OF ILLINOIS ! I8RARV CHECK FOR UNBOUND CIRCULATING COPY I UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Agricultural Experiment Station BULLETIN No. 262 FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES BY J. L. EDMONDS AND C. W. CRAWFORD URBANA, ILLINOIS, APRIL, 1925 SUMMARY Sheaf oats and alfalfa hay supplemented with half a ration of oats and bran proved to be satisfactory feeds for weanling draft fillies during their first winter. The roughage was fed in the proportion of one part sheaf oats to two parts alfalfa. Three pounds of oats were fed to one pound of bran. During their first winter the fillies ate an average of 4.77 pounds of oats and bran, 10.47 pounds of alfalfa hay, and 4.93 pounds of sheaf oats per day. Sweet clover during the first part of the grazing season and blue- grass during the latter part made a good pasture combination for year- ling draft fillies. They made a good growth' on this pasture and also remained clean in their legs. While grazing on sweet clover, however, the fillies seemed to crave some other feed. They ate a considerable quantity of their wheat-straw bedding during this period, which seemed to indicate that better results would be obtained by giving some addi- tional feed to young fillies on sweet-clover pasture. During the latter part of the summer they were fed some oats and bran and later a light feed of sheaf oats. Their average daily consumption for. the summer was 4.23 pounds of oats and bran and 1.27 pounds of sheaf oats. During most of the second winter sheaf oats and alfalfa hay were fed in approximately equal amounts without any threshed grain. These feeds produced a good growth in height and frame. These fillies, how- ever, were not so heavy as some other lots fed at this Station which received more grain and consequently were in higher condition. During the second winter the average consumption of alfalfa was 12.61 pounds per day and of sheaf oats 13.8 pounds per day. The illustration on page 259 shows the fillies as yearlings. The cover picture and the individual pictures on pages 250 to 254 show them as two-year-olds, at the end of the experiment, and give a good idea of the kind of development made; their average weight at this time was 1,446 pounds and their average height 15 hands, 3.8 inches. FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES By J. L. EDMONDS, Chief in Horse Husbandry, and C. W. CRAWFORD, Associate in Animal Husbandry The experiment reported herein is a continuation of three previous experiments in feeding purebred draft fillies already reported in Bulletins 192 and 235 of this Station. In this series of experiments an effort has been made to use chiefly home-grown feeds, the production of which would fit in well with the best methods of farming in Illinois. A legume hay has been the foundation of the winter rations and pasture the main summer feed. In the first experiment, reported in Bulletin 192, the fillies developed satisfactorily on a ration of alfalfa hay, corn, and oats. In the second and third experiments, reported in Bulletin 235, an effort was made to find a better ration than this if possible, even tho it would necessitate the purchase of a little mill feed. An effort was also made to cheapen the rations by using a carbonaceous roughage to supplement the legume hay. Oat straw and oat hay were used with success for this purpose. The following concentrates were used: corn and oats; corn, oats, and bran; crushed oats and bran; ground corn and bran. Of these rations, the one composed of crushed oats 75 percent and bran 25 percent was most satisfactory, except for its cost. Where corn was fed, the fillies developed plenty of size and weight, but did not have as clean legs as the fillies fed a smaller amount of corn or none at all. In the last test (the fourth, described herein) an effort was made to use a pasture in combination with blue-grass which would give better results during the hot, dry months than blue-grass alone. Sweet clover was used satisfactorily for this purpose. It is a well-known fact that liberal feeding must be combined with draft blood to produce horses of the size desired today. But this feeding should also be done economically. In the fourth experiment the feeding of sheaf oats lessened the amount of alfalfa and grain required and thus cut down the feed bill considerably. At the same time it made a better balanced ration than one with alfalfa as the only