Small Animal Tread Power, circa 1898

As farmers mechanized barn and farmyard work in the nineteenth century, they began to use stationary power sources. Some invested in animal treadmills, which used the same "endless belt" concept as modern exercise treadmills to convert animals' movement into power for a range of agricultural machinery. This version, designed for dogs, goats, or sheep, could run small machines like butter churns or cream separators.