210 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



the task of breaking them to lead will be insig- 

 nificant. The general care of the mule colt does 

 not differ materially from that of raising horse 

 colts. Generally, it is less liable to the diseases 

 which ordinarily affect horse colts, is less liable to 

 injury from accident because it will usually be 

 found amply able to take care of itself, and shows 

 a greater intelligence in extricating itself from dan- 

 gerous situations than the ordinary horse colt. 

 Where barbed wire pastures are used, it is very 

 seldom that a young mule is injured in the wire, 

 while it may be put down as almost an impossibility 

 to raise five or six horse colts under these condi- 

 tions without one or more of them being per- 

 manently injured by the wire. 



LIBERAL FEEDING A NECESSITY 



It is frequently stated that mules grow and de- 

 velop and perform their labor on less feed than is 

 necessary for horses. The truth of this idea is 

 to be seriously doubted. It is very unlikely that 

 the average mule will perform a given amount of 

 work on less feed than the average horse of the 

 same weight would consume in performing the 

 same work. However this may be, it is certain 

 that the best development of the growing animal 

 calls for liberal feeding. Under farm conditions, 

 it is almost always necessary to work the dam dur- 

 ing a considerable part of the summer, and un- 

 usually good care and feeding should be given her 

 in order to provide for a liberal flow of milk. The 

 colt will learn to eat a little bran when it is only a 

 few weeks old, and a feed box should be provided 

 and some crushed or ground grain, preferably oats, 

 should be kept where the young animals can eat a 



