Feeding farm work horses

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ILLINOIS LIBRARY

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Agricultural Experiment Station

BULLETIN NO. 150

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

BY RUFUS C. ORRECHT

URBANA, ILLINOIS, AUGUST, 1911

SUMMARY OF BULLETIN No. 150

OBJECT. — A comparison of clover and timothy hay for farm horses at
work; effect of mixing ground grain with chaffed clover hay; comparison of
alfalfa hay with clover and with timothy hay, respectively; comparison of corn
and alfalfa hay with a mixture of corn, oats, bran, oil meal, timothy and alfalfa
hay; effect of grinding corn and oats when fed with wheat bran, timothy and
alfalfa hay. . Page 433.

PLAN. — Ten teams of horses were used in the various tests. They were
well-bred grade geldings, except one team of mares, with a predominance of
Percheron blood. The initial weight per horse was from 1003 to 1560 pounds;
but the horses- in the experiment proper only varied from 1250 to 1420 pounds.
In general the plan was to feed the two horses of each team, simultaneously,
on the respective rations to be compared and then reverse the rations for an
equal length of time to eliminate the influence of individual feeding capacity
of the horses. Page 434.

CLOVER AND TIMOTHY HAY COMPARED. — But little difference was observed
in the value of clover and timothy hay when fed in conjunction with corn,
oats, oil meal and wheat bran, the difference being slightly in favor of clover.

Page 437.

MIXING GRAIN WITH CHAFFED CLOVER. — The results show a slight saving
due to mixing ground grain with chaffed clover hay, but not sufficient to jus-
tify the expense. Page 444.

CLOVER AND ALFALFA HAY COMPARED. — Horses fed alfalfa and timothy ate
less grain and hay and gained slightly more in weight than those fed clover
and timothy while doing the same amount of labor. Page 447.

ALFALFA AND TIMOTHY HAY COMPARED. — 20 to 22 percent less grain was
required to maintain the weight of horses fed alfalfa than those fed timothy
hay. Page 449.

CORN AND ALFALFA HAY COMPARED WITH CORN, OATS, WHEAT BRAN, OIL
MEAL, TIMOTHY AND ALFALFA HAY. — Horses fed corn and alfalfa ate 22 per-
cent less grain than those fed the mixed ration, and lost 6 pounds more in
weight per head in eight weeks. The ration of corn and alfalfa cost 6 cents
less per horse per day than the mixed ration. Page 452.

GRINDING CORN AND OATS. — Horses fed ground corn and oats with wheat
bran, oil meal, timothy and alfalfa hay consumed 9 percent less feed and
gained 3 pounds more in weight per head in six weeks than those fed whole
corn and oats with a similar ration. Page 455.

CONCLUSIONS. Page 457.

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

BY R. C. OBRECHT
ASSISTANT CHIEF IN HORSE HUSBANDRY

The 'problem of feeding work horses is one involving the
economical production of energy, and maintenance of health. It
is of considerable importance to know how much hay and how
much grain a farm work horse at hard labor should receive in or-
der that he may work with the greatest efficiency and economy.
With high priced grains, it is very desirable to know the rela-
tive value of different roughages in order that economy may be
practiced in making up a ration for work horses. In order to de-
termine some of these points a number of experiments have been
conducted at this Station in feeding College and Experiment Sta-
tion horses used for teaming and field work.

OBJECT OF THESE EXPERIMENTS

The object of these experiments was to secure data for a com-
parison of rations for feeding farm work horses with respect to
the following points: (i) maintenance of weight, (2) their
health, spirit and ability to endure hard work, (3) economy of
the ration.

In Bulletin 141, issued by this Station, it was shown that clover
hay is greatly superior to timothy hay as the roughage part of a
ration when fed in conjunction with corn and oats for fleshing
horses for market. The question has been frequently asked re-
garding the relative merits of clover for feeding farm work horses.
In order to throw some light upon this subject a test was made in
which clover was compared with timothy hay.

PLAN

In the spring of 1908 a test was planned involving seven teams,
whereby one horse in each team \vas to receive timothy hay, and
the other clover hay. With but few exceptions each horse in the
team worked an equal number of hours with his mate and at the
same kind of labor. After three months one team became unfit
for hard work, due to unsoundness of side-bones and spavins, and
had to be discarded from the final results, thus leaving only six
teams in the test. (Later three additional teams were used.)

433

434 BULLETIN Xo. 150 [August,

The roughages used were choice timothy hay and choice clover
hay. However, the timothy was of slightly better quality than the
clover used, which was the best obtainable under local conditions.
The clover hay (medium red variety) was of good quality and
free from dust, , but a little dark and contained some corn stalks.
Each feed of hay was weighed to the horse and recorded and any
refuse left was weighed back and deducted from the amount fed,
which occurred more often with the horses receiving clover than
those receiving timothy. The quantity of grain fed was left largely
to the feeder's judgment, the amount being determined by the in-
dividuality of the horse, some receiving more than others. The
grains fed were corn, oats, oil meal and bran. The corn was of
good quality ; the bran was of good grade, some from Minneapo-
lis, and some from Kansas mills; the oil meal was old process
pea size.

The test was divided into periods of four weeks each and ex-
tended over twelve periods, or 336 days. During the first seven
periods one of the horses in each team was fed timothy and the
other clover, while during the five remaining periods, the hay was
reversed so that the horses first receiving timothy received clover
and those receiving clover received timothy, thus checking any dif-
ferences in the individuality of the horses.

All weights of the horses in this experiment both at the begin-
ning and close of each period, were obtained by taking the average
'of three days' weights. The horses were weighed in the morning
after receiving grain and hay but before watering, on the day pre-
vious to the close of the period or of the experiment as the case
may be, the closing day and again the following day. During the
hot weather a few of the teams received about two gallons of water
in the morning before feeding and weighing, the quantity always
being limited and the same amount given to each horse in the team.
There is bound to be considerable fluctuation in the weight of
horses from day to day owing to the amount of water consumed,
the work done, and the amount of perspiration. Extreme cases
show as much variation as seventy pounds on succeeding days un-
der similar conditions of weighing.

