Hordeum vulgare

Barley (grain)

A cereal with about the same distribution as wheat but far less important than wheat in warmer countries because it never enters into international trade to the same extent. Barley is a hard grain that should be crushed or ground for all animals, as it will otherwise pass through the alimentary tract largely undigested. Because of its fibrous hull, it has less value than maize, for example. Barley can, however, be ground and sifted according to particle size. A No. 8 screen divides ground barley into two fractions, the finer containing less than 3% fibre and the coarser about 11%. The finer fraction is more suitable for pigs and poultry than whole ground barley. When fed to poultry, the awns should be removed, as they are hard and may cause irritation.

Barley that is harvested early or matures too rapidly during hot dry weather is rich in various substances which may cause sticky droppings and a poor performance in poultry. Ruminants fed large quantities of such barley may become bloated.

					As % of dry matter
				DM	CP	CF	Ash	EE	NFE	Ca	P	Ref
Grain, Chile				89.5	10.3	6.2	3.5	2.4	77.6	0.08	0.29	315
Grain, Israel				89.7	12.0	5.2	6.1	2.0	74.7	0.06	0.42	365
Bran, Israel				88.9	13.4	11.2	4.2	3.3	67.9	0.33	0.67	"
							Digestibility (%)
					Animal		CP	CF	EE	NFE	ME	Ref
Grain					Sheep		74.0	42.0	66.0	92.0	3.06	365
Bran					Sheep		70.0	35.0	89.0	80.0	2.74	"
		Amino acid composition as % of crude protein
Seed	dehulled										Ref	473
Arg	Cys	Gly	His	Ils	Leu	Lys	Met	Phe	Thr	Try	Tyr	Val
3.4	2.0	3.5	2.0	3.5	6.5	3.3	1.3	4.4	3.1	1.5	1.3	4.6