition. Farmers are trying to create a diet taking into account the needs of their feathered pets, but many novice poultry farmers doubt whether barley can be given to chickens and chickens. The product benefits the bird's body, but it should be given to chickens in moderation.
Can barley be given to chickens?
Grain is the main source of nutrition for poultry. Chickens eat it most readily. Of the grain mass suitable for feeding birds, a considerable percentage is barley. It has a positive effect on the physical condition and productivity of chickens.
However, it is not worth basing the grain part of the diet on barley alone. In addition to barley grains, chickens need to be given wheat and oat grains. Also in the bird's diet should be liquid mash, bone meal, fresh green mass, crushed shell rock and other sources of nutrients and minerals.
A mono-diet based only on barley leads to a deterioration in the well-being of birds and a cessation of laying eggs.
It is necessary to give chickens only high-quality and fresh product. The quality of barley is determined by the typical cereal smell and the even light yellow color of the grain shell.
The volume of grain food in the chicken diet should be about 70%. If you give birds a grain mixture in this volume every day, then the bird’s body will be supplied with the proteins necessary for the development of muscle tissue and the formation of eggs will be 50%. The remaining percentage of protein enters the birds' bodies from other food sources. Chickens can be given grain whose moisture content does not exceed 16%.
Of all the types of grain crops, chickens eat barley the least willingly because it has a specific taste. Therefore, farmers try to accustom their chicks to the product from the first days of life. And, as an adult, the bird eats grain without problems.
Benefits and harms
Despite the fact that chickens eat barley reluctantly, it is one of the most beneficial types of grain crops for the bird's body. The product has high nutritional value, per 100 g:
- 10 g proteins;
- 2.5 g fat;
- 56.5 g carbohydrates;
- 14.5 g fiber;
- 14 g water.
Barley is a rich source of plant fiber, which is not very beneficial for chickens.In the bird's body, plant fibers are difficult to digest; the stomach spends a lot of time on digestion, which makes the product less nutritious. Therefore, the percentage of barley in the total amount of food consumed by birds should not be high.
The calorie content of the cereal is quite high, amounting to 280 kcal per 100 grams. The product contains minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds that are important for the full development of the chicken body:
- amino acids – arginine, lysine, isoleucine and others;
- mineral elements - calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, copper;
- B vitamins, choline, biotin, tocopherol.
But, despite the undoubted benefits of cereal crops for chickens, it should be given to laying hens with caution, observing moderation of the daily portion. The problem is that in egg-laying breeds, the predominant barley in the diet can reduce the number of eggs laid. Sometimes laying hens stop producing eggs altogether.
Therefore, barley grain should be present in the diet in limited quantities; it should be given as part of multigrain mixtures. Mixing barley grain with oats and wheat is especially beneficial for birds.
How to germinate barley for chickens?
Chickens are allowed to feed not only grain, but also sprouted barley. In the second case, the grain becomes more saturated with vitamins and nutrients. And chickens eat barley sprouts with great desire.
To germinate grain, follow the following algorithm:
- Take wide dishes with low sides. Scatter the grain over it in one layer. Fill with water so that the grain layer is completely submerged.
- The dishes are left in a warm room overnight to allow the barley to swell.
- In the morning, the water not absorbed by the grains is drained. The barley is washed in a sieve with clean water.Pour into the bowl again and fill with water in the same volume.
- The next morning, the procedure is repeated, but a small new portion of water is taken - the grain mass should remain partially submerged.
- The dishes are left in a warm room, covered with moistened gauze. Spray the gauze with water periodically to keep it moist.
As soon as the sprouts hatch, they can immediately be offered to the chickens. The most useful grass is up to 3 cm high.
You can leave the seedlings so that they grow more green mass. After about a week, the grass will grow 10 cm. The greens are cut, finely chopped, and fed to the chickens.
How and how much can you give?
Chicks can be fed grains from the first weeks of life. But to young animals under 4 weeks of age, it is given in crushed form after removing the hard shell. If you give chicks unhulled barley, the husks can accumulate in a still weak stomach and cause the death of young individuals. For chickens under 4 weeks old, the grain is crushed very finely, and chicks that are only a few days old can be given the product only in the form of flour.
Adults are also given cereal in crushed and peeled form, but the crushing is not as thorough as for chicks. Whole barley with hulls may be harmful to chickens. This is a tough and spinous culture. It can scratch the mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue, get stuck in the throat, and injure the esophagus. You can tell that a chicken is choking by the hoarse sounds it makes.
The amount of barley in the cereal mixture prepared daily for livestock should not exceed 30% by weight. Crushed barley sprouts are given to chickens at the rate of 250 g per 10 birds.
In what cases is it better not to give barley?
It is not recommended to feed grain to hens that are molting or during the colder months.
The rest of the time, grain crops will only benefit the birds’ bodies provided they are fed moderately and balanced.
