The Southern herald., 1885-11-28
CARE OF COLTS


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Colts.
Horses are q kind Of live stock which
are left largely to take ears Of them
selves. in a certain sense. We busy
ourselves about cur cattle. sheep and
swine. How shan we feed-Whst shall
we do to make the cali. the lamb and
the pig more valuables we ask time
and time again. But the colt comes.
grows and reaches maturity under
about the same treatment that has been
common for hundreds OF years. True
enough. the system Of management
that IS generally adopted is not a bad
one. AT all events, il answers. But
that is not quite enough in these days
when we wish to produce perfection as
nearly As possible. Are our horses as
good as they might be if the growing
animals were fed at all times upon )
strictly scientific basis? None Of Us
viii give an Affirmative answer to the
question, if we properly understand the
effect of feeding. The horse is Yalua-
bic in proportion to the development
Of its muscle. A weak horse Is very
poor property strong horse a good
property. Consequently the food given
the colt and young horse, and in fact
the mature horse, needs to be largely
Of the muscle-fOrming character. Their
food does not need, and must not con-
tain, so large a proportion of the car
bOnaceOus elements as do those which
are fed to hesh-prOducing animals. In
the latter case conspicuous part Of
the object in feeding is fat, while in the
former case we want to produce only a
moderate amount of fat and a great deal
Of muscle. Very often the horse is fed
entirely too much corn. As portion
of the horses food. and even Of the
colts, corn is good, but to feed colt
too much of this specially fat produe-
ing food, is ruinous.
Now when the colt is getting Its food
from the dam it is getting the following
elements, which is the composition Of
mares milk: Casein. $40 per cent. /;
butter, ESQ; milk sugar, S.52; ash 05S,
and water 90.05 per cent In mares
milk the dry matter, that is, food, is
about ten per cent, 995 per cent, to
be exact and something more than
one-third Of this is casein. The milk
of the mother of the colt, therefore,
furnishes one part of the muscle form
ing food to two parts of the earbona-
ceOus elements. With this lesson of
nature before us we make a mistake
when we feed too largely food which
contains SO large a proportion of
starch as corn, barley, etc. II the dam
gives sufficient milk, the colt will need
nothing else for six months. But il
the mare should give an insufficient
quantity, IT must be supplemented with
something else, for we think it must be
stated as fact whether 1t is always OBJ
servable or not, that a colt that is in
sufficiently nourished during the first six
months of its life, never RECEIVERS what
it thus loses Its slowness of growth,
under such circumstances, is not the
worst of it. It's digestion becomes
weakened. The stomach Of the young
animal, unless extended by sufficient
quantity of food, becomes contracted,
and so when it is weaned, it does moi
hold enough to furnish the system with
what it needs Young animals. it must
be remembered, can not grow on moth.
ing. 1t is their food that gives them
growth, and the more food they utilize
the more rapid will be their growth.
II the dam, after generous feeding to
that end, docs not give enough milk ia
satisfy the colt, the ration should be in.
creased by giving cows milk, which is
nearly the same in composition to thai
Of the mare. We advise giving fresh
milk first, under such circumstances,
but skim milk may soon be given; thai
contains precisely the elements which
the growing system most stands in
need Of Two quarts a day, given in
the morning and at night, is about the
proper amount for a colt two month.
old. Some sweeten it little, and it j.
a good plan, although but very little
sugar should be added. The colt may
be allowed to eat oats as soon as 4
will, and before it is weaned, we woulC
give little linseed meal with oats, anC
thus teach it to eat it. Linseed meal !!
excellent food for a colt. One breeder
writes that he gave to colt eigh
months old a half pint of faxseeC
boiled in four quarts of water, and ther
two quarts Of bran or oatmeal bolet
with it, fed twice day in equal parts