One of the horses, No. 59, refused to eat oil meal and conse-
quently it was omitted from his ration. This horse, apparently,
was not in the best of health for he did not consume as much grain
as he should have in order to maintain his weight. He appeared
well but for some reason lacked appetite enough to consume rela-
tively as much grain as the other horses. Each horse was branded
with a number on his hoof as an identification mark and the records
of the horses were taken by numbers rather than by names. The
horses varied in age from four to nine years. With the exception
of the one team above mentioned, all were sound and in good
health and remained so thruout the experiment.

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES 435

In recording the amount of work done it was graded as hard
and medium labor. Hard labor involves such work as plowing,
harrowing, working on the binder and mower and heavy teaming,
such as hauling feed and manure. Medium labor involved such
work as hauling manure over good roads, shelling corn, light cul-
tivation, etc., some of which might be called hard labor by many
teamsters. This division of labor is of course an arbitrary one
for it is very difficult to say just where one stops and the other
begins. In fact it is the total number of hours of labor that is of
greatest importance. The work frequently required of the teams
was such as would be done by three horses on most farms ; for in-
stance, plowing and working on a disc harrow or disc drill. How-
ever, the working hours were not so long. Ordinarily the teams
were started to work at seven o'clock in the morning and worked
until six at night with one hour for noon, with the exception of
Saturdays when work usually stopped at five. During the winter
months the work day was only nine hours.

THE HORSES

The horses were all well-bred grade geldings with the excep-
tion of one team, Nos. 51 and 52, which were mares. Most of
them showed evidence of Percheron blood, tho some had more
of the characteristics of the Shire and others of the Belgian. In
selecting the horses an effort was made to get them as nearly uni-
form as possible in the team and with equal feeding qualities.
They were all in good condition at the beginning of the experiment.

Two of the teams, Nos. 5 and 6, belonged to the Agronomy
Department. These did the hardest work and most of it came
during the spring and summer months, as most farm work does.
Team No. 4 was owned by the Department of Dairy Husbandry.
This team as well as the three teams owned and used by the Ani-
mal Husbandry Department, Nos. i, 2 and 3, worked quite hard
almost every work-day thruout the year. It frequently happened
that the hauling of feed and manure over bad roads during the
winter months was quite as hard as the farm work during the
summer, with the exception of slightly shorter days.

In determining the cost of feeding the horses, the following
prices for feeds were used :

Corn 50c per bushel

Oats 40c per bushel

Wheat bran $20.00 per ton

Oil meal $32.00 per ton

Clover hay $10.00 per ton

Timothy hay $12.00 per ton

Alfalfa hay $16.00 per ton

436

BULLETIN No. 150

[August,

TABLE l.— TEAM NUMBER, HOOK NUMBER, L/OT NUMBER, BREED, AGE,
AND INITIAL WEIGHT OF HORSES USED IN THESE TESTS

Team

Hoof
No.

IvOt

No.

Predominance
of breed
character

April 2, 1908

Age

Weight

1

51
52

1
2

Percheron
Percheron

8
7

1379

1378

2

57
58

1

2

. Shire
Percheron

4
4

1395
1375

3

60
59

1

2

\ Shire
| Percheron
j Percheron
/ Shire

4
4

1292
1292

4 •

64
65

1

2

Belgian
Belgian

6
7

1338
1420

5

66
67

1
2

Percheron
Percheron

7
8

1302
1250 -

6

69
68

1
2

j Belgian
| Percheron
j Percheron
I Belgian

8
9

1393
1348

7

72
73

1

2

j Percheron
| Shire
Shire

March 27, 1909

4
4

1309
1303

8

74 .

75

1

2

Amer. Trotter
Amer. Trotter

5
5

1251
1270

9

76

77

1

2

Amer. Trotter
Amer. Trotter

6

5

1003
1094

10

79

78

1

2

Percheron
Percheron

March 26, 1910

7
7

1560

1482

TABLE 2.— TEAM NUMBER, HOOP NUMBER, L/OT NUMBER, KIN^D OF HAY
FED, INITIAL AND FINAL WEIGHT AND GAIN OF HORSES

Team

6
to

fH
0

o

a

d

*
-*j

o

a

Kind of hay
fed April 2
to Oct. 15,
1908

Weight

Gain
or
loss
Ibs.

Kind of hay
fed
Oct. 15, '08
to
March 4, '09

Weight
March 4

Gain
or

loss
Ib.

April
2

Oct'r
15

1

51

52

1

2

.Timothy
Clover

1379

1378

1386
1441

7
63

Clover
Timothy

1359
1341

-27
-100

2

i7
58

1
2

Timothy
Clover

1395
1375

1382
1380

-17
5

Clover
Timothy

1515

1555

133
175

3

60
59

1

2

Timothy
Clover

1292
1292

1319
1259

27
-33

Clover
Timothy

1377
1239

58
-20

4

64
65

1
2
1
2
1
2

Timothy
Clover

1338
1420

1338
1374

00
-46

Clover
Timothy

1404
1416

66

42

5

66
67

Timothy
Clover

1302
1250

1318
1317

16

67

Clover
Timothy

1363

1289

45

-28

6

69
68

Timothy
Clover

1393
1348

1399
1405

6

57

Clover
Timothy

1568
1408

169
3

Aver-
age

1

2

Timothy
Clover

1350
1344

1357
1363

7
19

Clover
Timothy

1431
1375

74
12

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES 437

From Table i it will be seen that the horses were fairly un-
form in size and age. Table 2 shows the kind of hay fed, the
initial and closing weight and gains of the various horses during
the first seven periods of the test and also during the last five peri-
ods when the hay was reversed. It will be noticed from this table
that Lot i averaged six pounds heavier per horse at the beginning
of the experiment than Lot 2 and made 12 pounds less gain per
horse during the first seven periods when fed on timothy hay and
62 pounds more gain during the last five periods when fed on
clover hay.

