River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-04-23
HANDLING YOUNG ANIMALS.
Much Depends Upon Early Training
and Care.

All farm animals by instinct and
Inheritance are wild when born. They
are timid in the presence of man.
Little pigs and chickens will run and
try to hide at the approach of human
beings. 1t is the instinct of self
preservation. Wild animals were
hunted by man, and this dim inherit
ed memory in our young domestic
animals tells them to flee when the
enemy approaches.
There. is also an inherited instinct
in domestic animals of mans care, i'm
planted in their minds through a few
generations of association with hui
man beings. By reason of this latter
inherited remembrance all domestic
animals may be easily tanned if taken
in hand when young. The time to be-
gin is when the animals are but a day
old. The sooner work is begun with
them the sooner and better will they
submit to human treatment. An old
animal which has never been handled
during it's infancy is very, difficult to
tame A striking illustration of this
is in the case of western horses
brought to the agricultural states.
They are very difficult to tame and
break to work because they have
never been handled, but have led a
wild life all through their growing
period. Some western horses are
never fully broken, their wild traits
coming to the surface even in adj
vanced years.
1t is very unpleasant, and often
dangerous, to have animals about the
farm that are always running away,
kicking, putting, biting, bucking AID
a host of other tricks which we call
mean. These habits are mean from
our point of view, says Farmers
Voice, but probably virtue from
the animals point of view. They are
giving back what they have re-
ceived. If they had been kindly
handled, sheltered and fed regularly
during their young, growing period,
they would have been gentle when
they grew to maturity. When an ami
NAL forms habit, either good or bad,
that habit is a part of it's life as long
as it lives.
The quiet, gentle animal is the one
in which there is the most money.
This is true of horses, cows-either
dairy or beef-hogs, sheep and poul-
try. The absolutely gentle horse is
almost a priceless farm animal. Nc
success can be made with dairy cows
nopfnotIU 0Qnt10
beef cattle must feel contented and
gentle to take on profitable flesh. The
wild, timid hog will not fatten like
the tame one. 1t is similarly true OF
all other farm animals. No domestic
animal that is always afraid will
prove profitable All animals should
be trained so that the presence of hui.
man beings will not frighten them;
they should be taught confidence in
our treatment
Animals appreciate kindness and hui
man sympathy, even more than we
suspect. 1t is possible to be kind to
animals, and yet not sympathetic. Ii
the person who handles them is truly
sympathetic, the response these dumt
creatures give is something truly won
derful. Some people even love their
animals, especially horses and dairy
COWS. 1t is difficult to draw the line
between sympathy and love, but the
farmer who is sympathetic in the
handling of his stock is the one who
will succeed with them. We should
have feeling for our domestic animals
and not be content when we know
that any of them are suffering in
any way.