what to feed a foal

5 Tips for Feeding Foals

1. Suckling Behavior. Newborn foals generally begin nursing from the mare within two hours of birth. By one day of age,...
2. Colostrum. Ensuring your foal ingests immunoglobulin (antibody)-rich colostrum, which is vital to boost his immune...
3. Mare’s Milk. The nutrient concentration of a mare’s milk varies based on several factors, including...

Full Answer

What should I Feed my foal once he’s born?

Once the foal arrives, nutrition continues to be vital for both mare and foal to support optimum growth and development. Read on for some essential advice to help produce a healthy youngster. During the first few months, most of the foal’s nutrition comes from milk, so the focus should be on feeding your mare to support optimum lactation.

What do you feed a nursing Mare?

During nursing, proper feeding of the dam ensures her milk production and quality are adequate for the foal. Creep feeding (feeding foals concentrate separate from mares) then provides nutrients as the mare's milk production begins to wane and minimizes the stress of weaning.

Do all foals need Creep feeding?

Not all foals need creep feeding. If you think your foal is faring well on the dam’s milk, forage, and concentrates, then there’s absolutely no need for extra nutrition. Don’t start creep feeding before 90 days of age. It is around this time that the mare’s milk starts to wane.

How much milk does a horse foal eat?

You will find a foal of 110 lbs consuming 15 liters of milk in a day. This can help you estimate how much your foal should be feeding on a daily basis. As an equestrian or a horse owner, it is an utmost duty for you to make sure that the production, quantity, and quality of the mare milk are sufficient for the youngling.

What is a good feed for foals?

Grass, the most natural of equine foods, should always be available when foals are turned out, and hay should be provided in the stall. Alfalfa (lucerne) or an alfalfa/grass mix will provide both energy and calcium for sound skeletal development. Water and salt should be accessible to mares and foals at all times.

How soon can a foal eat grain?

one weekAs early as one week of age your foal may start taking some interest in feed by nibbling at hay or grain. This initial interest may be just a way of imitating mom, but the foal soon learns to use these other sources of nutrition and his digestive tract quickly adjusts to solid food.

What do you feed a 6 month old foal?

6 months of age, feed up to 1# of foal ration per 100# body weight, plus at least 1# hay/100# weight. It is best to feed more hay, especially quality alfalfa hay. Overfeeding grain can cause a problem with the joints called epiphysitis; this occurs because of the low calcium and high energy in grains.

What do you feed a month old foal?

Foals this age will nibble dry feed, so provide Purina® Omolene® #300, Strategy® GX or Ultium® Growth horse feed in small meals throughout the day. They should be eating a minimum of 1 pound of dry feed per month of age per day, and nibbling small amounts of grass or hay in addition to milk replacer.

What age do you start feeding foals?

Foals are commonly weaned at four to six months of age.

Can foals eat alfalfa?

She says alfalfa is ideal for horses on high planes of nutrition, such as lactating broodmares, growing horses, thin horses, racehorses, performance horses, or young foals that aren't getting enough milk.

Can baby horses eat carrots?

Slice several carrots lengthwise, into “fingers” or take a bag of baby carrots. Carrots should never be fed in chunks because they can lodge in a horse's throat and cause suffocation.

What can I feed my 4 month old foal?

By the time the foal is 4 months old, he must supplement his nursing with other food sources, such as forage (hay and pasture) and grain.

What can I feed my 3 month old foal?

To support smooth, steady growth, suckling foals should be offered one pound of a properly-formulated foal feed per month of age per day. For example, a 3-month-old would ideally be eating about three pounds of feed per day, in addition to milk and free choice hay or pasture.

Can a foal drink cow's milk?

After ingestion of colostrum, foals require a continuous supply of milk. Commercially available milk replacers specifically formulated for foals are an option. Alternatively, unmodified goat's milk or 2% cow's milk with 20 g/l of dextrose (not sucrose) added can be used.

Do foals eat hay?

Foals learn to eat hay and concentrates. If foals are on pasture, it might take them longer than if they spend part of every day in a stall observing the dam. This might involve creep feeding.

Can foals drink water?

Foals drink water less frequently than adults, and their drinking bouts are shorter. The duration has been measured at around a half a minute in foals, while an adult can drink as long as one minute.

What is the importance of feeding a foal?

A foal’s diet is critical to development, disease prevention, and future performance. Proper nutrition throughout the foal's first year of life can impact his musculoskeletal health and his future performance as an athlete. The growing foal passes through three important nutritional phases: nursing, creep feeding, and weaning.