The average daily grain and hay by periods are grouped to-
gether in Tables 3 and 4, bringing out clearly the fact that the
horses receiving clover hay consumed slightly less grain and hay
during the first seven periods and made 12 pounds more gain per
horse than those receiving timothy hay. When the hay was re-
versed, Lot i getting the clover, made 62 pounds more total gains
per horse during the last five periods than those getting timothy
'hay, but it will be noticed that they were also getting 1.2 pounds
more grain per day than the other lot. This seemingly large gain
should be attributed in part to the greater amount of grain fed as
well as to the influence of clover. During the first seven periods
the horses receiving clover hay did the same amount of work as
those receiving timothy hay and on less feed, but when the hay
was reversed the gains decreased. The data indicates that there is
but little difference in the value of clover and timothy hay when
fed in conjunction with corn, oats, oil meal and bran, for feeding
farm work horses at hard labor, the difference shown here being
slightly in favor of clover. It should be definitely understood,
however, that it is not the common practice to feed as great a
variety or as near a balanced ration of concentrates as was used in
this test. Had corn alone been used as the concentrate quite dif-
ferent results would be anticipated. In other words the roughage
part of the ration is not of great importance when the grain fed ap-
proximates a well balanced ration.

All the horses in the test remained in good health thruout the
experiment excepting Xo. 60, which was subject to an occasional
attack of colic. There was no noticeable difference in the spirit
or the ability of the horses to endure hot weather. The horses
receiving the clover hay had glossier coats of hair, which is indica-
tive of thrift. Their bowels were looser, but not to such an ex-
tent as to be objectionable for doing hard work. The teamsters
Avere frequently asked as to the zest and ability of the horses for
endurance, and they reported that no observable difference could be
detected, altho most of them had been prejudiced in favor of tim-
othy hay at the beginning. Many people are prejudiced against using
clover hay as feed for horses fearing it will produce heaves. Heaves

438

Bui.f.KTIN NO. ISO

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440 BULLETIN No. 150 [Auyiut,

is a digestive trouble and more likely to be produced with clo-
ver hay than with timothy due principally to the fact that clover is
more palatable and consequently a horse is more likely to gorge
himself with it when given all he will eat. Dusty hay is more
, likely to produc j heaves than hay of good quality, and the danger
from feeding it may be lessened by sprinkling it with lime water.
In arriving at the weight of a horse for a certain feeding period
the average of the initial and closing weights were used. The
weight of a horse being a variable quantity dependent upon the
amount of flesh carried, should be taken in that flesh in which we
wish to keep him when at work. In this test the average weight
for the 12 periods was used and the grain and hay per 100 pounds
live weight computed from this average.

METHODS OF FEEDING

Since the stomach of a horse is a comparatively small organ,
the average size being only 3^2 gallons while that of a cow, of
which there are four compartments, has a capacity of 55 to 60
gallons, it will readily be seen that the horse is poorly adapted to
consuming relatively large quantities of coarse feeds. Due to the
large amount of crude fiber in hay it requires considerable energy
for its digestion and also a much longer time than grains, In feed-
ing the horses used in these tests the practice was adopted of giv-
ing the grain in approximately three equal feeds, fed morning,
noon and night. The morning feed was given between 5 and 5 130,
the noon feed at 12' and the evening feed at 6. As the horses be-
gan work at 7 o'clock in the morning, this gave them a full hour
and one-half in which to consume and digest their feed before
starting to work. One hour was taken for the noon feed. The
hay was divided into three feeds; fully half and sometimes a lit-
tle more was given in the 'evening, about one-fourth in the morning
and a little less than one-fourth at noon. . It is believed that much
of the digestive troubles of horses are due to the over-feeding on
roughages and putting them at work with a distended stomach af-
ter they have been allowed to gorge themselves with hay. It is a
better plan to limit the hay during the morning and noon feed and
give most of it at night when they have a long period of rest and
plenty of time for its digestion.

On Saturday nights the regular grain feed was omitted during
the first year and a four pound bran mash given in its stead. This
was done in order to keep the horses' bowels in good condition, but
when an occasional run on grass is given the bran is not necessary.
On Sunday the noon feed of grain was omitted and an extra four
pounds of hay was given in the morning to teams Nos. i, 2 and 3.
The other three teams received their regular noon feed of grain

FEEIHNC FARM \\"UKK HORSES 441

as usual on Sundays but no additional hay. During other idle days
for whatever cause, after one day had elapsed, the grain was re-
duced to one-half the usual amount and continued for four days,
when it was gradually increased again until the normal amount was
given. When the horse was put to work he was put back immedi-
ately on his regular grain feed. This was done to prevent azo-
turia and it seems to be an efficient method.

During the time when a horse receives exercise he is expending
energy and his system readily carries off the waste products, but
during enforced idleness the system becomes much more sluggish
especially when the horse is not accustomed to inactivity. For this
reason he should not be fed a full amount of grain for he is not
expending the energy he does when at work, or having exercise,
and consequently the system is soon likely to become stagnant in
not being able to free itself of the waste material. After the elapse
of a short time the horse's system seems to readjust itself to its
new mode of life, then there is not the clanger from giving full feed
of grain that there is when he is not accustomed to idleness.

