200 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



protein and carbohydrates. It does not rate so high in digestible 

 protein as wheat, and barley is not so palatable as either wheat, 

 corn or oats; but it is a splendid ingredient for the scratch feed 

 because of its variety. 



The husk and beard of barley are somewhat against it, though 

 not so much as in oats. So long as the fowls will eat freely of it, 

 barley can be fed in liberal quantities. In Europe barley oc- 

 cupies the place filled by corn in America, in fact, it has much the 

 same feeding value. The great demand for barley for brewing 

 purposes tends to keep the price high. Malt sprouts and 

 brewer's grains, which are the by-products of barley, are useful 

 stock feeds, but because they are in such demand as dairy feed, 

 little attention has been given to them as poultry feed, though 

 they are a good source of succulent material. 



Buckwheat. — Strictly speaking, buckwheat is a poor poultry 

 feed. It contains properties which supply heat and energy, but 

 because of the black, woody hulls, which are both unappetizing 

 . and indigestible by reason of the fiber, fowls do not eat it readily. 

 In fact, until the hens are accustomed to buckwheat, they are 

 likely to ignore it completely. Compared with other grains, 

 b.uckwheat cannot be called a rich food, nor an economical food. 

 It has a lower percentage of digestible organic matter than most 

 grains, and is low in mineral matter. The only excuse for feeding 

 buckwheat is to add a little variety to the ration, but even this 

 virtue is questionable because of its unattractiveness. 



Rye is even less of a success as a poultry feed than buckwheat. 

 Though virtually the same as wheat in composition, appearance, 

 size and color, rye is not relished by fowls. There is something 

 about it which is distasteful, and if birds are compelled to eat it 

 in grain form there is a tendency to create digestive trouble. On 

 the other hand, sprouted rye is exceedingly palatable, and fowls 

 do well on it. The fat of rye is said to be the indigestible portion 

 of the grain, and apparently it has some medicinal quality or 

 flavor which is objectionable. In view of these facts, it is poor 

 economy to try and use rye grain as a poultry feed. 



Rice. — Though rice is reckoned among the available grains for 



