HORSES AND MULES 



325 



Hay is a term used to denote various 

 coarse fodders in a dry condition. It or- 

 dinarily includes the dry cured grasses, 

 cereals and legumes. Many of these 

 forms of hay have already been referred 

 to and the others will be discussed below. 

 Thus, we have not only timothy and 

 clover hay, but wheat hay, rye hay, oat 

 hay, etc, as well as hay formed from va- 

 rious other grasses of less importance. 

 The amount of hay fed to horses will 

 vary according to the kind of hay, but 

 as a rule it will be found desirable to 

 feed hay mostly at night, in small quan- 

 tities in the morning and none at all 

 at noon. By following such a plan, the 

 percentage of colic will be considerably 

 reduced among horses. The beneficial 

 effect of this plan is due to the fact that 

 the stomach of the horse is small and 

 best adapted to caring for small feeds 

 at frequent intervals. On this account, 

 hay can best be fed in the evening, at a 

 time when the horse is at leisure to con- 

 sume considerable quantities of hay at 

 ease and digest it before going to work. 

 Hay may be cut and fed mixed with the 

 grain, or the two parts of the ration may 

 be fed separately. 



The horse, at the close of a day's worn, 

 demands his grain before receiving the 

 hay and remains somewhat uneasy until 

 the grain is given. On this account, it 

 is practically impossible to get the hay 

 eaten at once unless it be mixed with 

 grain. The experiments thus far carriec 

 out in testing the comparative merits oi 

 mixing hay and grain and feeding them 

 separately do not show any great advan- 

 tage in favor of either method and this 

 matter may, therefore, be well left to 

 the discretion of the individual farmer. 



Millet hay i s raised quite extensively, 

 particularly in the western states, where 

 it is fed to horses, cattle, sheep and pigs. 

 As a rule, no injurious effects are re- 

 ported from its use and it seems to be 

 an efficient ration. In North Dakota, 

 quite serious poisoning and death in 

 horses, was observed from eating millet 

 hay about half headed out. The first 

 symptoms consisted in violent trembling 

 and struggles, followed by extreme lame- 

 ness and tenderness of the hock join Is. 

 The hocks became swollen, the appetite 

 disappeared and the action of the kidneys 

 was soon almost entirely stopped. The 

 bone was rendered spongy and easily 

 broken. Not only the hock joint was 

 thus affected, but also the pastern, fet- 

 lock, knee, elbow and shoulder joints. 



Straw ma y be used as a substitute for 

 hay in almost any kind of a horse ration. 

 Straw, however, is not equal to the best 

 grades of hay in feeding value. The 

 different kinds of straw are usually 

 placed in the order: Oat, barley, wheat 

 and rye, in relative feeding value. A 

 certain amount of straw may always be 

 fed to horses, the quantity varying with 

 the amount of work and the other con- 

 stituents of the ration. It is customary 

 on the farm to allow horses access to 

 the straw stacks, where they may eat 

 straw ad libitum between the regulai 

 meals of hay and grain. Horses at 

 rest may find nearly a maintenance ra- 

 tion in a good quality of oat straw. At 

 any rate, straw may be used even more 

 extensively than at present, in reducing 

 the cost of the ration. Thus a consid- 

 erable quantity of expensive hay may be 

 replaced by a somewhat larger amount 

 of straw with quite decided economy. 

 Horses usually require about one-fourth 

 more grain when fed straw than when re- 

 ceiving hay. 



In France and other European coun- 

 tries more attention is given to feeding 

 barley and wheat straw than in thi3 

 country, for the reason that these grains 

 are relatively more important in Europe 

 than oats. The nutriment in straws is 

 not as completely digested as in hay. 

 In Erance, wheat straw is the most 

 abundant form of straw fed to horses, 

 while oat straw is recognized as su- 

 perior to it, but cannot be obtained in 

 large quantities. Eye straw is consid- 

 ered of little value and is mostly used 

 for bedding and other purposes. It is 

 too tough and difficult to digest. Straws 

 may be fed whole or cut, as in the case 

 of hay. The straws of cereals may be 

 clean or without dust, or may be greatly 

 contaminated by the presence of rust, 

 smut or mold. 



In addition to cereal straws, mention 

 should also be made of the straws of 

 legumes, which are fed quite extensively 

 to horses. Thus, in many localities, the 

 straw of field peas is fed as the only 

 coarse forage. This material, if har- 

 vested and preserved in good condition, 

 constitutes more than a maintenance 

 ration, and may keep horses in fairly 

 good condition at hard work, for short 

 periods. It may be fed ad libitum, with- 

 out serious effects, except that in an 

 occasional horse it causes some irri- 

 tation of the kidneys. Similarly, the 

 other legumes, raised for the seed, and, 

 therefore, threshed, should be carefully 



