Barley in chook feed

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Barley in chook feed

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mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 8:04 am Post subject: Barley in chook feed

Can barley be added to food for layers, without any adverse effects ?

I recently started giving the geese a scoop of barley on days when they're feeling lazy & don't graze the field, & wondered if this would enhance the chooks' diet a bit, or change their outlook on life, at least temporarily............the gooses seem to like it !

.....& I suppose I could ask the same question for the ducks; is barley suitable for them ?

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 8:18 am Post subject:
I sometimes give my ducks and turkeys some crushed barley and they are still here to tell the tale. Some however have been known to not eat it - fussy things!

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 8:22 am Post subject:
I used to feed mine barley, then CF stopped doing it - too many harvest mites.....

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 9:21 am Post subject:
There was quite a lot of pursing of lips & head shaking when I asked the same question at the agri co-op the other day mind you, the locals believe that France ends just above Cahors, & the invention of the wheel is still viewed with a degree of skepticism

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 9:32 am Post subject:
You need to be careful not to go OTT with it, because it is a fat producing food. I'm currently milling two parts oats to one part wheat and dried peas to produce a mash to feed to my chickens.

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 10:24 am Post subject:

There's obviously no universal diet for all poultry, I suppose....

I have the layers; the birds for the table; the geese, who seem to serve no purpose except make a lot of noise when the mood takes them; & the Indian Runners.

The layers get layers' pellets & a scoop of wheat as they share their home with 3 Muscovie females & 12 Runners

The eaters get corn & a sprinkling of maize

& the other 6 Runners get a mixture of the 2 regimes

I started giving the geese barley after reading a post on here recently about geese not fully digesting wheat

I'm trying to maintain some sort of order as I just inherited ducks, geese & hens from friends of mine who've just split up, but
I'm wondering if I'm just making this too complicated

Piggyphile

Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 891
Location: Galicia

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 14 1:55 pm Post subject:
Out here a common feed is mezcla (mixture) which is 50/50 maize and barley which is roughly ground. I gave it as a staple food to goats, chickens (eggs and meat) and turkeys but all of the above also had access to free range/pasture. Everything did well on it for a couple of years although since my chickens became less free range I have invested in a complete food mix.

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