Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-08-22
Feeding Mare and Foal.


The eventual value of the foal de-
ponds a great deal on how the young
ster is fed at this time of the year,
when on account of drouth the pas
ture grasses have become scant and
flies cause animals untold misery.
Well is 1t for the man who has pro-
videa an ample supply Of green fodder
:or the eking out of the grass supply.
We we'll remember the success Of a
certain well known breeder Of heavy
horses in Wisconsin whose foal crop
was always developed in manner
that astonished everyone. This gentle
man attributed his success to the way
in which he fed the mares going upon
grass. 1t was his custom to provide
strip of fodder corn thickly sown be-
side the pasture. The strip was about
ten rods wide and the seed was drop
ped from a seeder. So as to plant 1t
thickly the alternate spouts were shut
off. This corn came up "as thick as
hair on a dog" as he used to say, and
when the pasture grass began to dry
up was ready for cutting as an adjunct
food. The brood mares and foals were
kept in the barn during the day time In
wide we'll ventilated box stalls If they
were to be shown at the fall fairs, or
| in sheds II they were not to be shown.
When turned out in the evening they
were given a good feed of this corn
which was cut and thrown over the
pasture fence at the rate Of large
armful for each mare. Having been
| fed feed of oats and bran before be-
ing turned out this filled them up and
they did not require to range all over
the pasture or bite it too close. 1t
was found well to conserve the pas
lures so that when the fall rains came
they would be in good shape to send
up a strong, quick growth OF new
| grass. The first thing in the morn
ing the corn was again cut and eaten
by the mares and they were then
turned into box stalls or sheds as the
case might be and here given a full
feed of oats and bran, mixed with cut
hay. In the pastures and yards there
was a supply Of fresh water at all
times which the mares and foals could
take at will and the foals were early
accustomed to eat at the same time
as their dams. They had their troughs
separate from those containing the
grain rations of the mares and these
were well filled with the same mixture
of grain and finely cut hay but the
grain was crushed and wetted This
was given to the foals morning, noon
and night, and the mares fed in the
same way on grain and bran along
with the green corn and grass always
had a full flow of milk SO that the
foals came along in the fastest pos
sible manner whereas foals kept by
neighbors in the usual way made a
sorry appearancein comparison. 1t pays
to feed in this manner so that the
foals may be kept steadily growing
despite the warm, dry weather of sum
mer and long dry spells such as we
have been experiencing and there is no
cheaper food than corn fodder for the
mares, nor do we know Of any other
crop that will produce so much from
given area II the seed be put in at
| intervals of week or ten days for
| three or four successive seedlings so as
to have green corn right along for
long period Of time. The mares do
wonderfully well on this feeding and
| their milk seems 10 secrete freely and
afford the highest possible nourish-
ment for the foals which are at all
times sleek-skinned and thrifty. 1t is
a much better plan than feeding the
foals nothing but their dams milk and
keeping the latter in the pasture, a
practice which is besides ruinous to
| the pasture. Where additional feed Is
not given 1t is little wonder that the
heavily taxed mare will eat the heart
out of the pasture in search Of suffi-
Gent food for herself and foal, and
where such drafts are made upon the
pasture in a dry spell 1t will often be
found impossible to bring the grass
back in its former strength when well
come rain come towards fall. There
is a double or treble economy in
keeping the mares and their foals off
grass in the day time, feeding corn
| fodder night and morning and grain,
bran and cut hay ration three times
daily. II the plan outlined were more
generally followed there would be
wonderful improvement in the class OF
horses annually raised on the farms
OF the country.