EFFECT OF MINGLING GRAIN WITH CHAFFED HAY

Every observant feeder has noticed that some horses pass a
considerable quantity of undigested grain in their feces. Horses
with ravenous appetites are more likely to do this than others, due
to the fact that they do not chew and masticate their food thoroly
before swallowing it and are given insufficient time for its diges-
tion before being put at hard work. This is especially true when
at hard work and large feeds of grain are given. In order to find
a means of preventing this loss and also of maintaining the health
of the horses it was decided to conduct a test where ground grain
was mingled with chaffed hay for one horse, while the other in the
teams received ground grain and the same kind of hay unchaffed,
but the grain and hay were not mingled. As a preliminary study
for this test it was observed that from an average of a number of
trials conducted with the Experiment Station farm horses it re-
quired about thirteen minutes to consume five and one-half pounds
of grain (equal quantities of ground oats and cracked corn) when
thoroly dampened, twenty-seven minutes to consume the same
quantity when fed dry, and about twenty-two minutes to consume
the same quantity when fed whole and dry; the difference in time
being due to the fact that ground oats and cracked corn fed dry
require a longer time for thoroly mixing with saliva in preparation
for swallowing.

In carrying out this test of feeding the ground grain mingled
with chaffed hay, the entire morning and noon feeds of hay were
chaffed and the grain was mingled with it. In most cases from

442 BULLETIN No. 150 \.-liujusi,

three to four pounds of chaffed hay were fed in the morning and
usually from two to three pounds of chaffed hay were given at
noon and two pounds of chaffed hay in the evening, the remainder
of the evening hay being fed whole. A like quantity of long hay
was fed to the other lot of horses and the grain was ground and
fed dry in the usual manner, not mixed with chaffed hay. It was
thot that the chaffed hay -would not be any more digestible or any
more nutritious than the long hay except as it would cause a slower
consumption of the grain and a more complete mastication of it.
During a part of the time the grain mingled with the chaffed hay
was slightly dampened to allay the dust and prevent it from being
inhaled as well as to cause the grain and hay to adhere to each
other. The dampening of the chaffed hay and grain was discon-
tinued during the hot weather as some of the horses would not al-
ways thoroly clean up their feed at time of feeding and it would
soon sour when left in the feed box. If the grain is mingled with
enough chaffed hay there need be no danger of foundering horses
from over-feeding as they will get so much crude fiber that they
are not likely to over-eat.

XKW KORSES ADDED

As team No. 2 was later disposed of they were no longer used
in these tests, but three new teams were added. Team No. 7, hoof
Nos. 72 and 73, were used by the Dairy Department, as were also
team No. 9, hoof Nos. 76 and 77, a five and six year old pair of
geldings, w7hich showed a predominance of American Trotting
Horse blood. Team No. 8, hoof Nos. 74 and 75, were a pair of
five year old grade geldings, which showed no particular predom-
inance of any blood unless it \vas of the American Trotting Horse.
They were used by the Grounds Department in caring for the Uni-
versity campus and drives. Nos. 76 and 77 were used on the Uni-
versity milk wagon for the retail delivery of milk thru the city.
They worked seven days per week or twenty-eight days a period
where the other horses in the experiment worked only twenty-four
days per period at the most, often less. This team made the route
every day regularly regardless of weather, usually starting at 7
a. m. and returning by 12:30 noon, sometimes a little earlier and
sometimes a little later. The wagon to which they were hitched
weighed 1280 pounds empty and 2400 pounds loaded; the usual
route was thirteen miles long.

With the discontinuing of team No. 2 and the addition of three
new teams it became necessary to re-lot the horses in order to bal-
ance the lots and make them as nearly uniform as possible. Teams
Nos. i and 3 were reversed so that Nos. 52 and 59 were designated
Lot i and Nos. 51 and 60 Lot 2.

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

443

TABI<E 5. — TEAM NUMBER, HOOF NUMBER, LOT NUMBER, METHOD OK FEEDING
GRAIN, AND INITIAL AND FINAI, WEIGHT AND GAIN OK HORSES

Hoof

L,ot

Method of
feeding

We

ight

Gain

Method of
feeding

Weight

Gain

Team

No.

No.

grain Mar.
27 to June
19, '09

Mar.

27

June
19

loss
Ib.

grain June
19 to Aug.
14, '09

Aug.
14,
1909

or
loss
Ib.

52

1

Not mixed
with hay . . .

1353

1306

—47

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1343

37

1

51

2

Mixed with
hay

1356

1297

-59

Not mixed
with hay

13^5

8

59

1

Not mixed
with hay

12+1

1165

-76

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1162

- 3

3

60

2

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1391

1319

-72

Not mixed
with hay

1292

-27

64

1

Not mixed
with hay

1395

1334

—61

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1312

~2

4

65

2

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1405

1381

-24

Not mixed
with hay

1367

-14

5

66

67

1

2

Not mixed
with hay

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1361
1295

1333
1273

-28
-22

Mixed with
chaffed clover

Not mixed
with hay

1329
1261

- 3
-12

(,9

1

Not mixed
with hay

1537

1482

-55

Mixed with
chaff ed clover

1489

7

6

68

2

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1429

1399

-30

Not mixed
with hay

1392

- 7

72

1

Not mixed
with hay

1309

1233

-76

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1249

16

/

73

2

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1303

1251

52

Not mixed
with hay

1281

30

74

1

Not mixed
with hay

1251

1221

-30

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1231

10

8

75

2

Mixed with
chaffed hay. .

1270

1250

-20

Not mixed
with hay

1252

9

76

77

1
•j

Not mixed
with hay

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1003
1094

1003
1069

00

-25

Mixed with
chaffed clover

Not mixed
with hay. . . .

993
1071

-10

4

Aver-
age
for

1

2

Not mixed
with hay

Mixed with
chaffed clover

1306
1318

1259
1280

-47
-38

Mixed with
chaffed clover

Not mixed
with hay

1264

1278

4

^

Table 5 gives the lotting of the horses, method of feeding grain,
weight and gain of the individual horses. The above table shows
that the horses receiving the grain mixed with chaffed hay lost
slightly less in weight during the first part of the test and gained
more during the last part, making a total difference of 15 pounds
per horse in favor of the grain mingled with chaffed hay.