What are the phases of a foal's growth?

The growing foal passes through three important nutritional phases: nursing, creep feeding, and weaning. L. intracellularis is a bacterium that causes proliferative enteropathies ...

What is the purpose of a creep feeding dam?

Creep feeding (feeding foals concentrate separate from mares) then provides nutrients as the mare's milk production begins to wane and minimizes the stress of weaning.

What is intracellularis in horses?

L. intracellularis is a bacterium that causes proliferative enteropathies (a spreading disease of the intestines) in a variety of species—including horses. In horses. A foal’s diet is critical to development, disease prevention, and future performance. Proper nutrition throughout the foal's first year of life can impact his musculoskeletal health ...

How much foal feed should a 3-month-old eat?

For example, a 3-month-old would ideally be eating about three pounds of feed per day, in addition to milk and free choice hay or pasture.

What is needed for a horse to grow?

Young, growing horses have different requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals than adult horses. A proper balance of high-quality proteins, calories, calcium and phosphorus is needed for correct muscle, bone and tendon development.

How much should a horse's weight be by 6 months?

As a general rule, foals should reach approximately 50 percent of their mature weight and 80 percent of their mature height by six months old. Plotting your weanling horse’s height and weight over time should show a smooth, steady growth curve with no obvious peaks or valleys.

How much does a horse grow before weaning?

Prior to weaning, the foal is growing at a rapid rate of about 2-2.5 pounds per day. This growth gradually slows after the foal becomes a weanling horse—to about one pound per day as they approach 12 months of age.

When do horses start showing interest in feeds?

Foals will start to show interest in feeds very early on and, by around two months of age, their mother’s milk will no longer supply all the nutrients needed for optimum growth.

Does weaning affect forage intake?

The ability of the weanling’s digestive system to digest forages also increases post-weaning, as does their daily forage intake. Therefore, the proportion of the diet as feed may not continue to increase, and may actually decrease, if forage quality is excellent.

Can a weanling horse eat dry feed?

A weanling horse already accustomed to eating an adequate amount of dry feed will transition to life without mom much easier and will be ready to maintain nutrient intake at a level that can sustain optimum growth.

What is creep feed for foals?

Hence, most breeders offer foals a creep feed, which is a milk-based pellet fed free-choice in a feeder only foals can access. These contain high-quality sources of energy, amino acids, and balanced minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorus. Creep feeding’s advantages include higher average daily gain and decreased weaning stress.

How much milk does a mare need?

Study results have shown that foals older than one day can consume around 30 pounds of milk per day (slightly more than 3 gallons).

How much milk should I feed my foal?

Weigh the foal daily and adjust the daily feeding volume respectively as the foal grows. You can gradually increase the milk volume you feed and decrease how often you feed. The average foal should gain about 2 pounds daily.

How much should a foal gain?

The average foal should gain about 2 pounds daily. If the foal doesn’t gain weight, increase the volume of feed or how often you feed. A general rule for feeding healthy foals is to feed every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours through the night for the first two weeks.

How long does it take for a foal to absorb colostrum?

The foals gut best absorbs the colostrum within 6 to 12 hours after birth. By 18 to 24 hours of age, it absorbs much less. In general, a 100-pound foal needs 2 to 3 quarts of colostrum within 6 to 8 hours of age.

How long does it take for a mare to absorb milk?

Colostrum is the first milk a mare produces. It’s rich in antibodies that protect the foal from infection until their immune system fully develops. Foals don’t receive any antibodies prior to birth and thus, depend on colostrum. The foals gut best absorbs the colostrum within 6 to 12 hours after birth. By 18 to 24 hours of age, it absorbs much less.

What is the best alternative to mare milk?

The best alternative to colostrum is antibodies from equine plasma, which is given by your veterinarian. The best alternative to mare’s milk is an equine milk replacer.

How much dextrose should I add to cow's milk?

There are a couple ways to add dextrose to cow’s milk. You can add 40 milliliters of 50 percent dextrose solution to each quart of milk. You can add a 2-ounce package of jam/jelly pectin to every 3 quarts of milk.

Is goat milk better than mare milk?

Goat's milk is the second best alternative to mare's milk. The fat content of goat milk is higher than mare’s milk but is easier for the foal to digest than cow’s milk. There are disadvantages to goat’s milk including: Comes in a small packaged volume. It’s costly.