roughage. Fifty-two fillies were used in the four experiments. PLAN OF FOURTH EXPERIMENT One lot of ten Percheron weanling fillies was used in this trial. Five of these fillies were bred at the University and five were purchased from other breeders. The experiment was begun December 11, 1922, and was continued until April 28, 1924, a total of 504 days. 247 248 BULLETIN No. 262 [April, The concentrates used were crushed oats 75 percent and bran 25 percent, which produced the best results of several rations fed in pre- ceding experiments, but was more expensive than some others used. Grain was fed during the first winter and during the middle part of the pasture season. Practically no threshed grain was fed the second winter. Approximately one-half of the roughage fed, however, consisted of sheaf oats in which the grain was fully matured. Alfalfa hay formed the other half of the roughage. Care was taken to limit the amount of alfalfa fed, so that the straw in the sheaf oats would be eaten up clean as well as the alfalfa. Sheaf oats proved to be a very satisfactory feed in this experiment. 1 They are easier to cure than hay and require no threshing expense. They are also convenient to feed. They are not, however, so easily stored as hay, and much of the grain will be eaten or soiled by mice and rats unless some precaution is taken. The sheaf oats used in this experi- ment were stacked in a shed. In order to keep out rats and mice, air- slacked lime was scattered over the bundles as the stacking proceeded. This treatment was satisfactory, since the lime seemed to make no difference in the palatability of the feed so far as the fillies were con- cerned. In the handling and weighing necessary before feeding, a good deal of the lime was shaken off. 2 The sheaf oats and alfalfa used were grown on the University farm and were of good quality. Both the grain and the roughage were fed twice daily in mangers built along the sides of roomy box stalls. The lot was fed as a group, and the feeding done in such a way that all feeds were thoroly cleaned up. Consequently there were no refused feeds to be weighed and recorded. Salt was fed with the grain. When no grain was fed, salt was kept before the fillies at all times. Water was always available in the barn as well as in the pastures. The pastures used were sweet clover during the first part of the season and blue-grass during the latter part. The ten fillies were turned on eight acres of second-year sweet clover on April 30. The clover, how- ever, grew too rapidly for them, and on May 26 they were confined to half of the field. They had eaten four acres down rather closely by June 26, at which time an adjoining field of 3.6 acres of first-year sweet clover was opened to them in addition to the four acres they were on. Five brood mares and their foals had been on this 3.6-acre field from June 10 to June 26. When first turned on sweet clover, these fillies ate considerable of their wheat-straw bedding, which would seem to indicate that there was 'Sweet clover was sown in the oats and had made considerable growth by the time of cutting. Very little sweet clover appeared in the bundles, however. J In putting up this year's sheaf oats, 250 pounds of hydrated lime was used on 34 tons of sheaf oats. 7925] FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES 249 something lacking in the sweet clover which the fillies desired. They ate less straw as the experiment progressed. By August 13 the sweet clover was well eaten off and the fillies were turned on a good blue-grass pas- ture of eight acres, where they ran until December 17. 1 By the first of November the grass was eaten off rather closely, but the fillies were allowed to run in the pasture for exercise. SHELTER AND CARE The shelter for the fillies consisted of four box stalls with open doorways between them. These boxes were 16 feet wide and their com- bined length was 72 feet. The entrances to the box stalls were equipped with two doors, an inner slat door, and an outer solid door. During the winter, if the weather was mild, only the slat doors were closed at night; if it was stormy or very cold, the outer solid doors were partly or entirely closed as a protection against drafts, but provision was always made for the free circulation of air thru the stalls. These doors, which were 8 feet wide, opened into cindered exercise lots which connected the barn with the pasture. The fillies were