Mineral Availability of Corn, Barley, Wheat, and Triticale for the Chick

Abstract

The availability of minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and copper) to the chick was determined from 10 samples of corn, 3 samples of barley, 11 samples of wheat, and 1 sample of triticale (triticale included with wheat data). Samples were obtained from a feed manufacturer and were considered representative of grain normally available. Four replications of 4 chicks (3 weeks of age) and the total excretion method were used in the study. Results indicate considerable variation in availability values among samples in each grain source and between minerals. Copper was the most available mineral in all the grains. Average availability for each mineral in corn, barley, wheat, respectively, was as follows: calcium (70.0, 68.9, and 71.0%), phosphorus (60.9, 68.8, and 67.5%), magnesium (51.0, 54.9, and 53.5%), manganese (60.0, 54.9, and 48.4%), zinc (57.6, 49.1, and 48.6%), and copper (87.2, 77.5, and 78.5%).