Thruout this trial the horses in each team did approximately
the same amount of work in all instances and consumed approxi-

444 BULLETIN No. 150 [August,

mately the same amount of grain. The hay fed to both lots of
horses was of the same quality and approximately the same amount,
the only difference being the clover which was chaffed and fed with
the grain to Lot 2 during the first part of the test and Lot i during
the last part. The timothy fed in the evening was given whole to
both lots of horses. It appeared that No. 77 of team 9 weighed
a little too heavy at the beginning of the experiment as his weight
record shows a decrease in weight of 32 pounds the first period
and after that he maintained his weight quite regularly or 'increased
slightly. No other horse in the experiment showed such a marked
falling off at the beginning and maintained his weight so well af-
terwards, which indicates that this horse's weight was a little above
normal at the beginning of the test. Team Nos. I and 3 received
some bran during the first period. This was given in a bran mash,
which was fed on Saturday evenings at which time the regular
grain feed was omitted. At the beginning of the third period bran
and oil meal were introduced into the ration of all horses and fed
with the regular grain feed.

The average weights by periods of this test are given in Tables
6 and 7. A study of these averages will show that Lot 2, the
horses receiving the grain mixed with chaffed clover, received .4
pound more grain per day and .3 pound more hay than those not
having the grain mixed with hay during the first three periods. Lot
2 lost only 38 pounds during this time while Lot I lost 47 pounds.

At the beginning of the fourth period the method of feeding
the grain was reversed so that the horse in Lot i, which previously
received the grain unmixed with hay now received it mingled with
chaffed clover, while those in Lot 2 received the grain unmixed
with hay. A summary of the averages per horse by periods is
given in the latter part of Tables 6 and 7. It will be noticed here
that the total grain of Lot i was .3 pound more per day than that
fed Lot 2, while the hay was exactly the same. The results show
that the horses receiving the grain mixed with chaffed clover made
a total of four pounds of gain per horse while those not having
the grain mixed with hay lost two pounds and all the horses did
practically an equal amount of labor. These data show that during
the entire five periods the horses receiving grain mixed writh chaffed
clover lost only 35 pounds while those receiving the grain fed in
the usual manner lost 49 pounds, making a difference of 14 pounds
in favor of the horses receiving the grain mixed with chaffed clo-
ver. While the results show a saving due to mixing the grain with
chaffed hay, ordinarily it is not sufficient to justify the expense.

Numerous observations were made of the condition of the feces
of the various horses in order to note from a physical examination
if more grain was excreted in one lot of horses than the other. It
is rather difficult to detect ground grain in the feces and as there

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

445

Average daily
labor, work
days, hours

.o t- -r

VO ON

t^ oc i^

f>l

Total labor,
hours

Medium

ON ^ 0

CN £

*O •*!• *O
•*1- -ri- ro

r i TJ-

rH

h

3

ON VO O

•* oo

iO >O 'O
C-1 iO ~*

rH rH r->

r^ ri

n ~r

l~> t/) .
"*"1 VH tfl o

rH M 1
1 1

T T

fflj

C^ rO O

ON c: vo

rH rH rH

iO fl

00 M

CO rH

'ri .

2 rt
«x

+j

o

O ON O
rH rO ON

iO r-i

iO iO ^*-

>o >o

Whole
clover

O 0. "5

vo oo i>

00 O
CM I>

^ ^ l"

Cl

It

ro

M ^*

1- t- r.

ri i^
ri

Average daily grain, Ib.

"ri
O

vo o oo

SO
ri

**• >O iO

r-i rH rH

•^- rH

a

ri
PQ

rH IO

ci

VO ON •

\o oo

§1

ON

M rH

Ground
oats

vo OO t--

rH IO Cl

rH O
O O

l^ I> 0

C-1

Cracked
corn

rH IO M

38

1> t- vc

^H !>•

pouaj

rH M tO

M « be

<U «C j;

rj ri rH

• 1-1 t. o
VH ""t C

CU ri £2

Total . . .
Average

GRAIN MIXED WITH CHAFFED CLOVER. PERIODS 4 TO 5 INCLUSIVE

ON iO
M 00

i^.' oo

rH 0
rH

* .4 of a pound of whole clover was fed in addition to the chaffed.

1- O

rO VO

VO rO

00 ON

i— I

rH ON

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rH rH
O IT>

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1 ^

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to ro
iO O

ri n

rH rH

VO 00

rH IO

10 ri

C4 rH

O rH

rH rH

r< f 1
M rH

"g fc 00 ON
=a > •* 00

t^» ON

(O VO

rH

t> t>

•*• M
TT (N

rH

rH r H

ro ri

VO to

ri vo

ro rH

00 ON
M' ri

•H- rj

CO ON

$8

t^ ON

ON CN

rH

rH O
rH rO

rH rH

M VO

rH

rH O
rH rO

'O ^O

rH rH
rH

* u,

t- •*

rH rH

•*> bC

Total...
Average

446

BULLETIN No. 150

uT

0) O

be£)
rt cti

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•* 00 CM

CM rH

vO CM

2 °
2 w
o

l"^- t^* vo

fM ^

pOI

J9d

rH fM CO

^, QJ

"H >> v

Total

Average .

0

,0

rH

00

rH

CO

TH

*

ON

CO

CM

VO

CO

CO

rH

ON

^

o5

TH

rH
rH

rH

co'

vo'
rH

t.

vo

CM

T-H

1

1

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CO

cM

oo

CM

rH

rH
IO

CM

rH

rH

CO

CM

rH

rH

iO

rH

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VO

JJ b^b
^J £

00

CO
CO

VO

•*
CM

10

ri

ON

rH

8

rH

ON

CO

rH

0

vo

rH

S

ci

CO

VO
rH

co

00

S

o\

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r)

vo

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-

CO

rH

oo
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O

s

0>

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rH

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rH

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2

co

rH

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CM

rH

vo

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r-t

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vo

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3

August 14. .

