Performance of two strains of laying hens fed ground and whole barley with and without access to insoluble grit

Department of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 5A8. cbennett@gov.mb.ca

The live performance from 19 to 43 wk of age of two strains of commercial White Leghorn hens fed two levels of whole barley (0 or 60%) and insoluble grit (0 or 4 g/bird per wk) was compared. The 0 and 60% whole barley diets differed only in feed form and were formulated to the same nutrient specifications. No dilution of nutrients or ingredients occurred. The 0% whole barley diet was fed in mash form. The 60% whole barley diet was fed as whole grain and mash concentrate blended into a complete diet and fed in the same feed trough. Feeding whole barley reduced egg production, feed efficiency, and egg specific gravity and increased feed intake, egg weight, and body weight gain. Access to insoluble grit had no effect on any of the production variables measured. The two strains of hens responded similarly to whole barley but differed in feed intake, feed efficiency, egg weight, egg specific gravity, and body weight gain. Feeding whole barley combined with a mash concentrate depressed hen performance compared to birds fed a similar diet in mash form. Strain of hen and access to insoluble grit did not alter the response to feeding whole barley.