in these lots every day during the winter and ran on pasture from spring until early winter. This method of stabling insured sufficient protection without unduly depriving the fillies of opportunity for exercise; and exercise must accompany good feeding if the best all-round results are to be obtained. During the summer canvas "flappers" nailed to the over-head joists assisted in keeping the flies off the backs of the fillies. A coal-tar disinfectant applied to the lower part of the canvas prevented it from being chewed or torn down. As further protection from flies, the stalls were darkened with burlap curtains hung over the windows and door- ways. Wheat straw was used as bedding. The manure was removed from the stalls each day. During the winter the fillies were occasionally given a hurried grooming with a "dandy brush." As often as necessary about once a month their feet were trimmed with a one-inch chisel and mallet. FEED CONSUMED The average daily ration of concentrates the first winter was a little less than 5 pounds per head. About the same weight of sheaf oats was fed and about 10.5 pounds of alfalfa, making the proportion of alfalfa to sheaf oats approximately 2 to 1. The average daily ration per hun- dredweight of animal of about one-half pound of grain, one pound of alfalfa, and one-half pound of sheaf oats, was found to be very satis- factory. 1 The sweet-clover pastures furnished 127 days of grazing per acre for one horse and the blue-grass pasture 99 days. 250 BULLETIN No. 262 ILLINI ELLA 175918 Grey ILLINI JULIET 176091 Grey 19251 FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES 251 ILLINI IDA 175919 Grey 252 BULLETIN No. 262 [April, The ration of alfalfa hay and sheaf oats fed the second winter was also considered a good one. At that time these roughages were fed in about equal amounts, a little more sheaf oats being fed than alfalfa. During a considerable part of the winter these fillies ate 14 pounds of alfalfa and 15 pounds of sheaf oats per head daily, making a total of 29 pounds. 1 While the fillies did not make large gains in weight on this ration, they grew considerably in height and were in thrifty condition. They were also free from puffiness in the hocks and were in nice shape to make good gains on pasture. This experiment supported the conclusion drawn from preceding observations, that the addition of a carbonaceous roughage is desirable when feeding alfalfa hay to draft fillies. TABLE 1. FEED CONSUMED: NOT INCLUDING PASTURE Period: 28 days Average daily ration per head Average daily feed per cwt. of animal Cr. oats 75% Bran 25% Alfalfa Sheaf oats Cr. oats 75% Bran 25% Alfalfa Sheaf oats Dec. 11,1922-Jan. 8, 1923 Ibs. 4.39 4.55 4.74 4.97 5.17 .28 1.15 5.60 5.74 6.23 6.40 4.00 Ibs. 9.50 9.46 10.14 11.23 12.00 .61 6^50 13.00 13.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 Ibs. 3.48 4.46 5.07 5.63 6.00 3^00 4.60 8.60 13.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 Ibs. .493 .495 .493 .496 .492 .026 .104 .493 .489 .497 .499 .304 Ibs. 1.067 1.029 1.055 1.121 1.141 .057 !494 .963 .957 1.007 1.015 1.000 .983 Ibs. .391 .485 .527 .562 .570 ^240 .358 .654 .963 1.104 1.098 1.088 1.071 1.053 Jan. 8-Feb. 5 Feb. 5-Mar. 5 Mar. 5-Apr. 2 Apr. 2-Apr. 30 Apr. 30-May 28 May 28-June 25 June 25-July 23 July 23-Aug. 20 Aug. 20-Sept. 17.. Sept. 17-Oct. 15 Oct. 15-Nov. 12 Nov. 12-Dec. 10 Dec. 10, 1923-Jan. 7, 1924 Jan. 7-Feb. 4 Feb. 4-Mar. 3 Mar. 3-Mar. 31 Mar. 31-Apr. 28 . . Dec. ll,1922-Apr.28, 1924, 504 days .... 2.96 7.84 7.16 .249 .659 .602 The appearance of the fillies when running on sweet clover indi- cated that sweet-clover pasture without grain is not entirely satisfactory for yearling fillies. They seemed to grow well on it, developing con- siderably in frame and bone, but they were thinner than most horsemen J These oats were an early variety which has averaged about half grain and half straw under local conditions. 