whole barley

[megzmc]

how do you prepare whole barley for your horses?
i have heard that you need to soak it overnight or boil it. i soaked a whole lot overnight and nothing changed with them at all.
how long do i need to boil it for? and do i just add it to the feed or do i substitute some of the concentrates for the barley??

[tarrynac]

You can boil barley as you would rice and it gets gooey and splits open. I have been feeding this for 5 years and recently was told by an animal feed technician that boiling barley only increases the absorbtion of the grain by about 2% so it really isn't necessary. So since about 8 months ago have been feeding whole unsoaked, uncooked barley with the same effects and a lot less hassle.

[megzmc]

oh hectic, thanks alot. i boiled some last night, had it on the stove for about 4 hours and more.