Can chickens be given barley: benefits and harms, how to germinate correctly

A significant factor in the he alth and productivity of poultry is a high-quality, varied, balanced diet. Farmers are trying to make a diet based on the needs of 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 chickens be given barley?

Grain is the main food source for poultry. Chickens eat it the most. 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 should be given wheat and oat grains. Also, liquid mash, bone meal, fresh green mass, crushed shell rock and other sources of nutrients and minerals should be present in the bird's diet.

A mono-diet based only on barley leads to a deterioration in the well-being of birds, the cessation of laying eggs.

Give chickens only a high-quality and fresh product. The quality of barley is determined by the typical cereal smell and even light yellow color of the grain shell.

The amount of grain in the diet of chickens should be about 70%. If you give the birds a grain mixture every day in such a volume, then the provision of the bird's body with the proteins necessary for the development of muscle tissue and the formation of eggs will be 50%. The rest of the protein is supplied to the body of birds from other food sources.Chickens can be given grain, the moisture content of which does not exceed 16%.

Of all types of grain crops, barley is the least readily eaten by chickens because it has a specific flavor. Therefore, farmers try to accustom chicks to the product from the first days of life. And, becoming an adult, the bird eats cereal without problems.

Benefits and harms

Despite the fact that chickens are reluctant to eat barley, it is one of the most beneficial types of crops for the bird's body. The product has a high nutritional value, per 100 g accounts for:

• 10g protein;
• 2.5g fat;
• 56.5g carbs;
• 14.5g fiber;
• 14 g of water.

Barley is a rich source of vegetable fiber, which is not very favorable for chickens. In the bird's body, plant fibers are hard to digest, the stomach spends a lot of time digesting, 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 cereal is quite high, it is 280 kcal per 100 grams. The product contains minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds that are important for the full development of the body of chickens:

• 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 cereals for chickens, it should be given to laying hens with caution, observing the moderation of the daily portion. The problem is that in egg-bearing breeds, a diet dominated by barley can reduce the number of eggs laid. Sometimes laying hens stop laying eggs altogether.

Therefore, barley grain should be present in the diet in limited quantities, it should be given as part of multi-cereal mixtures. Mixing barley grain with oats and wheat is especially beneficial for birds.

How to germinate barley for chickens?

Chickens are allowed to give not only grain, but also germinated barley. In the second case, the grain becomes more saturated with vitamins and nutrients. Yes, and chickens eat barley sprouts with great desire.

To germinate the grain, act according to the following algorithm:

1. 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.
2. The dishes are left in a warm room overnight to allow the barley to swell.
3. In the morning, the water not absorbed by the grains is drained. Barley is washed in a sieve with clean water. Pour into a bowl again, pour water in the same volume.
4. The next morning, the procedure is repeated, but a new portion of water is taken small - the grain mass should remain partially submerged.
5. The dishes are left in a warm room, covered with moistened gauze. Sprinkle the gauze periodically with water to keep it moist.

As soon as the sprouts hatch, they can immediately be offered to chickens. The most useful grass is up to 3 cm high.

You can leave the seedlings to grow more green mass. After about a week, the grass will grow by 10 cm. The greens are cut, finely chopped, fed to chickens.

How much can I give?

Chickens can be fed cereal from the first weeks of life. But for young animals that have not reached 4 weeks of age, it is given in crushed form after removal of the hard shell. If you give unpeeled barley to chicks, then the husk can accumulate in a still weak stomach, causing the death of young individuals. For chickens under 4 weeks old, the grain is very finely crushed, and for chicks that are only a few days old, the product can only be given in the form of flour.

Adult individuals are also given cereal in crushed and peeled form, but they are not crushed as carefully as for chicks. Whole barley with husks can harm chickens. It is a tough and spiny culture. It can scratch the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and tongue, get stuck in the throat, and injure the esophagus. You can understand 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 individuals.

When is it better not to give barley?

It is not recommended to give cereal to moulting hens and during the colder months.

The rest of the time, the grain crop will only benefit the body of birds, subject to moderate and balanced feeding.

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