174 PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



Oats are an especially safe feed for horses, as the hull 

 gives them such volume that the animal rarely suffers from 

 gorging. For horses at very hard work, they should be 

 crushed or ground. For horses with good teeth not doing too 

 hard work, they may be fed whole. A grain ration con- 

 sisting of two-thirds oats and one-third corn, barley , rye, 

 or wheat, is considered quite satisfactory. As stated pre- 

 viously, for economical purposes, oats may be largely or 

 entirely supplemented by corn in the case of mature work 

 horses. New and musty oats always should be avoided. 



Rye. — Rye is more closely related to wheat than to any 

 other cereal although differing from it in several particulars. 

 It is one of the hardiest of the cereals. It can be grown on 

 land too low in fertility to give a good yield of corn, wheat, 

 oats, or barley. It also will withstand weather conditions 

 which would prove disastrous to wheat. For these reasons 

 it has been called the grain of poverty. In general, it may 

 be regarded as a surer crop than wheat. 



The average chemical composition of rye is as follows : 

 water, 11.6 per cent; ash, 1.9 per cent; crude protein, 10.6 

 per cent; crude fiber, 1.7 per cent; nitrogen-free extract, 

 72.5 per cent; and fat, 1.7 per cent. Its net energy value 

 is 81.7 therms per 100 pounds. Although rye has nearly 

 the same chemical composition and energy value as wheat, 

 it is 5 to 10 per cent less valuable for stock feeding, owing 

 to its very low degree of palatabihty. It should always 

 be ground and thoroughly mixed with more palatable feeds 

 for all classes of animals except sheep. 



For Growing Stock. — In general rye should be used in 

 only limited amounts for growing stock. It should not form 

 over one-third the concentrates of the ration. It should 



