Feeding value of hydroponically sprouted barley for poultry and pigs

Abstract

Barley was sprouted hydroponically for 1–7 days under controlled conditions. Metabolizable energy (ME) concentration of dried barley sprouts was determined with mature White Leghorn cockerels. There was a significant linear decrease ( P < 0.05) in ME of the sprouts with increased sprouting time. Digestibility of dry matter (DDM), protein (DP) and energy (DE) of raw 4-day sprouts was determined with pigs, as were the weight gain and feed efficiency of the animals. Day 4 sprouts were significantly ( P < 0.05) lower in DDM, DP and DE than ground barley, but were superior in these characteristics ( P < 0.05) to whole barley. Young pigs (18 kg live weight) fed on 4-day sprouts gained significantly ( P < 0.05) less weight than pigs fed on ground barley, although feed efficiency was the same for both barley types. Results from the above experiments suggest that digestibility decreases as sprouting time increases. It would appear that drying and grinding the sprouts improves their digestibility.