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Show LIVESTOCK I CARE AND FEED OF COLTS. Much depends on the breed and parantagc of a colt, but much also depends upon the way the colt is fed and otherwise cared for. Neglect Ne-glect and starvation will stunt and kill any animal, while good feed1 and good care will make a trim-looking hofeafcouupr a scrub. Even a muie bred colillWDcomcscriibby-look-ing when kept in scnttbby surroundings surround-ings and fed on scrubby feed. The colt is first fed twough the mare before it is born. ll is next fed through the marc after it is foorn. At this early period in the colt's life the mare should be given feed such as bran, oats, shorts, and clover hay that will produce an abundant flow of milk. An exclusive diet of corn and timothy hay 'd'ocs not contain enough protein. The marcshould be fed liberally with rich feeds and watered several times each day. When the mare is working in warm weather do not let the colt take nourishment from her while she is heft. It is best for colt, marc and driver to always leave the colt in the stall or lot while the team is working. Let tire young colt early learn to cat feed with its mother from the feed box and allow it the run of some good pasture after it is ai few wctks old. In this way it will be able to secure more nourishment for its own needs and will not be compelled to draw so .heavily upon the marc. Its digestive organs will aquirc the pow-ar pow-ar of digesting solid feeds and it will practically wean itself in due time. Since muscle, bone lung power and stamina are essential qualifications of a good horse, the colt should be allowed al-lowed free range in pasture a good part of the time. It should be induced indu-ced to exercise much and regularly for strong daVclopemcnt of limbs, without which no horse can be highly high-ly efficient. After the colt has been deprived ot its mother's milk and placed exclusively exclu-sively on other feed, it should be given giv-en about all it will cat at all times. Never let a colt get poor and become stunted, or a small and inferior horse will be the result. Furnish it an abundance of rich feeds at all times, even though some of the feeds must be purchased away from the farm. Give it plenty of oats, wheat, bran and I clover hay, all of which contain pro- I tein and mineral niattcr for building 6 muscle and bone. Allow it plenty I S free exercise so it wilTOigcst and K assimilate these heavy nitrerrous Ik ,-ccdS ll Ruiy farmers make the mistake 1 jflfkimping the feeding oP qolts, cs- f 1 ccially at times when feeds arc 1 scarce. This is poor business economy. econo-my. There is no animal on the farm 1 that sells for more per pound than ' does the young horse, and the feeds given it will bring high, returns. For instance, a two-year-old colt of only ordinary stock, weighing 800 pounds, will sell for $100, which is 12J4 cents per pound by wcjght, at least 50 per cent more thali the best steer will bring. In many cases every cxtn pound of flesh -'put on the colt will make it sell for from 20 cents to 25 cents more per pound by weight. The colt in winter should be kept fat and growing. This is accomplish- ' cd by giving it regular daily feeds of I grain in addition to hay and other rough feeds. The colt that comes i through winter fat and round is growing grow-ing and in a good way to grow. The colt that is allowed to get poor and hide-bound in winter becomes stunted, stunt-ed, and requires half the following summer on good pasture to round out and start to grow again. It has been so reduced in flesh and weakened weak-ened in vitality that it can never regain re-gain the loss, hence grows up to be an under-sized and weak animal. The colt that is kept growing vigorously vig-orously from start to finish on good, nutritious feeds and through good treatment and shelter in bad weather will grow to be large, strong and have character and spirit. By good treatment an ordinary colt can be made to grow as large as cither dam or sire. This is not always done, yet it is easily possible in nearly every case. A grade, or -even common stock, colt can be made to grow Into as beautiful an animal as a pure-bred and top the market at maturity with right care and feeding. .r |