86 THE SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



Uses of oats. Oats are the most valuable and wholesome feed for 

 horses of all classes and ages. They are usually fed whole, but it is 

 better to crush or roll them and mix them with equal parts of chaffed 

 straw. Young horses and old ones with defective teeth should have 

 their oats crushed (not cut or rough ground). The same applies to 

 greedy feeders and to animals in run-down condition. These oat and 

 chaff mixtures should, in general, be fed in the dry state, especially to 

 driving and coach horses. In these cases it is often well to reduce the 

 chaff and hay rations. Heavy work horses, on the other hand, may have 

 more chaff and hay and have the chaff and grain well moistened with 

 water. Moistening the feed with water, however, affects ensalivation 

 unfavorably, and since this affects the digestive processes, it is usually 

 better to feed dry. When oats are the only concentrate in the ration, 

 the daily amount should be adjusted according to age, character of 

 work and size, 10 to 18 pounds for work horses, 3 to 6 pounds for colts 

 during the first year, 10 pounds for light working horses. 



Since oats are relatively high priced, various substitutes have been 

 recommended. Indian corn is perhaps the most suitable of these. It is 

 said that corn affects the mettle of horses and has a tendency to make 

 them sweat. Lavalard and Muentz, however, as well as others, have 

 shown that neither efficiency nor temperament are affected unfavorably. 

 According to Hannsson, when Indian corn is used as half of the con- 

 centrate ration it exceeds oats 20 per cent in value. If barley is sub- 

 stituted for half of the concentrate ration, its fluctuating chemical com- 

 position must be taken into consideration and only full-grained ma- 

 terial used. According to Hannsson, 1 pound of barley corresponds to 

 1.12 pounds of oats. Daily rations of concentrates for work horses, 

 consisting of 8 pounds of barley and 10 pounds of oats, have shown no 

 unfavorable effects due to the barley, nor was efficiency sacrificed. When 

 rye is used as a substitute for a part of the ration, it should be cooked 

 or steamed to avoid the effects of subsequent swelling. It should be fed 

 in the proportion of one part to two or three parts of oats. Wheat, like 

 buckwheat, is apt to cause cutaneous pruritus in horses and be very an- 

 noying. It is often fed to stallions. Hannsson had good results with 

 wheat bran. Legumes (field peas) may be fed in amounts of from 

 two to four pounds to horses doing heavy work. Oil cake (linseed 

 palm seed, cocoanut, sesame and corn oil cake) are not much used for 

 this purpose, but may be given in quantities of 2 to 4 pounds per day. 

 Mixtures of dried brewers' grains, palm-seed cake, ground straw, etc., 

 with molasses, 6 pounds daily, have proved highly satisfactory. These 

 rations not only keep animals efficient but they have a favorable dietetic 

 effect. 



Very recently Rosenberg reported good results from the substitution 

 of meal flat cakes for oats. One variety of these cakes consisted of 

 10 parts linseed meal and 30 parts oatmeal, dextrinated peameal and 

 rye flour. Another variety consisted of 40 parts of oat and peameal 



