140 



CANADIAN FARM YEAR BOOK. 



considerations, brief reference may be 

 made to the different liinds of foods: 



Hay. — The 'besit hay for horses Is 

 timothy. It ishould he well cured, 

 crisp, clean, fresh, and possessing a 

 sweet, pleasant aroma. Even this 

 good hay, if kept for too great a 

 length of time, loses part of its nour- 

 ishment, and it becomes hard, dry and 

 more or less indigestible. New hay 

 ds difficult to digest, and tends to pro- 

 duce much salivation (slobbering), 

 and occasional purging and irritation 

 of the skin. If obliged to feed at all, 

 it should be given Siparingly. 



The average horse on grain should 

 be allowed from 10 to 12 pounds or 

 good hay a day It Is a mistake of 

 many to think that horses at light 

 work can ibe kept entirely on hay. 

 Such horses soon become pot'belUed, 

 fall off in flesh, and do not thrive. 

 The same is true of colts; unless the 

 latter are fed with some grain they 

 grow up to Ibe long, lean, gawky crea- 

 tures, and never make as good horses 

 as those accustomed to grain with, 

 or in addition to, their hay. 



Straw. — The straws are not exten- 

 sively fed in this country, and when 

 used at all, it should be in conjunc- 

 tion -with a certain amount of hay, 

 and the deficiency made up by a more 

 generous ration of grain. Wheat, rye 

 and oat straw are the ones most used, 

 and of these oat straw is most easily 

 digested and contains the most nour- 

 ishment. Pea and bean straw are 

 oocasionally fed to horses, the pea 

 being preferable, according to most 

 writers. 



Chaff. — Wheat and rye chaff should 

 never be used as a food for horses. 

 The beards frequently become lodged 

 in the mouth or throat, and are pro- 

 ductive of more or less serious 

 troulble. In the stomaoh and intes- 

 tines they often serve as the nucleus 

 of soft concretions, which serve as 

 obstructions in the digestive tract. 



Oat chaff, if fed in small quanti- 

 ties and mixed Tvith cut hay or com 

 fodder, is very much relis.hed by 

 horses. 



Grains. — Oats take precedence of 

 all grains as a food for horses, as the 

 Ingredients necessary for the com- 

 plete nutrition of the body exist in 

 them in the best proportions. Oats 

 are, ibesides, more easily digested and 

 a Isrger proportion absorbed and 



converted into the various tissues of 

 the ibody. Care must be taken in 

 selecting oats. According to Stewart, 

 the best oats are one year old, plump, 

 short, hard, clean, ibright and sweet. 

 New oats are thought to be indigest- 

 ible. Kiln-dried oats are to be avoided 

 as a rule, for even though originally 

 good, the drying process injures them 

 by rendering them less digestible. 

 Oats that have sprouted or fermented 

 are injurious, and should not be fed. 

 Oats are to be given either whole or 

 crushed — whole in the majority of in- 

 stances; crushed to old horses and 

 those having defective teeth. Horses 

 ■that bolt their feed are also best to 

 be fed upon crushed oats and out ot 

 a manger large enough to permit of 

 spreading the grain in a thin layer. 



The average horse requires, in ad- 

 dition to the allowance of hay above 

 mentioned, aibout 12 quarts of good 

 oats daily. Moldy oats, like hay and 

 straw, are likely to produce serious 

 dip'pstive disorders. 



Wheat and Rye. — These grains 

 may be used as food for horses in 

 small quantities, bruised or crushed, 

 and fed mixed with other grains and 

 hay. If fed alone, in any coinsider- 

 able quantities, they are very likely 

 to produce digestive disorders — 1am- 

 Initis (founder) and similar troubles. 

 They should never constitute more 

 than one-fourth of the grain allow- 

 ance, and should always be ground 

 or crushed. 



Bran. — The bran of wheat is the 

 one most used, and its value as a 

 feeding stuff is variously estimated. 

 It is not to be depended upon if 

 given alone, but may be fed with 

 other grains. It serves to keep the 

 bowels open. Sour bran should not 

 be given. It disorders the stomach 

 and intestines, and may even produce 

 serious results. 



Maize (corn). — This grain is not 

 suitable as an exclusive food for 

 young horses, as it is deficient in 

 salts. It Is fed whole or ground. 

 Corn on the cob is commonly used 

 as the food for horses affected with 

 "lampas." If the corn Is old, and is 

 to be fed in this manner, it should be 

 soaked in pure, clean water for ten 



