HEALTH OF THE HORSE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 71, 23 February 1937, Page 4

HEALTH OF THE HORSE.

BENEFITS OF FISH MEAL. An excellent source of lime and phosphorus, two minerals, particularly important in bone formation, was fish meal, -said Mr A. R. Wannop, in a talk on the. “Farm Horse” to Scottish farmers recently. A most marked increase in’ growth, vigour and vitality of weaned foals had been noted on adding Jib. of fish meal to their daily concentrate mixture. For fear of their becoming overspirited, this amount should not be exceeded in the case of ordinary farm foals. It was in autumn and winter that it was most needed, and should be cut out in spring as soon as excessive friskiness was noticed. The cost should not exceed 7s 6d a foal a year, and might not be more than ss. The ' increase in the value of the animal could be measured in pounds. Equally successful results had been obtained in feeding the same quantity of fish meal to yearlings during winter. Similarly with work horses, Jib. fish meal addfid to the ordinary ration not only enabled them to work with more vigour, but prevented that tired, wornout appearance that one saw so frequently when the spring work was finished. Fish -meal should never be fed, however, to work horses standing idle in the stable, or to beasts that were normally restive or bad to handle. It should be introduced very gradually, mixed with oats, or the horse might not' eat it, and for all ordinary purposes Jib. was sufficient. Fish meal would, lie thought, be a useful food for street horses. Bone troubles in the legs were much more common ill street horses than in farm horses, the hard nature of streets generally being blamed. This might he correct, but, on the other hand, the street horse fed indoors all the year round, and, missing grass during summer received a ration deficient In lime and’ tending relatively to be oversupplied with phosphorus.

Dried grass is excellent for rapid, fattening, when growth. of all . the tissues is required. A- ration consisting of 81b. to 121 b. of dried grass, according to age, with good oat straw ad lib, will adequately replace concentrates and give an average daily live weight increase throughout the year of 2f to 2flb. The finish of animals so fed is good, and they grade well in comparison with grazing cattle.