'80 THE farmers' HANDBOOK. 



Barley. — Not much used in this State, but a good horse-feed, especially 

 if lightly crushed and fed with bran and chaff'. It can replace oats or maize 

 if the ration is otherwise balanced. 



Chaff". — Oaten or wheafcen chaff is the bulk food most used in this country, 

 and is likely to remain so. Its value varies very greatly (as before mentioned), 

 but when of good quality it is doubtful if any bulk food is superior to it in food 

 value, handiness, economy and suitability for average working horses. 

 Feeding exclusively on chaff of low quality has its drawbacks. 



Bran. — A very excellent food for working horses in moderate quantities. 

 Its value is not solely to be judged by its chemical analysis, which does not 

 do it full justice. It has a mild laxative effect, supplies various salts much 

 needed b/ growing animals, is very useful for sick animals, and can be 

 utilised to balance rations poor in protein and mineral salts. 



Lucerne {hay and chaff). — Not considered a very satisfactory sole bulk 

 food for horses, but vpry nitrogenous; it will greatly increase the food 

 value of a ration which is poor in such constituents, and will improve a 

 diet which is principally of oaten or wheaten chaff, if added in moderate 

 quantities. 



Hay [grass or clover). — Both forms are valuable foods, clover being of 

 most use in conjunction with a diet low in nitrogenous matter. Good grass 

 hay and oats give a nearly perfectly balanced ration. 



Linseed Meal. — Both this and other similar meals can be fed to horses in 

 quantities of up to 21b. daily, and can replace about twice the quantity of 

 bran so far as ordinary food material goes. If too much is fed it is simply 

 wasted, being passed through unassimilated. 



Straw. — For horses which are not being worked, straw can be quite 

 usefully employed as feed, especially if made palatable with molasses, which 

 will also increase its food value. A judicious admixture of chaff and chaffed 

 straw may also be utilised for horses doing easy work, and it is in fact 

 widely used. It must be remembered that the mastication and digestion of 

 straw requires a good deal of energy on the part of the animal. Oaten and 

 barley straw are the best. 



Molasses. — Of much value in making such feeds as straw, &c, palatable to 

 horses, in increasing the carbohydrates contained in the food, and in acting 

 as a mild laxative. 



Many other materials can be utilised as horse-feed, and the adaptability 

 of the horse to different fodders is remarkable, particularly if he is brought 

 on to them gradually and fed on them regularly. Whatever the feed 

 selected, care must be taken that the quality is good. Musty and mouldy 

 food, new grain, dusty hay and chaff, and inferior food of all kinds are liable 

 to lead to trouble. 



Diseases Associated with Feeding. 



Of the diseases associated with feeding in the horse, the most important is 

 of course, colic in one or other of its numerous forms ; and among others 

 may be noted azoturia, forage poisoning, laminitis and lymphangitis. 



Colic. — The commonest causes of this complaint are errors in the quantities 

 of food given and the size of the feeds. Sudden changes of food (particularly 

 that from grass to grain), heavy feeding immediately before hard work, the 

 bolting of quantities of indigestible grain, such as wheat, and the ingestion 



