FEEDS FOR ANIMALS 80 



they use it as a concentrate or grain. But this feed contains 

 just as much crude fiber or undigestible material whether it is 

 ground by a mill at great expense or whether it is ground by the 

 animal for nothing. Alfalfa is a roughage whether it is ground 

 by either process. 



The nutritive value of most grains is not changed by grind- 

 ing. Sometimes, however, there are small hard seeds and 

 grains which cannot be masticated very well by the animals. 

 These should be ground. If not ground, they will pass 

 through the digestive tract without being assimilated. Under 

 such conditions, the animal gets no good from them. At 

 other times, the animals' teeth are so poor that they cannot 

 do a good job of grinding. Under such conditions, also, the 

 feeds should be ground. 



The value of grinding feeds would, therefore, be doubtful, 

 were there not other considerations to be taken into account. 



By grinding, it is possible frequently to make a ration 

 more palatable, which, as shown above, is an important factor. 

 The different feeds are mixed. This not only makes the ration 

 more palatable, but gives a more even distribution when 

 animals are fed in groups like sheep, beef cattle, stock cattle, 

 and hogs. This is especially important with the protein 

 feeds. It is very harmful to feed too much of this nutrient 

 and if the feeds are not properly mixed so as to dilute the 

 protein, some of the animals in the group may get too much. 



Grinding grain also makes it possible to feed water. If 

 animals do not drink water enough in winter, if the grains are 

 ground into a fine meal and mixed with the water the animals 

 will take as much as their metabolism needs for the best 

 working. 



Cooking Feeds. — Cooking, like grinding, does not add any- 

 thing of value to a feed. Still, there are some who say that 

 1 pound of cooked feed goes as far with them in feeding their 

 stock as 2 pounds of uncooked feed. This, however, comes 

 about through the feeding of more water, more protein, a 

 better variety, etc. 



The American experiment stations have long since demon- 

 strated that cooked feed is no more valuable for livestock 

 feeding than uncooked feed. But as shown above, under 



