The use of moist barley in diets for growing pigs

Abstract

SUMMARYA total of 156 pigs of the Large White breed were used in a series of four experiments to test the suitability of barley which had been stored with a high moisture content as an ingredient in the diets of growing pigs. Barleys with mean moisture contents of 26·3%, 28·1% and 21·2% and a range from 19·6% to 30·5%, from three successive harvests were used.In all the trials there was evidence that the use of moist barley in diets for growing pigs had an adverse effect on live-weight gain and feed conversion ratio, the effect being independent of whether feed intakes were equated on the basis of the dry-matter content of the diets. In one of the experiments performance was depressed to the extent of causing changes in carcass characteristics. The performance of pigs given rolled barley was similar to that of others given ground barley.