what to feed a foal horse

^{Feeding the Newborn 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.
• Storing Colostrum. Because the first milk is critical to the newborn foal, horsemen are encouraged to store colostrum. ...
• Nutrient Content of Mare’s Milk. In addition to supplying the foal with antibodies, colostrum also contains high levels of vitamins, proteins and energy.

What do you feed a foal?

An important part of feeding foals is colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk that starts producing and secreting just before the mare starts foaling and continues for the next 24 hours after the foaling is done. This milk is high in antibodies (immunoglobulins), which are large protein molecules immunizing newborns from pathogens and infections.

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.

How much milk should I Feed my horse?

Only select products containing all milk proteins such as: Check the crude fiber, protein and fat content. Recommended levels for foals are: You should feed foals 20 to 25 percent of their body weight per day (NOT per feeding). Weigh the foal daily and adjust the daily feeding volume respectively as the foal grows.

What do you feed a weanling horse?

Feeding the Weanling. Once the foal is fully weaned from the mare, he should be provided with free-choice good-quality grass or mixed grass-legume hay and water, and a measured amount of concentrate. Concentrate should be offered at a rate of approximately 1-1.5% of the foal's body weight.

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.

What do you feed newborn horses?

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.

At what age do foals start eating hay?

As 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 should a 4 month old foal eat?

(A 4-month-old weanling should eat enough daily forage to equal between 0.5 and 1 percent of his body weight.) Think of him as a fussy toddler who won't eat his vegetables unless they're really tasty. Turn him out on a productive pasture or entice him with good-quality, palatable hay (fresh and clean, early-cut).

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.

What milk Can you give a foal?

Acidified milk replacers enhance the foals ability to digest nutrients and allows the milk to stay fresh longer. 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.

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.

What is the best mare and foal feed?

Purina® Omolene® #200, Strategy® GX or Ultium® Growth horse feed would be good choices, or Purina® Enrich Plus® Ration Balancing horse feed may be an option for mares that are easy keepers. During the tenth month of gestation the greatest amount of mineral retention occurs in the unborn foal.

Can foals eat apples?

Horses are programmed to eat small amounts of food on a continuous basis, so your horse will ALWAYS want another treat, but for his well-being, learn to say no. What to offer as treats. Almost any fruits, and many vegetables, are safe treats for healthy horses. Apples and carrots are traditional favorites.

Do foals Need grain?

In order to achieve a more rapid rate of gain, high-quality grains and forage should be added to the foal's diet. It is essential the ration be properly balanced for vitamins and minerals.

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.

What is the best feed for a yearling colt?

Yearlings should be a fed high-quality hay and a grain ration, spread out into smaller meals throughout the day. Since yearlings don't have their adult teeth yet, it is best to feed processed grains or pellets instead of whole grains for proper digestion and utilization.

Do baby horses drink milk?

In general, mare's milk provides all the nutritional needs of foals in the first six to eight weeks of life. By seven days old, foals drink 25% of their body weight in milk each day. Though milk is unquestionably the mainstay of a young foal's diet, the transition to traditional feeds may be swift.

How often should an orphan foal be fed?

Mare's milk replacers and goat's milk have also been used successfully to feed orphan foals. Foals should be fed every 1–2 hours for the first 1–2 days of life, then every 2–4 hours for the next 2 weeks at the rate of 250–500 mL per feeding, using a warmed milk container and an artificial nipple.

How do you make foal milk?

Homemade milk replacers are relatively easy to formulate. They generally consist of low-fat cow's milk (less than 2 percent butterfat content), water, lime water to reduce the incidence of diarrhea and an additive to increase both the energy content and palatability of the milk replacer.

How do you take care of an orphaned foal?

Scour Prevention and TreatmentEnsure the foal receives adequate colostrum and has good levels of serum IgG antibodies.Keep the foal's environment clean.Use an appropriate foal milk replacer. ... Avoid feeding more than the recommended amount of milk replacer or feeding large quantities of milk in a single meal.More items...

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 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 ...

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 does it mean when a horse's tissue turns over?

Tissues are all turning over at a great rate and this all means that it is during this time in a horse's life that those feeding the horse can probably have the greatest impact on the future health and athletic performance they will see from their horse.".

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 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 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.

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 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.

THE HEALTHY BROODMARE

Feeding for a healthy foal starts with feeding for a healthy broodmare, as the foal’s food source for the first few months of life will be milk produced by the mare. Of course, it is very important for the foal to receive colostrum, the mare’s first milk, shortly after birth, as it is high in antibodies that are needed for disease protection.

FIRST SOLID FOOD

Eventually, you will notice your foal will become more and more interested in the mare’s feed. at this point you may consider offering your foal a ‘creep feed’ formulated for the growing foal. creep feed is usually offered such that a foal can consume the feed, but the mare cannot.

MONITORING GROWTH RATE

It is very important to keep a keen eye on your foal’s growth rate during these early months of life. Developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) are skeletal conditions that commonly arise in growing horses, and include conditions such as physitis and osteochondritis dissecans (OcD).

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