FEEDS FOB HORSES 303 



amount fed to the needs of the animal. In all cases changes from oats 

 to corn or other feeds should be made gradually. To neglect of these 

 principles may be ascribed the unfavorable results that sometimes follow 

 the feeding of this grain. 



Thruout the corn belt the grain is usually fed on the cob or shelled. 

 Ear corn is safer to feed than shelled for it keeps better, and the 

 horse eats it more slowly, chewing it more thoroly. If corn is ground 

 for horses with poor teeth or those working long hours, it should be 

 ground coarsely, for fine meal forms a mass in the stomach which is 

 difficult to digest and may cause colic. Feeding corn in the form of 

 corn-and-cob meal is preferable to using ground corn, for the cobs supply 

 bulk, making the feed more like oats in physical nature. In experiments 

 at the North Carolina Station 5 with 3 teams of mules and 1 team of 

 horses, Burkett found corn-and-cob meal as valuable as an equal weight 

 of sheUed corn. (423) 



476. Corn with carbonaceous hay. Since a ration composed of corn 

 and carbonaceous roughage, as timothy or prairie hay, is deficient in 

 protein, even for work animals, it will be improved by the addition of 

 some nitrogenous concentrate. This is shown by the following results 

 secured by McCampbell at the Kansas Station 6 in a 140-day trial with 

 1,150-lb. artillery horses, performing more severe labor than the average 

 farm horse: 



Corn with carbonaceous hay requires supplement 



Daily cost of 



Gain or loss Nutritive feed per 



Average ration in weight ratio 1,000 Ibs. 



live weight 

 Lbs. Cents 



Lot I 



Oats, 12 Ibs. Prairie hay, 14 Ibs 16.3 1: 7.9 20.3 



Lot II 



Shelled corn, 12 Ibs. Prairie hay, 14 Ibs. -29.3 1:11.5 17.5 



Lot III 



Shelled corn, 6 Ibs. 



Wheat bran, 3 Ibs. 



Linseed meal, 1 lb. Prairie hay, 14 Ibs 3.9 1:8. 4 16.7 



In winter, when the weather was cold and the work moderate, 

 there was no apparent difference between the horses in Lots I and II. 

 However, as the weather grew warmer and the work more severe, the 

 horses in Lot II, fed the unbalanced ration of corn and prairie hay, lost 

 weight, tho their endurance, wind and spirit were not injured. The 

 well-balanced ration fed Lot III was fully as satisfactory as the oat 

 ration and cheaper than even the straight corn ration. 



Hooper and Anderson of the Kentucky Station 7 report that the skin 

 of mules fed corn with timothy and oat hay was not so soft nor their 

 hair so sleek as in the case of mules fed the well-balanced mixture of 3 

 parts corn, 1 part wheat bran, and 1 part linseed meal. 



8 N. C. Bui. 189. Kan. Bui. 186. T Ky. Bui. 176, 



