454 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



The wisdom, therefore, of feeding foods when thus 

 used in moderate quantities will be apparent. The amounts 

 required will of course vary with the necessities which each 

 individual instance gives rise to, hence no hard and fast 

 rules can be formulated in regard to feeding them, it 

 would seem approximately correct to say, however, that 

 from one-fourth to one-third of the amount fed on the 

 basis of the nutrients contained, will usually effect the 

 end sought. To illustrate: Should a dairy cow be fed 8 

 pounds of bran when bran is fed alone as the meal portion, 

 from 2 to 3 pounds along with other meal would act as 

 a regulator of digestion. 



When to feed concentrates. Nutrients in tne form 

 of concentrates are usually more costly than an equal quan- 

 tity of the same in the form of roughage. The supply of 

 the latter is also generally more abundant on the farm 

 than the supply of the former. Because of this, practical 

 growers of live stock have erred in the extent to which 

 they have fed roughage and withheld concentrates. This 

 is especially true in corn-growing areas where much of 

 the fodder grown is never reaped, and in grain-growing 

 areas where much of the straw grown is still burned. It 

 is important, therefore, to know when to feed concentrates 

 and when to withhold them. 



It will always be in order to feed grain : ( I ) To foals 

 that are nursing and especially at, and subsequent to the 

 weaning period; (2) to dams that suckle them when not 

 on pasture, plentiful and succulent and (3) to horses when 

 at work. If the pastures are particularly good, nursing 

 foals may do without grain without detriment, till toward 

 the weaning season, but grain fed to them would not in 

 any sense be wasted. With good protein fodders and corn 

 ensilage in winter, nursing dams may require but little 

 grain. The amount required by horses at work is gauged 

 chiefly by the character and amount of the work done. It 

 will usually be in order to feed a limited amount of grain 

 to foals that are growing in the winter season, more es- 



