# Looking for Opinions on feeding Barley and Wheat



## m137b

I've just started growing fodder for my chickens, ducks and cavies and have found a good source for hulled barley and whole wheat. Figured since I have it on hand and it might be nice for the mice/rats as well.

Does anyone have experience feeding these grains to their mice? What are your thoughts on them? Do you feed them dry, soaked, sprouted? Any preference?

I've heard of feeding sprouted seeds but what about grains?


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## TwitchingWhiskers

I feed pearl barley dry, and the mice eat it just as much as they eat any other ingredient. I don't know about wheat though; I don't feed it as I have heard mice can develop allergic reactions to wheat.


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## pro-petz

my mice diet is partly made up of a mixed chicken feed if that helps any and contains both wheat and barley.


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## Oakelm

I feed barley flakes as i get it at a good price from the feed suppliers. It lightly cooked, rolled and dried before it comes to me the mice eat it well, i never see any left. Im not sure they would touch it sprouted but as a grain it would be fine.

Likewise I dont feed wheat but I do occasionally feed granary bread. Im sure they would eat it but i think allergies are more linked to corn than wheat.


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## ThatCertainGlow

I feed both. Mostly soaked, but I have fed it dry on vacation trial runs. All gets eaten. So far as I've seen, no mice here appear to be allergic to the wheat.


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## TwitchingWhiskers

Just to clear things up, I don't feed wheat, mostly because the mice prefer oats and it would just be more stuff to buy. I have never had any mice get allergic to it either (used to feed it a while ago), I just thought I would add that I had read somewhere that it is common. I don't remember where I read it though, it could have been completely false. Sorry for any confusion!


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