13
"o
H

Average . . .

jo//] FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES 447

was no chemical analysis made there was no means of determin-
ing the quantity passed in this manner. However, it appeared from
the closest observation that could be made that manure from the
horses receiving ground grain mingled with chaffed hay had less
grain in evidence than those receiving the grain unmixed with hay.
Where the hay and grain were mixed the feces seemed to be in a
better condition and the general condition of the horses appeared
to be slightly better, as indicated by their coat of hair.

Where horses are fed a heavy grain ration near the limit in
quantity, it is believed it is beneficial in preserving the health of
the horse to mingle the grain with chaffed hay, altho the results
of this test do not show any marked saving. No. 60, which was
subject to colic, had fewer attacks when his grain was mixed with
chaffed hay than when fed separate. Where the grain is fed with
chaffed hay horses are obliged to consume their grain much more
slowly and consequently masticate it more thoroly. Corn being a
very concentrated and carbonaceous feed sometimes produces dele-
terious results when fed alone in large quantities. It is believed,
however, that its principal danger as a feed for horses is its small
amount of crude fiber and low protein content. If a sufficient
amount of crube fiber in some form or other were introduced into
the ration it would produce a feed which would compare more
nearly with oats. For this purpose choice clover or alfalfa hay is
preferred to timothy or straw for the reason that the clover and
alfalfa furnish more protein than timothy and, too, the ends of
chaffed alfalfa and clover are not nearly so sharp on the horse's
mouth as chaffed timothy or straw.

CHAFFED CLOVER COMPARED WITH CHAFFED ALFALFA

At the close of the above test on August 14, 1909, the horses
in Lot i continued to receive their grain mixed with chaffed clover
hay, while those in Lot 2 were given their grain mixed with chaffed
alfalfa. This test extended over five periods, from August 14 to
January i, 1910, in which chaffed clover was compared with
chaffed alfalfa, as a supplement for the grain. The results of this
test giving the average daily grain and hay by periods, weight,
gain and labor record are set forth in Tables 8 and 9.

Tables 8 and 9 show that the horses receiving alfalfa, received
one-fourth pound less grain and one-third pound less hay per
horse per clay than those receiving the chaffed clover. Those re-
ceiving alfalfa did approximately the same amount of labor with
less grain and less hay and made a little more gain than those re-
ceiving clover. During this experiment it will be noticed that the
alfalfa was gradually increased so that the horses became accus-
tomed to it and there was an opportunity to study its effect upon
them.

448

BULLETIN No. 150

[.•luyust.

Q
W
X

M
g

£ «
* ^

5 g

w
h)

S3
<
C<

Average
daily labor
work days,
hours

n x t^i vo

VO d l> rH rH

x co

CO rH

00 I> VO J> VO

i/3 t>

ro

Total labor,
hours

•o

0)

a

rH M
"*• •* ON C4

rO ON

OM>

T-t rH Tt- LO VO

ON r-l O VO •*

00 <*>
vO LO
M

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id

ffi

1C t» rO
rH vo ON O

iO rO

O ON

ON CO rH VO Tf

rH VO O rH O

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1=15

00 00 rO rH
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+++ +

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fill

£ J! G i
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rO rH OS M rO
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Average daily grain, Ib.

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Ground
oats

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VO ON

VO i/3 VO VO >O

ON 10
M

Cracked
corn

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ON iO
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pouaj

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o> o o oj S

$0£Q£

Total
Average . . .

5 w

rH vo rO M LO

VO O X rH rH

vo ro

0 — 1

X t» VO t> VO

iO t>

ro

vo X t^

rH Cl

rH X

M O vo vo t^

ON rH VO LO Tt

t^ LO

Tf vo O\ X vo

rH X

TJ- or.

vo ON "t- VO N
rH LO ON rH O
rH rH rH rH

ON t>

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rH d rH

ON •*

vO -H

rH X VO rO l>

X ON CJ rO -r
ri C3 ro ro ro

X rH
iO ro

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32

rO rO vo VO vo

LO>O

t^ rH

5 VO X d ro •*
ON rH rsi rf rO

ro -0

rH X

"rt <•

= vovot-t-t-

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< 3

1 ff

X vo

i

* rH fN C4

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vo IO rO ON

ON X X O T

ri 0

V-- rH

t> t> vo vo VO

LO I>

rO

tSi2i8o

rO •*
I> v/3

vO LO LO VO "O

t>" 'O

rO VO r^
ON X ON ON l>-

vfl t^

ro X

M Cl N N M

rH<M

X LO ON ro

ON ON ON ON

1/3 I>

X ON

rH

*

5 t^ ON O 0

VO iO
fN X

LO LO LO O vo

ON 10

•H- TJ- n vo
O^ I"** O\ O vO

VO LO
fN X

LO vo vo VO LO

ON vo

rH M rO Tf vo

^ 1 s . "?""*-

. .O *" rH

D "5 O V J3
C/5 O2 Q r-j

Total
Average . . .

iyii\ FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES 449

ALFALFA COMPARED WITH TIMOTHY

In order to further study the effect of alfalfa hay in the ration
for work horses it was decided to compare it with timothy hay.
The plan of the test was the same as previously, excepting that
one' horse in each team should receive alfalfa hay and the other
horse timothy hay. January i, Lot i, the horses receiving
the chaffed clover, was changed to a ration where the hay fed was
all timothy while Lot 2 was continued on part timothy and part
alfalfa. During the first period of th'e test Lot i was given their
grain mingled with chaffed timothy and Lot 2 with 'chaffed alfalfa.
Because some of the horses seriously objected to consuming the
chaffed timothy, due perhaps to the exceedingly sharp ends of the
timothy straw, the chaffed timothy was discontinued at the end of
Period i and also the chaffed alfalfa. From this time on the grain
was not mixed with chaffed hay for 'any of the horses. From 10^2
to ii pounds of alfalfa and 5 pounds of timothy per horse was fed
daily to Lot 2 until the end of the period when they were put on all
alfalfa. The summary of the results of this test are set forth in
Tables 10 and n.