1925] FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES 253 BONNIE DECIME 175585 Black 254 BULLETIN No. 262 [.April, would desire. They were, however, very clean and sound in their legs. Several horsemen who saw them made especial mention of this fact. During this period when the fillies were on sweet clover, they ate a considerable amount of their wheat-straw bedding. If this had been oat straw, it is probable that better gains would have been secured. The detailed data concerning the feeds consumed by the fillies, aside from pasture, is given in Table 1. Following is a brief summary in terms of bushels, pounds, and tons. First winter (140 days) Oats 15.63 bu. Bran 166.78 Ibs. Alfalfa 73 ton Sheaf oats .35 ton VALUE OF PASTURE As is always the case, the pasture proved to be a very important factor in the development of the fillies. In order to maintain satisfactory gains, it was found necessary to feed some grain with sweet-clover pas- ture. To feed grain in this way is more economical and safer than to let colts get thin on pasture and then attempt to put them in condition Summer (168 days) 16.67 bu. 177.81 Ibs. .009 ton .10 ton Second winter (196 days) 2.63 bu. 28.00 Ibs. 1.24 tons 1.35 tons Total (504 days) 34.93 bu. 3 72.59 Ibs. 1.98 tons 1.80 tons GENILFONSE, 174198, Grey when they are taken up in the fall. These fillies made a good growth in frame on pasture and were especially clean in their legs and hard in their joints. The combination of sweet clover and blue-grass was regarded very highly. Blue-grass does not grow well in this locality during the hot, dry months and sweet clover dies when eaten off closely by horses. The second-year sweet clover was given a chance to get a good start and 1925} FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES 255 then pastured heavily. By the time it was eaten off, a blue-grass pas- ture which had been saved had a very heavy growth. The fillies gained very rapidly when turned on this pasture. There was an abundance of grass for them and its nutritive value was much higher than it would have been in the early spring, when grass is likely to be washy. DEVELOPMENT OF FILLIES The fillies were weighed at the beginning and end of the experi- ment, at one and two years of age, and at the finish of the summer and winter feeding periods. Their heights were measured at the same time. The purpose in feeding was not to make maximum gains in weight but to secure a good growth without any puffiness in the joints. All the TABLE 2. AGES, HEIGHTS, AND WEIGHTS OF FILLIES AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE EXPERIMENT Name Age Dec. 11, 1922 Height Weight Dec. 11, 1922 Gain Final weight Apr. 28, 1924 Dec. 11, 1922 Apr. 28, 1924 Dec. 10, 1923 Apr. 28, 1924 1. IlliniElla.. 2. Illini Ada... 3. Illini Juliet.. 4. Illini Ida.... 5. Illini Juno . . 6. Ruth days 227 246 222 183 170 184 204 246 271 231 hands in. 14 1# 14 IK 13 2y 2 13 3K 13 3K 13 3K 13 iy 2 14 IX 14 3K 14 % hands in. 16 1 15 3K 15 IK 15 3X 16 K 15 3K 15 2 16 16 1# 15 3K Ibs. 930 975 840 790 760 815 755 965 1020 890 Ibs. 525 460 420 470 500 520 540 510 440 470 Ibs. 595 505 480 545 565 590 670 595 545 560 Ibs. 1525 1480 1320 1335 1325 1405 1425 1560 1565 1450 7. Bonnie Decime. . . . 8. Lenora 9. Hildefonse.. 10. Genilfonse . . Average 218.4 14 .4 15 3.65 874 485.5 565 1439 TABLE 3. WEIGHTS AND HEIGHTS OF THE FILLIES AT ONE AND Two YEARS OF AGE Name Weight at 1 year Weight at 2 years Gain in weight during 2d year Height at 1 year Height at 2 years Gain in height during 2d year 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. [6. 17. I 8. 9. 10. Illini Ella Ibs. 1165 1125 995 965 1035 1010 1010 1110 1165 1120 Ibs. 1525 1435 1320 1380 1425 1430 1430 1540 1520 1455 Ibs. 360 310 325 415 390 420 420 430 355 335 hands in. 15 IK 15 K 14 2K 14 3 15 K 15 y 2 14 3 15 K 15 IK 14 3X hands in. 16 1 15 3K 15 1 16 K 16 IK 16 15 2K 15 3K 16 1 15 3K hands in. 3 4 1 IX 3K 3 2 1 X Illini Ada Illini Juliet Illini Ida Illini Juno Ruth Bonnie Decime Lenora Hildefonse Genilfonse. ... Average 1070 1446 376 15 .075 15 3.8 .931 256 BULLETIN No. 262 [April, fillies were sound at the close of the experiment, and at no time during the experiment were they fat. Most Percheron breeders would have thought them thin. They were, however, in thrifty growing condition except during the period when they were on pasture with no grain. The reason for not feeding grain at this time was to determine whether or not it was necessary with sweet-clover pasture. The accompanying photographs of the fillies, which were taken at the close of the experiment, after they had shed off on grass, give a good idea of the kind of development made. 1 TABLE 4. FEED CONSUMED AND GAINS BY SEASONS: NOT INCLUDING PASTURE Feed consumed Gains Cr. oats 75% Bran 25% Alfalfa Sheaf oats First Winter: Dec. 11, 1922-Apr. 30, 1923140 days Feed per head Ibs. 667.10 Ibs. 1465.50 Ibs. 690.00 Aver, gain in weight, Ibs. 200.00 Aver, daily ration Aver, daily ration per cwt. . . 