Feeding farm work horses and mules

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Agricultural Experiment Station
BULLETIN NO. 238
FEEDING FARM WORK HORSES
AND MULES
BY J. L. EDMONDS AND W. G. KAMMLADE
INTRODUCTION
More than 75 percent of the corn produced in Illinois is fed to
farm animals. When corn is used in any feeding operations, it is
always recommended that it be fed with feeds containing considerable
protein and mineral matter in order that the ration may be properly
balanced and prove suitable and adequate to the needs of the animals.
Corn is superior to any other common feed for the production of
work. 1
The growing appreciation in the corn belt of the marked benefits
to be derived from the use of legumes in crop rotations is resulting
in a steady increase in the production of these crops. At the present
time there is no more satisfactory means of disposing of them than
as feed for the live stock on the farms on which the crops are grown.
There has been considerable opposition to the use of corn and
skepticism concerning its value for farm work animals. Much of this
feeling may be attributed to difficulties resulting from improper feed-
ing and much to the unsuitable character of the corn which was used.
Legume hays, too, have not been very generally used as feeds for
horses and mules because they have been thought to cause digestive
disorders and to reduce strength and endurance.