Effect of Water Treatment and Enzyme Supplementation on the Metabolizable Energy of Barley

NUTRITIONAL value of diets containing Western barley for poultry is improved by crude enzyme supplements and water-treatment of the barley (Jensen et al., 1957; Fry et al., 1957, 1958; Arscott, 1958, Dobson and Anderson, 1958; Wharton et al., 1958; Berg, 1959). The improved growth and feed utilization observed would suggest a substantial increase in utilization of energy in barley by young chicks. Therefore, a study was made to determine the effect of water-treatment and enzyme supplementation of barley on the metabolizable energy (ME) for chicks. EXPERIMENTAL Procedure for determination of ME was essentially the same as that described by Hill and Anderson (1958). The basal diet used in the four experiments is in Table 1. Components of the diets are expressed on moisture free basis. Dietary modifications were accomplished by substituting the test materials at levels of 40% for equal amounts of glucose monohydrate on a dry matter basis. Chromic …