4.77 .49 10.47 1.08 4.93 .51 Aver, daily gain in weight, Ibs. Aver, gain in height, inches . . . . 1.43 . 3.23 Aver, feed per pound gain.. . . 3.34 7.33 3.45 Summer: Apr. 30, 1923-Oct. 15, 1923168 days Feed per head 711.25 17.00 212.80 Aver, gain in weight, Ibs . 221.50 Aver, daily ration Aver, daily ration per cwt 4.23 .36 .10 .01 1.27 .11 Aver, daily gain in weight, Ibs . Aver, gain in height, inches . . . . 1.32 . 2.80 Aver, feed per pound gain.. . . 3.21 .08 .96 Second Winter: Oct. 15, 1923-Apr. 28, 1924196 days Feed per head . . . 112.00 2471.0 2704.8 Aver, gain in weight, Ibs 143.5 Aver, daily ration Aver, daily ration per cwt. . . .57 .04 12.61 .92 13.80 1.01 Aver, daily gain in weight, Ibs.. Aver, gain in height, inches . . .73 1.23 Aver, feed per pound gain .78 17.22 18.85 1 Year 4> Months: Dec. 11, 1922-Apr. 28, 1924504 days Feed per head 1490.35 3953.5 3607.6 Aver, gain in weight, Ibs 565.00 Aver, daily ration Aver, daily ration per cwt 2.96 .249 7.84 .659 7.16 .602 Aver, daily gain in weight, Ibs . Aver, gain in height, inches . . . . 1.12 . 7.25 Aver, feed per pound gain. .. . 2.64 7.00 6.39 TTie first five fillies, Illini Ella, Illini Ada, Illini Juliet, Illini Ida, Illini Juno, were bred by the University of Illinois. Ruth was bred by Hunt Brothers, Henry, 111.; Bonnie Decime, by Thomas Caygill and Sons. Linden, Wis.; Lenora, by William and Fred Finch, Verona, 111., Hildefonse, by George Frerichs and Sons, Gilman, 111.; and Genil- fonse, by F. D. Fruin, Gilman, 111. 19251 FEEDING PUREBRED DRAFT FILLIES 257 COST OF FEEDS Table 5 shows the cost of feeds at different prices. Of course, the extreme fluctuations in the prices of farm products make any cost table of more or less temporary value; but if one knows approximately the quantity of feed required to grow a horse a year, the cost may be calcu- TABLE 5. COST OF FEEDS PER HEAD (For feed prices, see bottom of page) Scale of prices A B c D E First Winter: Dec. 11, 1922-Apr. 30, 1923140 days Grain $ 8.42 $ 8.42 $ 7.64 $13.34 $12.72 Alfalfa and Sheaf Oats 15.17 15.09 11.51 25.22 24.53 Total 23.59 23.51 19.15 38.56 37.25 Cost per day. . . .169 .168 .137 .275 .266 Cost per pound gain .118 .118 .096 .193 .186 Summer: Apr. 30, 1923-Oct. 15, 1923168 days Grain $ 8.98 $ 8.98 $ 8.14 $14.23 $13.56 Alfalfa and sheaf oats 1.20 1.61 1.15 2.34 2.13 Pasture 15.50 15.50 15.50 18.60 18.60 Total 25.68 26.09 24.79 35.17 34.29 Cost per day .153 .155 .148 .209 .204 Cost per pound gain .116 .118 .112 .159 .155 Second Winter: Oct. 15, 1923-Apr. 28, 1924196 days Grain $ 1.41 $ 1.41 $ 1.28 $ 2.24 $ 2.14 Alfalfa and sheaf oats 33.29 36.23 27.11 57.94 55.23 Total 34.70 37.64 28.39 60.18 57.37 Cost per day. . .177 .192 .145 .307 .293 Cost per pound gain .242 .262 .198 .419 .400 Entire Period: Dec. 11, 1922-Apr. 28, 1924504 days Grain $18 81 $18 81 $17.06 $29 81 $28 42 Alfalfa and sheaf oats 49.66 52.93 39.77 85.50 81.89 Pasture 15.50 15.50 15.50 18.60 18.60 Total 83.97 87.24 72.33 133.91 128 91 Cost per day .167 .173 .144 .266 .256 Cost per pound gain .149 .154 .128 .237 .228 Feed Prices Oats per bushel A $ .40 B $ .40 C $ .35 D $ .64 $ .60 Bran, per ton 26.00 26.00 26.00 40.00 40.00 Alfalfa, per ton 16.00 14.00 11.00 25.00 25.00 Sheaf oats, per ton 10.00 14.00 10.00 20.00 18.00 Pasture, per acre 10.00 10.00 10.00 12.00 12.00 258 BULLETIN No. 262 [April, lated readily on the basis of current prices. Economical feeding should be the aim always, but poor feeding to lessen the cost of production is false economy. The average cost per head per day on the basis of the "A" prices was 16.7 cents. EXPLANATION OF FINANCIAL CHART The following chart, which is similar to ones which have been used at this Station in reports of steer and lamb feeding experiments, offers a quick method of estimating feed costs. Such estimates are of course less accurate when applied to the development of breeding Cost of oats pf t>u. Bran Line Total Cos t of Feed per Heocf Sheaf Oars Ltne Cost of Bmn 0 CN : Be 5 : : : : ' 1-1 : : a 1 {Aft ^ re x 4-1 e^.| R R-OT3 S . e" c c HJ flj D li . . be bo bo O O O 1 i ^ X X c*-o -a S H.S, "3^5^ of other roughage eat< t of other roughage pe of other roughage per feed per pound gain: ge a c. of trial, days :r of animals ige at beginning, days . c ; 2 V ^ 3 -! - 1 - b/; 3 pr -J H^ ^jh s? O O O R 3 fi.i %f > "* *^ *^ *r^ i h( _"c > > > > R o > > *., > * <3 ^ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA