The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1916-06-30
FARMER RUkES
ON COLTS
Keeping Colts in Good Shape
<
for Fair.
How To Feed Colts To Gain Good
Results In The Keeping

There is a larger number of colts on
the Reservation this year than there
has been here before. Most all these
colts are from good heavy mares and
are Of good quality. At, present l
know of about twenty (which are
owned by the Indian farmers. Each
farmer should keep in mind, the
Odanah Fair this fall, and every colt
should be entered. Competition at the
fair will have strong influence to-
ward the development of the live
stock idustry and will be instrVe-
tive. - ~..t'
The census shows that twenty five,
percent of. the annual colt crop in
Wisconsin is lost each, year, and the
cause in the majority of cases is from
improperly feeding and caring for
the mare about the time of foaling.
By feeding such feeds as.will keep di-I
gestive organs in good share and by
making sanitary conditions at foaiing
time, this loss can be greatly 80.
duced.
In order to keep the colt in a goo&::
growing condition the mare should
have a full ration of sucl2 feed as will
produce a good flow Of milk e., plenty
of grass and good timothy hay, with
five or six quarts Of oats and a quart
of wheat bran at each feed. The colt
should not be allowed to follow the
mare all day when she is working.
but should be kept in a large clean
well lighted stall. Care should be taxi
en- to not let the colt nurse .xs2ile the
mare is very hot for often il VIII cause
the colt to sour. Teach the colt to eatl
as soon as possible, by feeling the
mare in large box low down SO the
colt can. get little taste CT the feed
and he will soon learn.
After the colt is large enough tc
take away from it's mother a great
deal CT care should be taken, not to
let it become stanted for if colt be-
comes stunted during the first IL
months of It's life it will never de-
velop properly. A feed that is rccom7
mended as a good growing ration fo7].
draft colts is as follows: =,
so h., crushed oats, IS lbs. corn, 10
lbs., bran, and IS lbs, cut alfalfa, an2
feed from IL to Is lhs., to each colt
daily. We have not got the alfalfa; but
think with this grain mixture one
could get nearly as good results to al
low the colt all the nice bright clover
hay it will eat. 1t is not unusual for a
good draft cot that has been we'll
kept to weigh from 1000 to 1900
pounds at year old.
The Department Of Agriculture
shows that between the years of 1906
to 1909 there was an advance Of 1880
per head on the price of horses in Wis
eonsin, and ning 1909 another addi-
tional advance Of $14.0O per head was
made, and on April Is, 1910, the total
value of all the horses in the state was
S1O,115, 900. These figures show the
magnitude of the horse breeding indus
try, and the Importance of saving the
greatest number of foals each year.
Our own observations of the horse
market since 1910 will lead us to be-
lieve that since that time there has
been as much advancement made in
prices, if not more, than had been
made up to that time.
Every farmer should encourage the
business by raising more and better
horses and showing them at the home
fair. x a. =
e = C. Rukes.