Barley Animal feed

                             Barley grain is an important feed ingredient for the major livestock species, and often competes with wheat and maize grain. For instance, barley is a valuable grain for finishing beef cattle in the United States (OECD, 2004).

                               This publication provides information on the nutritional value of barley as feed for livestock when harvested as grain or forage. Guidelines on feeding and processing methods, as well as comparative research data on animal performance, are included.

Energy and Protein Content of Feed Barley
                         Barley grain is used primarily as an energy and protein source in beef cattle diets. The nutrient content of barley (Table 1) compares favorably with that of corn, oats, wheat, sorghum and field peas.The energy content of barley is slightly lower than the energy value of corn, wheat and sorghum, partially due to its higher fiber content (neutral detergent fiber, or NDF, and acid detergent fiber, or ADF). The crude protein content of barley is higher than in corn and similar to wheat and oats, but lower than in field peas.Mineral Content of Feed Barley.All cereal grains are low in calcium and relatively high in phosphorus necessitating the use of supplemental calcium in high-grain diets for beef cattle. The phosphorus content of barley is similar to that of other cereal grains. Barley is higher in potassium than corn, wheat or sorghum.