What is the most important meal for a foal?

Colostrum: The Foal’s Most Important Meal. Colostrum is the first milk secreted by the mare immediately before foaling and up to 24 hours after foaling. It contains extremely high levels of antibodies, which are large protein molecules capable of transmitting immunity against disease. Colostrum is nature’s way of allowing ...

What is the second half of feeding a foal?

The second half is the foal’s consumption of colostrum, the dam’s first milk.

How much colostrum should a mare eat?

Colostrum should be collected only from heavily producing mares or mares who have lost their foals. Generally, foals consume 4 to 6 ounces of colostrum per feeding. Heavily milking mares produce higher levels of colostrum than the foal is capable of consuming during these early meals.

How long after birth can a foal take colostrum?

Because of the decreased antibody absorption by the foal and decreased antibody presence in the milk, colostrum must be consumed within 15 hours after birth (Figure 1). Foals failing to receive colostrum within this time limit will be more susceptible to infectious diseases. Ideally, the foal should stand and nurse within 30 minutes ...

How long should a foal be nuzzled?

Foals should not be expected to hit the ground running. To the contrary, the foal should be permitted to lie, rest and be nuzzled by the mare for at least 30 minutes after foaling. Under normal conditions, a newborn foal attempts to stand under its own power within 45 minutes following birth.

What is the recommended immunoglobulin level for horses?

Immunoglobulin levels of 800 to 1,000 mg/dl are required for foals in particularly stressful situations. Foals subjected to unsanitary conditions or to many horses entering and leaving the premises will require higher immunoglobulin levels to maintain adequate protection.

How to wash a mare before milking?

Thoroughly wash and rinse the mare’s teat area with soap and warm water before hand milking. The washing process will disinfect the teats, limit the possibility of introducing disease to the foal and have a massaging effect on the mare’s udder.

DECISION ONE

Orphaned or rejected foals can be raised on a leased Nurse Mare or on the Foals First ® Milk Replacer

Pro and Con in Using a Leased Nurse Mare

You can turn a nurse mare with grafted foal out with the other mares and foals in the pasture.

Pro and Con Statements for Milk Replacers

Foals First ® Milk Replacer Powder including shipping currently costs approximately $90/22lb. bucket, with an average of 11 buckets needed from birth to weaning time at 2 months of age

What is the best food for a foal?

Weanlings need good-quality protein containing the essential amino acids lysine, threonine and methionine for growth. Consider feeds with peas, linseed and soya, which have an excellent amino acid profile.

What is the most demanding period in a mare's life?

Lactation itself is the most physiologically demanding period in a mare’s life. A lactating mare gives 3% of her body weight daily in milk production and nutrient requirements are greater than any other class of horse, except racehorses in full training! During peak lactation (0-3 months), your mare’s energy requirements are double that ...

What are the guidelines for feeding a foal?

Here are some guidelines to help you meet the young horse's needs: 1. Provide high-quality roughage (hay and pasture) free choice. 2.

What is the best way to care for a foal?

A regular deworming, vaccination and examination schedule is essential to ensure your foal is getting the care it needs. Remember, vaccination and deworming regimens may vary depending on regional factors and disease risks. Consult your equine practitioner for exact recommendations.

How long does it take for a foal to change its diet?

Increases or decreases in feed should be made gradually over a 7 to 10 day period. THE FOAL'S CHANGING DIET. As early as 10 to14 days of age, a foal may begin to show an interest in feed. By nibbling and sampling, the youngster learns to eat solid food. Its digestive system quickly adapts to the dietary changes.

How long does it take for a mare to wean?

To prepare the foal for complete weaning, its ration should be increased over a two to three week period to make up for the nutrients being lost in the diminishing milk supply.

How much should a weanling eat?

Once the foal is no longer nursing, a 500 to 600 pound weanling should be eating betweenapproximately two to three percent of its body weight in feed and forage a day. SUSTAINING GROWTH. Weanlings and yearlings continue to build bone and muscle and mass at a remarkable rate.

When should a mare and foal be confined?

If you observe a foal’s limbs to be shaking, weak, or if the mare cannot keep up with the adult horses in a herd, the mare and foal need to be confined until the foal is rested. · Keep your youngster's feet properly trimmed to foster proper bone development.

How much weight can a foal gain?

From birth to age two, a young horse can achieve 90 percent or more of its full adult size, sometimes putting on as many as 3 pounds per day.