It will be noticed that the horses of Lot 2, receiving timothy and
alfalfa, received nearly one pound less grain per horse per day and
.2 pound more hay than those of Lot i, which received all timothy
hay during the first three periods of the experiment from January
i to March 26. During this time the horses receiving the al-
falfa hay lost seven pounds per horse, while Lot i lost nine pounds
and all did approximately the same amount of labor. These data
would indicate that where alfalfa hay is fed as part of the rough-
age ration, it will in a measure replace some of the grain.

At the beginning of the next period, March 28, 1910, a new
team, No. TO was introduced into the experiment and at the close
of the first period, April 23, team No. 3 was no longer used, as
they were later disposed of. From March 26 .to May 21 Lot i
continued to receive timothy as the roughage and Lot 2 were given
all alfalfa with the exception of a few feeds of timothy, which
were fed to some of the horses through error.

The latter part of Table 1 1 shows that the horses receiving tim-
othy hay received four pounds more grain per horse per day than
those receiving alfalfa. Both lots of horses lost approximately the
same amount during the two periods Lot i, 13 pounds and Lot 2,
12 pounds. The horses receiving the alfalfa hay did an average
of nearly one-half hour less work per day than those receiving
timothy; this, difference being due largely to No. 75, which was
unable to work part of the time on account of lameness caused
from poor shoeing. It will be noticed that this horse did not main-
tain his weight any better than the other horses, even tho he did
not work all the time.

450

BULLETIN No. 150

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452 BULLETIN No. 150 [August,

During the time Lot 2 received all alfalfa, the oil meal and
bran was discontinued from their ration with the exception of a
very small amount which was fed at the beginning of the test.

The results of this test indicate that when a mixed grain ration
of corn and oats is fed in conjunction with alfalfa, 20 to 22 per
cent less grain is needed to maintain the weight of work horses,
than where the grain is fed in conjunction with timothy.

CORN AND ALFALFA COMPARED WITH CORN, OATS, BRAN, OIL
MEAL, TIMOTHY AND ALFALFA

At the close of the above test it was decided to continue feed-
ing some of the horses on alfalfa and omit the oats from the grain
ration, feeding all corn. One horse in each of three teams was
fed in this manner, while the other horse received a mixed grain
ration of corn, oats, oil meal and bran and a small amount of al-
falfa replaced a part of the timothy. The test extended over two
periods from May 21 to July 16, the results of which are set
forth in Tables 12 and 13.

It will be noticed that the horses in the various lots did an
equal amount of labor. The horses getting the mixed ration with
timothy and alfalfa hay received an average daily ration of 18. 16
pounds grain while those of Lot 2 receiving corn and alfalfa got
only 14.1 pounds grain per day. Both lots of horses received the
same amount of hay. This helps to emphasize the conclusion of
the previous test, that where alfalfa is fed it will in a measure
replace a part of the grain; in this case about 22 percent. At
the prices of feed given on page 435, the ration of corn and alfalfa
cost 6 cents less per horse per day than the mixed ration, which
would ordinarily mean a saving of $15.00 to $20.00 per horse
annually. Those getting the corn and alfalfa lost an average of
eight pounds per horse while the others lost only two pounds per
horse. At no time during the test were there noticed any delete-
rious results from the feeding of alfalfa. The horses ate it with
more relish than timothy and it did not prove to be as loosening
to the bowels as clover. The alfalfa hay fed was bought for
choice quality but some of it contained a few sand-burrs. Part
of the hay came from Nebraska and part was purchased from a
Kansas City firm. The timothy hay fed from March 26 on- was
not all of the best quality, some of it being slightly mixed with
red top and blue grass.

GROUND GRAIN COMPARED WITH WHOLE GRAIN

At the close of the test in which alfalfa was compared with
timothy hay where a mixed grain ration of corn and oats was
fed, it was decided to conduct a short test of six weeks in which

1911}

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1911}

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

455

ground grain would be compared with whole grain. As a pre-
liminary for this test two weeks were allowed to elapse, in which
Teams Nos. i, 5, 6, 8, and 10 were fed on the same kind of grain
and hay. The test began on June 4 and extended to July 16.
The horses in Lot i received whole grain, consisting of ear corn,
whole oats and bran, while those in Lot 2 received cracked corn,
ground oats, and bran the same as Lot i. Both lots of horses re-
ceived one feed of alfalfa hay of from three to four pounds and
two feeds of timothy hay per day. The ear corn fed was figured on
a basis of shelled corn. The summary of the results of this test
are given in Tables 14 and 15.

It will be noticed from Tables 14 and 15 that the horses getting
whole grain received 18.42 pounds per horse per day while those
getting the ground grain received 17.12 pounds per horse per day.
The hay fed both lots was approximately the same. The horses
receiving the whole grain made a total gain of 18 pounds, and
those receiving the ground grain made a total gain of 23 pounds.
Considering that one ration was approximately as good as the
other it will be seen tbat there was about 9 percent less grain fed
where it was ground than where fed whole. Whether or not it
will pay to grind grain for horses will depend much upon the con-
venience and expense of grinding and also upon the amount of
work performed by the horse. When the teeth of the horses are
good they will do very well on whole grain but when horses are
worked near their limit and it is desired to conserve all the pos-
sible energy for labor there may be economy in grinding. Ground
grain is slightly more digestible than whole grain and it is usually
considered by best authorities that a ten percent saving in the
grain can be effected by grinding, which is in harmony with the re-
sults of this test tho it was too short to be conclusive. It is be-
lieved that when the labor is light the saving will not be so great
as when the horses are at hard labor.

