SPROUTED WHEAT

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 258, 28 July 1936, Page 2

SPROUTED WHEAT

Experimental Tests as Poultry Food “As a result of the adverse harvesting conditions in Canterbury this year there came ou to the market a considerable quantity of sprouted wheat whieh did not come up to the standard of quality required in milling wheat, although it is true that every mill in the country has certain stocks of the better grades of sprouted wheat which is being gristed into first-class Hour,” said the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) yesterday.

“Some concern has been expressed, by poultry-keepers as to the possibility of this class of wheat being injurious to their birds, and, in order to prove or disprove this contention, arrangements were made for an experimental test to be conducted at the AVallaceville Poultry Station with a line of sprouted wheat which in the opinion of the Wheat Committee was representative of the bulk of the sprouted wheat offering. “The Department of Agriculture now advises that on June 2 a pen of about 40 AVhite Leghorn pullets was gradually brought over from ordinary wheat on to sprouted wheat, until by June 9 these birds were being fed as an evening grain mixture 3 parts of sprouted wheat, 1 part of barley, and 1 part of broken maize. A close watch ' has been kept on the birds, and up till the present time they have not suffered in health, and the feeding of the sprouted wheat has not affected the egg-yield, as production has steadily increased at ’the same rate as in the other pens which are not being fed sprouted wheat. “The test will be continued for some months, but from present appearances it is not anticipated that the birds will suffer any ill-effects from being fed with the sprouted wheat. Consequently, it jvould appear that poultrykeepers heed have little hesitation in feeding this class of wheat in lieu of unsprouted or good whole fowl wheat, provided such wheat is not in any way musty or mouldy.”