Oct. 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 727 



food values and the quantity required as a maintenance ration. One of the 

 objections to a ration composed solely of chaff, especially if of inferior 

 quality, is the large quantity required and the consequent amount of labour 

 imposed on the digestive organs of the horse in extracting sufficient nutritive 

 material to supply his wants. A. smaller quantity of grain will give more 

 nutritive material at the cost of less energy to the horse and less money in 

 freight and trouble in handling to the owner. 



Where horses are partly grass-fed and partly hand-fed, the value of grain 

 as against chaff is very high because the horse is getting his roughage himself. 

 When the grass is on the dry side, sufficient roughage is obtained in this way 

 to supply his needs in that direction. To balance his ration, however, grain 

 is required, and the comparative prices and food values should be considered 

 when deciding vvhich to purchase. Too often advice to improve a ration is 

 interpreted to mean give more chaff, and so the animal is still further 

 overloaded. A ration containing too great a proportion of concentrates will, 

 if maintained for long, lead to impairment of digestion and waste, owing to 

 improper- assimilation, while a diet containing too much roughage will not 

 permit of constant heavy work and is liable to lead to impaction. 



Methods of Feeding. 



Whatever the feed given it should be well divided. The horse does best 

 if fed little and often, but conditions of work reduce the maximum number 

 of feeds practicable to three or four, all of which should preferably 

 contain both grain and chaff. Probably the best system, if it can be 

 managed, consists of three roughly equal feeds of mixed grain and chaff and 

 a feed of liay the last thing at night. But conditions diffi-r so greatly in the 

 town and the country, and the amount the horse gets from the paddocks 

 varies so widely that each case has to be dealt with on its merits. 

 Feeding should be as regular as possible if the best results are desired, and 

 no sudden changes of food should be given if they can be avoided. New 

 foods should be introduced gradually. Watering should precede feeding, 

 and the horse should always have water available even when eating. 



When arrangements to such an end are practicable, each horse should be 

 fed separately ; the custom of feeding many horses from long troughs is 

 wasteful and leads to the bolting of the feed on the part of greedy animals and 

 the underfeeding of those weaker or of more slow-eating habit. Bolting of the 

 food and consequent imperfect mastication, prevents the animal deriving the 

 full benefit of its ration, as much is passed through improperly digested — 

 often with serious results. With teams continually on the move, long trough 

 feeding may be unavoidable; but in standing camps and on farms the extra 

 labour and cost involved in providing partition rails should be more 

 than recouped by feed economy and lessened risk. The use of nose 

 bags is worthy of greater consideration than it receives, for they provide a 

 method of accurate feeding, ensuring extra feed to those animals which 

 require it. The idiosyncrasies of various animals with regard to diet are worth 

 some study, as a ration which will keep in condition an animal with good 