TABLE 16 — AVERAGE DAII.Y COST OF RATIONS

L,ot 1

L,ot 2

Cu

x

W

Grain

Hay

Total

Grain

Hay

Total

Apr. 2 to Oct. 15, '08 . .

1

$ .182

$ .095

f .277

$ .175

$ .079

$ .254

Oct. 15 to Mar. 4, '09 . .

2

.154

.077

.231

.141

.080

.221

Mar. 27 to Aug. 14, '09 .

3

.173

.083

.256

.173

.083

.256

Aug. 14 to Jan. 1, '10. .

4

.174

.084

.258

.172

.113

.285

Jan. 1 to May 21, '10. . .

5

.174

.092

.266

.146

.111

.257

May 21 to July 16, '10. .

6

.201

.096

.297

.126

.112

.238

June 4 to July 16, '10. .

7

.202

.099

.301

.184

.100

.284

456 BrLLKTix No. 150 [August,

COST OF RATIONS FED

It will be noticed from Table 16, which gives the daily cost of
the various rations fed, that in experiment i where clover hay
was fed Lot 2, there was a saving of about two cents per horse
per day over that fed Lot i, or $8.40 per horse per year. This
difference is due principally to the fact that clover hay is cheaper
than timothy. It will also be seen that the horses in Lot i ate
slightly more feed than those in Lot 2, which in a measure ac-
counts for the difference in the cost.

During experiment 2 Lot i receiving- clover hay was fed at
an expense of one cent more per horse per day than Lot 2 due to
consuming more grain and hay.

There was no difference in the cost of the rations in the third
experiment as both lots of horses received the same kind of feed
and practically the same quantity. It will be remembered that
the clover hay fed one lot was chaffed and mingled with grain, but
no account has been taken of the labor involved in its preparation.

During the 4th experiment it will be noticed that where alfalfa
was fed Lot 2 the ration cost about three cents more per horse
per day than Lot i, which received clover.

Where alfalfa and timothy were compared in experiment 5,
the ration of Lot 2 receiving alfalfa was about one cent cheaper
than that of Lot i. The grain part of the ration of lot 2 was
about three cents cheaper than that of Lot i because of the smaller
amount consumed, but alfalfa being more expensive than timothy
the economy of the ration fed Lot 2 is only slight.

The greatest economy in making up a ration is brought out
in experiment 6. That fed Lot 2, corn and alfalfa, was six cents
per day cheaper than that fed Lot i, which consisted of mixed
grain ration of corn, oats, bran and oil meal, timothy and alfalfa
hay. While the ration fed Lot 2 was entirely satisfactory the test
was too short to determine \vhether or not such a ration would
prove satisfactory for an indefinite length of time. A saving of
six cents per day would mean a saving of $21.90 per horse per
year.

The ration fed Lot 2 in experiment 7 was two cents per horse
per day cheaper than that fed Lot i. This difference may be
credited to the effect of grinding, that fed Lot 2 being ground
grain while that fed Lot i was whole grain.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Where a mixed grain ration of corn, oats, oil meal and
bran is fed, clover hay is equally as efficient if not a little superior
to timothy for horses at hard work.

2. There was no observable difference in the effect of clover
and timothy upon the spirit of the horses or their ability to en-

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES 457

dure hot weather. Those receiving clover had a glossier coat of
hair and their bowels were looser, but not too loose to endure
hard work.

3. When clover is used as a horse feed, the quality should
be good and the quantity fed limited.

4. A slight saving in grain may be made by mingling it with
chaffed hay, but the saving in this test did not appear to be enough
to justify the expense.

5. There may be a benefit not shown in these tests, in pre-
serving the horse's health, by mingling the grain with chaffed hay.
The results of this test are not conclusive on this point.

6. Where the grain was ground and mingled with chaffed
clover and with chaffed alfalfa, the latter proved to be a little more
efficient in preventing loss in weight of horses at hard work.

7. The mingling of grain with chaffed timothy hay did not
prove satisfactory.

8. Where alfalfa hay is fed as the roughage part of a ration
for farm horses at hard work, less grain is necessary to prevent
them from losing weight than where timothy hay is fed. In this
test there was a saving of about 22 percent of grain.

9. Tho too short to be conclusive these tests indicate that
mature horses at hard work can be maintained quite satisfactorily
for a short time, at least, on corn fed in conjunction with alfalfa
hay, and at a saving in cost.

10. A saving of about ten percent may be made by grinding
the grain for farm work horses when at hard labor.

11. It requires twice as long for horses to consume ground
grain fed dry, as when the same quantity is fed thoroly dampened.

12. Farm work horses at hard labor should receive from one
and one-fifth to one and one-third pounds of grain, and from
one to one and one-fourth pounds of hay, per 100 pounds of live
weight per day, in order that their weight may be maintained.

13. Satisfactory results have been secured by feeding the
grain in three equal feeds, and giving one-half the hay at night,
the other half being divided between the morning and noon feeds.

14. The grain fed should be reduced one-half on idle days
until four days have elapsed, or until they are again put to work,
when it may be again increased if desirable. By following this
method attacks of azoturia were prevented.

15. The results of the experiment indicate that the general
impression is correct that horses may very properly be given a
more bulky ration when idle or doing light work than when at
heavy work. It is believed that the practice of permitting work
horses to gorge themselves with hay is all too common.

4.S8

[August,

No. 52

TEAM No. 1

No. 51

NEAR HORSE No. 59 OFF HORSE No. 60

TEAM No. 3

FKKUING FARM WORK HOKSKS

459

No. 64 No. 65

TEAM No. 4

No. 67 No. 66

TEAM No. 5

460

BUU.KTIN NO. 150

[August,

No 68 No. 69

TEAM No. 6

No. 72 No. 73

TEAM No. 7

FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES

461

No 74

No. 75

TEAM No. 8

No. 76 No. 77

TEAM No. 9

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA