660 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The different methods of weaning all have their advocates, and of 

 course every adherent to any specific plan is sure his is the best until the 

 loss of a colt by accident or so badly "stunted" in its growth that he is 

 finally obliged to try some other. 



As the final separation of dam and foal is the aim, it is probably (ex- 

 cept under peculiar circumstances) best to make it in the beginning and 

 never let them together again until fully weaned and the dam's milk prop- 

 erly dried up by hand milking. 



The weaning process should begin in the morning, by taking the dam 

 and colt out of sight and hearing of each other, and where two or more 

 colts are to be weaned it is best to put them in pairs (two together) in 

 box-stalls by leading the dams into the stalls with their foals and then 

 taking the mares out and leaving the colts together. 



"Two is company and three is a crowd" is the reason of putting two 

 together, as they will be company for each other, but three or more will 

 figM. One young colt alone in a box-stall is a veritable prison pen for it, 

 and if something desperate is not done soon it is really a wonder. 



Watch the colts closely the first day, but don't try to do anything with 

 them until along towards night, when it is a good plan to take some warm 

 skim-milk sweetened, in a shallow pan, and offer it to them to drink, but 

 the chances are two to one that they will refuse it, which should in no- 

 wise discourage the undertaking. Try again by getting the pan under the 

 colt's nose and suddenly raising it, which will dip the nose into the milk, 

 when the pan should be taken away and the colt left to work the matter 

 out for itself. You will see the colt licking the milk off its lips and 

 around its mouth, seeming interested and more contented, when it may 

 be tried again, and so on until within a few minutes the colt will be 

 drinking freely if it is thirsty. Water should never be offered the weaning 

 oolt until it has learned to drink warm, sweetened skim-milk, and then 

 that important part oif the work of growing the colt continuously until 

 maturity is well started. 



Warm separator milk for weanling colts, together with oats, bran, sweet 

 hay, and every-day exercise, is the surest road for well developed, sound, 

 serviceable, and valuable horses that has ever been tried by the writer in 

 an experience of nuore than half a century. 



Sweet skim^milk for weanling colts in small quantities (one or two 

 quarts twice a day) with their grain and hay seems to just fill out the 

 demands of nature in keeping the colt growing continuously, without the 

 usual stand-still, check in growth, or stunted condition too often met with 

 in connection with the weaning period. A little skim-milk (never whole 

 milk) and less water for the colts will keep them as round as logs, their 

 coats smooth, legs clean, and spirits vivacious. 



The amount of grain for the weanling colt should be governed by the. 

 size, appetite, and the digestive capacity of the individual colt, amounting 

 to what it will eat up clean and come hungry to the next meal, without 

 affecting the skin, legs, or bowels. Better feed too little than too much. 

 A set-back from overfeeding always means loss in growth and delay in 

 maturity. Remember that high feeding with horses or colts demands 

 plenty of exercise in connection, and the two together, combined with reg- 

 ularity, means the best for the colts and their owners. 



