Is it possible for ducks to barley: the benefits and harms of the product and how to feed it properly

Ducks are often bred in private backyards. The bird grows quickly and is easy to care for. Sometimes the chicks are taken in the spring, and the grown stock is slaughtered in early autumn, not leaving for the winter. Novice poultry farmers are wondering what to feed the birds, especially since ducks are very voracious. What types of cereals they prefer, whether it is worth offering cereals to birds, whether it is possible to give barley to ducks - it is easy for beginners to get detailed answers to these questions.

Can I feed barley to ducks?

Perlovka is a cereal known to almost everyone, but not very popular among consumers.To understand whether it is possible to feed ducks with it, you should figure out what kind of cereal it is made from. Barley is peeled and polished barley, so it is possible and even useful to feed ducks with it, they do not give it only to very small ducklings.

The benefits and harms of the product

Barley groats for birds - a source of energy, essential vitamins and minerals. It is impossible to feed birds exclusively with barley, it is mixed with wheat, oats, legumes. Of course, birds are rarely fed with cereals; barley grain is more often used. Barley contains:

1. Complex of essential amino acids: methionine, lysine, valine, cystine, phenylalanine, isoleucine.
2. Minerals: potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, sulfur, zinc, iodine, cob alt.
3. Vitamins: groups B, A, E, D.

It contains starch, sugar, protein, it is rich in fiber. The bird is given crushed grain, to tear. Of the disadvantages of pearl barley:

• whole grains are hard on a bird's stomach;
• high fiber content in the product.

Often, cereals are lightly boiled or soaked in water (at least 10 hours), then mixed with other cereals or given as part of a mash.

For ducklings, finely ground groats are used, for adult livestock, instead of pearl barley, they are given lightly ground barley, which is much cheaper in cost. The nutritional value of barley is higher than that of oats.

In dry form, cereals are mixed with oats, wheat, legumes and given as part of the feed mixture, not more than 20% of the total feed. Birds receiving dry feed mixtures must have free access to clean water.It is more useful to feed the birds with sprouted barley, as this significantly increases the amount of B vitamins.

Introduction to diet

Ducklings up to 10 days old get hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, juicy finely chopped greens (nettle, onion feathers). From day 11, cereals can be introduced into the diet of ducklings. First, they are boiled and introduced into the diet of chicks in the form of crumbly porridge. Such porridge can be cooked from a mixture of wheat and barley, add a little oats.

Important: the porridge should not be viscous, otherwise it will clog the ducks' esophagus and may cause their death. You can feed your little ones pearl barley boiled in meat broth, it will be a delicious and protein-rich food for ducklings.

Barley can be given to adult ducks as part of a dry feed mixture, it is steamed, poured with boiling water and left to infuse for 2-3 hours, or simply poured with water.You can add finely chopped vegetables, herbs to it. Adult birds are no longer fed barley, but ground barley, the stomach of an adult bird is able to digest unpeeled grain.

Of course, barley is too expensive to feed the home population of birds, but you can take the groats boiled in broth and cooled down with you to the park and feed the ducks with your child. Such food is much he althier for birds than bread or rolls.

Before, barley often appeared on family tables, Peter I loved it very much. The abundance of products practically forced it out of the diet, but barley will never lose its agricultural value. Not only ducks are fed with it, chickens are also happy to consume feed mixtures with barley.

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