what to ask for at the feed store...

[Catersun]

Say I walked into my local feed store, and wanted to ask for barley.... what would I ask for more specifically... and if Thomas anwsers, I need to know what the US equvilant is. I already soak all my feed, so that would be nothing new. Beep keeps getting more expensive, so I'm looking into alternatives.

[Rodeio]

What kind of barley do you want? Whole, rolled, steam flaked, pearled, ground - comes in many forms.

[JB]

Barley is barley.

If you use whole barley, you'll need to soak it for quite a while. So, crimped or steamed or otherwise processed is better.

I believe Triple Crown has a steamed (crimped?) barley product.

[Songsmom]

Steamrolled or crimped barley is readily available and does a great job of putting on weight. Looks like oatmeal out of the bag and no need to soak or prepare otherwise. Believe you can replace 1/3 of current ration with barley flakes. The Triple Crown website has a great info on their products.

[Catersun]

the crimped or steamed anwser is what I was wondering... Thanks! I guess I'll call monday and find out if/what they have or can get.

[HossShoer]

We feed whole barley and oats that I buy from a neighbor in my grain buggy/gravity box, 4 tons at a crack. It lasts awhile.
Then 4 X 5 gallon pails of grain goes in a garbage pail and is just covered by about 4-6 inches of water.
Then it's cooked with a oat cooker that looks like a heating element from a oven on the end of a rod with a electric cord sticking out the end. This is used alot at race tracks. I plug it into a heavy duty electric timer and set it for 3-4 hours. this heats up the water and cooks the grain to a certain extent. Play around with the time, depends on how much the grain soaks up the water, and if you think you will remember to unplug it , you won't so buy 2 or 3 oat cookers. I put the probe stick part on a broken broom handle with a U bolt to keep it from touching the side or bottom of the plastic garbage can.
Cheapest and easiest way I know to have great looking horses and the money stays in my pocket not the feed company's.
Regards John