Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-11
THE CARE OF COLTS.

GAS the twig is bent SO grows the
tree" is an old saying that conveys
"more truth than poetry" Many people
seem to think if they can save few dol
lars by stinting colt that they have
gained Just so much, while the fact is, in
nine cases out of ten, they have not only
suffered an equal, but much greater
loss.
starvation, carelessness, and neglect
have ruined more good colts than all
other causes combined. We have known
people who were very critical in the
selection of a suitable sire with which
to mate their mares and who were will
ling to pay fair price for his services,
but after the arrival of the foal were too
stingy and careless TO take proper care of
it. This is "bung-hole economy" in the
extreme, and can never bring about any
thing but dissatisfaction and loss. If
you mean to neglect your colt, LET him
shift for himself and grow up like a
neglected weed; you had better not
breed one at all, as you will not only lose
your time and money, but meet with sad
Disappointment in the end. People have
been trying for centuries to produce
something from nothing and have always
failed, and it is not worth your while to
try. as YOU are not bit smarter than
they were and Just as certain to fail.
There is a fixed immutable law in nature
that governs all growth and development
in both the vegetable and animal king
doms and one of the prime conditions is
that all development Is the effect of
nourishment. If your mare is a good
mixer give her plenty to eat and she
will take care of the foal till it is three
months old, and then you can begin to
feed him on oats and bran, and by the
time he is five months old he will be able
to eat and digest sufficient quantity to
supply all the nourishment he requires,
and you can then wean him.
After he is weaned do not be afraid of
feeding him too much, and do not bother
about measuring the feed out to him in
pounds, pints or quarts, but give him all
the oats-ground oats is better than the
whole grain-bran, hay, and grass that
he viii eat, and a place to take all the
exercise he desires, and he will not eat
an ounce more than is good for him.
DO not neglect his feet by any means,
as you can not afford this any better
than you can afford to starve him. As
colts usually run in pasture fields until
they are weaned the feet grow quite fast
and are worn oil very slowly, and hence
they soon become too long, out of proper
proportion and will need to be trimmed.
As the shell on the front part Of the
hoof is much thicker and stronger than
on the rear part it wears away slower,
and, as a consequence, by the time the
colt is five months old and ready to
wean, his feet are out of proper shape
and balance. The longer the toe grows
the higher it becomes raised in proper
/ ton to the heel, and the more unbalanced
the foot becomes and the greater the
strain on the back tendOns of the leg.
If the foot is not trimmed and balanced
by cutting this of, ana this strain on the
back tendOns allowed to continue, the
colt will from this unnatural tension of
the back cord become crooked i'm the
pastern Joints, and if neglected too long,
crippled for life. Hundreds OF good
colts have been crippled for life. Hun
dreds OF good colts have been ruined
from neglect just in this way and have
gone through life as permanent cripples,
when, with a little attention at the
[ proper time, they would have been fast
,and useful horses. Examine all your
colts and have their feet trimmed and
properly balanced at weaving time, and