282 PRODUCTIVE FEEDING OF FARM ANIMALS 
she should receive some succulent feed; good pasture is the ideal 
feed, but some roots or good, bright silage are valuable substitutes, 
and with oats, rolled barley, or wheat bran will favor the milk secre- 
tion. If this should be too rich or abundant and cause the foal to 
scour, he is allowed only a portion of the milk, and the last part 
is milked out, as this is always high in fat content, which is generally 
the cause of the trouble. 
In case the foal cannot have the dam’s milk, he may be raised 
successfully on fresh, warm milk from a healthy cow, preferably one 
giving milk of a low fat content. This is diluted with an equal 
part of warm water so as to bring the fat content down to the low 
per cent found in mare’s milk (p. 206); sugar and a little lime 
water are often added, but are not necessary. Raising a colt by the 
bottle requires a great deal of care, patience, and watchfulness, and, 
fortunately, is only necessary in exceptional cases. The suckling 
foal may be fed some sweet skim milk in five or six weeks and the 
amount gradually increased daily until in about three months it 
may be given freely three times a day in the place of new milk. At 
this age the foal will eat some grass, hay, or whole oats, which 
gradually become the more important part of his diet. Skim milk 
is continued so long as convenient during the first year. This, 
with grain and other feed that he receives, will develop his bone 
and muscles, which is a matter of first importance with the horse. 
He is kept on pasture (preferably blue-grass) and given oats mixed 
with wheat bran and a little cracked corn. According to Henry, 
the following amounts may be considered a fair allowance of grain 
for foals: Up to one year, two to three pounds per day; one to two 
years, four to five pounds ; two to three years, seven to eight pounds.® 
System of Feeding Horses.—There are great differences in 
the methods of feeding horses adopted by horsemen and farmers 
as to details in the manner of feeding, and no one method can 
give best results under all conditions and with different kinds of 
horses. The special method adopted must fit in with the working 
hours and the work the horse is required to do. It is generally 
considered necessary to feed the horse three times a day, although 
the noon meal is sometimes omitted without apparently impairing 
the working capacity of the horse. The heaviest meal, so far as 
hay is concerned, is given at night, the morning meal being next in 
amount, and the noon meal smallest, as he has then less time to 
eat; at least one-half hour is allowed after the morning and noon 
8 Feeds and Feeding,” 10th ed., p. 291; see also Alexander, “Care of 
New Born Foals,” Wisconsin Circular 13. 
