Feed weaned foals on a combination diet. Firstly, they should be fed good quality forage. They should have access to all the good quality hay they will consume and allowed all the voluntary exercise they want.
- Provide high-quality roughage (hay and pasture) free choice.
- Supplement with a high-quality, properly-balanced grain concentrate at weaning, or earlier if more rapid rates of gain are desired.
What should the foal eat before weaning?
Prior to weaning, the foal should be accustomed to eating solid feed. This is usually not a problem if the mare is being hard fed, as many foals are dipping into their dam’s feed bin by a few weeks of age.
How much to feed a baby foal?
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. To support smooth, steady growth, suckling foals should be offered one pound of a properly-formulated foal feed per month of age per day.
How long does it take to wean a foal?
Foals are typically weaned at four to six months of age. Prior to weaning, the foal should be accustomed to eating solid feed. This is usually not a problem if the mare is being hard fed, as many foals are dipping into their dam’s feed bin by a few weeks of age.
How much to feed a suckling horse?
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.
How much do you feed a weaning 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.
When should a foal start eating grain?
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 is the best food 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 long does it take for a foal to settle after weaning?
After about a month, he turns the group of weaned foals back out together, but by then they are confident and easy to handle. “Sight and sound are two of the most important things about weaning. If the baby can hear or see the mare, even a quarter-mile away, it's stressful on both the mare and foal,” notes Oliver.
What do you feed a weaned horse?
The forage source should be a high quality mixed (alfalfa and grass) hay or a fine-stemmed alfalfa hay. Mixed hay is preferred because of the more ideal balance (ratio) of calcium to phosphorus. Hay should be offered to the weanling at a rate of approximately nine to ten pounds per day.
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 foals eat pellets?
From the age of four months, a foal can be weaned; however, it is better to do this one or two months later. It is important that the foal eats sufficient foal pellets at the time of weaning, otherwise its condition could drop a lot. But don't be tempted to give too much concentrates during the weaning period.
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.
How do you take care of a weaning horse?
Weanlings require a more nutrient-dense diet and should be fed accordingly. Creep feeders must only allow access by the foal, be safe, sturdy and checked often. If possible, wean foals gradually or in groups with their peers in familiar environments. Ensure foals are eating their weaning ration prior to separation.
When can a foal go outside?
“Once the foal is 24 hours old, it can be turned out with its dam in a clean safe pasture, if the weather is good and it has bonded with the mare,” says Kaese. “Assuming the foal is healthy, exercise and sunshine are the best things for it.”
Will a foal self wean?
We found that most foals were weaned spontaneously between 9 and 10 months of age, and overall, that natural weaning induced no stress response in either partner and no sign of rejection from the dam.
Can you wean a foal at 3 months?
Typically, foals are weaned when they reach at least three months of age. However, for many foals, delaying weaning until they are four to six months old is recommended. At three months your foal has its own immune system starting to work. Prior to this age your foal relies on mum for immunity.
Can a foal eat 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.
How do I get my foal to eat grain?
Without the milk the foal will likely start eating more grain. I wouldn't put it on hay it will simply sift down. Just make sure she has access to a feed box or pail with a bit in it. Foals can be weaned at 4 months and if the foal has access to good pasture and hay, they will alright.
What can I feed my 4 month old foal?
(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).
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.
What is the purpose of hard feeds?
The hard feeds should provide the energy, protein, and minerals necessary to compensate for those not present in the forage. In addition, the grain should have sufficient levels of lysine, an amino acid essential for proper growth.
Is it stressful to wean a mare?
Weaning is a stressful time for foals. While mares are often ready to say good-bye to their rowdy charges, foals can be far more fretful and often enter a growth slump immediately following weaning . Therefore, proper nutrition is paramount.
How old do you have to be to feed a foal?
Let the foal eat as much of the Starter & Creep pellet it wants, until the foal is four months old or their Body Condition Score (BCS) becomes a 6. (On a 1 to 9 Scale) After 4 months of age, it is not necessary to feed milk to a weanling.
How to stop a foal from drinking milk?
After they start to suck and drink, slowly remove your finger from the foal’s mouth. If he stops drinking, repeat the above steps until he is drinking by himself. Always bring the milk up to the foal; do not force the foal’s head down into a bucket. The first day, warm the liquid milk replacer to encourage consumption.
How old do you have to be to give a foal a pellet?
If the foal is over 3 weeks old when orphaned, provide just the Foals First ® - Starter and Creep Pellets free choice. At this age their molars are in and they can easily chew and swallow the milk based pellets. Provide the Foals First ® - Starter and Creep Pellets free choice up to 4 months of age.
How much milk does a mare produce?
The average mare will produce 3.0%-3.5% of her body weight in milk per day. This means a 1,000 lb. (454 Kg.) mare will produce 30 to 35 pounds (14 to 16 Kg) or about 4 gallons (18 liters) of milk per day. Use the following chart to determine the size of the sire and dam, then the amount of milk replacer to feed the foal each day:
How to teach a foal to drink?
Teach your foal to drink by placing your finger in their mouths to stimulate the suckle reflex. While they are sucking, raise the small bowl containing the liquid milk replacer solution up to their muzzle. After they start to suck and drink, slowly remove your finger from the foal’s mouth.
How long does a mare have to secrete colostrum?
After foaling, the mare secretes colostrum for 24 to 48 hours. Foals will absorb colostrum for 12 to 24 hours after birth, or until an adequate amount of whole protein antibodies are absorbed through the small intestine.
Why give a foal milk?
Allowing the foal to drink a little at a time, as often as it wants, will result in fewer digestive upsets, improved milk digestibility, optimal weight gain and improved overall foal health.
How much does Foals milk replacer cost?
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
Can you use one company's feeding directions with another company's milk replacer?
One company’s feeding directions should not be used with another company’s milk replacer. You should follow the feeding directions provided on the label of the foal milk replacer you select.
What and When to Feed Foals
Some foals may require a little bit of extra nutritional help and can be fed small quantities of foal pellets or foal and yearling mix as these products are specifically designed to be fed in small quantities to aid in the healthy development of growing foals.
Creep Feeding Foals
Some mares may struggle to produce enough milk to feed their foals appropriately and will therefore need extra feed to sustain their own nutritional well-being. Just as free bonuses are helpful for playing at your favourite Canadian mobile casino, your mare may need a nutritional top-up.
The Dangers of Overfeeding Foals
A careful eye should be kept on thriving foals which seem to be doing particularly well, as surplus feeding may cause them to become quickly overweight.