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.
Full Answer
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.
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 often should I Feed my Baby foal?
Here is the deal about foal feeding in the early days: Usually, the foal nurses on mare milk for at least 3-4 times each hour. However, within the first month, the feeding frequency will be reduced to only once an hour.
Is it normal for foals to eat hay?
Both behaviors are normal. 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. “Creep feeding allows pre-weaning adaptation to a post-weaning nutritional program as well as other benefits.
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 do you feed a month old foal?
A foal should be encouraged to drink freshly prepared milk out of a bucket, ad lib, early in life. After 1 month, the foal can be encouraged to eat grain mixes (with ≥18% crude protein designed for growing foals) and good-quality hay in addition to the milk or milk replacer.
What is the best 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
What nutrients do foals need?
Consequently, by the time the foal is two-three months of age, mare's milk and free-choice hay or pasture will fall short of meeting the growing foal's requirements for important nutrients such as protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and other minerals and vitamins.
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?
Many of us like to feed our horses apples as treats. But excessive amounts of fruit can become too much of a good thing. A belly full of apples or any other fruit can cause colic or other complications. 1 You probably should not feed your horse more than one or two pieces of fruit.
What is creep feed for foals?
Creep feeding is simply a method of feeding foals so that they have access to feed that the mare doesn't. Creep feeders allow foals to become accustomed to eating solid feed before weaning time, reducing stress.
What nutrients do foals need?
Consequently, by the time the foal is two-three months of age, mare's milk and free-choice hay or pasture will fall short of meeting the growing foal's requirements for important nutrients such as protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and other minerals and vitamins.
How long do you bottle feed a foal?
Foals well adapted to dry feed at 1 pound per month of age per day can be successfully weaned off liquid milk replacer at 3 months of age.
When should foals be weaned?
between 4 and 7 monthsWeaning is usually done somewhere between 4 and 7 months of age, although some ranches leave their foals on the mares a bit longer. After 4 months of age, the foal's nutritional requirements exceed that provided by the mare's milk, and most foals are eating grain and forage on their own.
Can you feed a foal 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 is the best feed for a foal?
Colostrum and milk should provide the foal with necessary nutrients and immunoglobulins from birth to weaning. Breeders can use creep feed to ensure the foal is receiving adequate nutrition daily and to help decrease weaning stress. When faced with an orphaned or rejected foal, a nurse mare or mare’s milk replacer can help meet the foal’s nutritional needs.
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).
What do foals eat?
Foals will actively seek out solid food within the first few days of life, and many will try to consume their dams’ feed (whether Mom is willing to share is another story). 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 does a foal grow in a day?
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. 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.
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.
Why are weanling horses growing?
Weanling horses are growing to their genetic potential when they are being fed a well-balanced diet in amounts to maintain slight cover so ribs aren’t seen but are easily felt.
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.
What percentage of protein is in economy feed?
An economy-type feed that has a seemingly adequate amount of crude protein (14-16 percent) will likely not supply sources of protein that are easily digestible or provide the correct ratios of amino acids. Now is not the time to skimp on nutrients!
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.
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.
What is the relationship between protein and DOD?
Excessive protein (greater than 16%) was incriminated as a cause of DOD in the 1970s but subsequent studies have not revealed a direct relationship between high protein rations and DOD. Weanlings fed rations deficient in protein (less than 12%) had reduced growth rates and poor bone mineralization compared to weanlings fed rations which were higher in protein. Restricting protein in a rapidly growing foal’s ration will not result in improved bone growth and may actually be detrimental to the animal.
What minerals are bad for horses?
Mineral imbalances have been well documented to cause DOD. Deficiencies of calcium, phosphorus and/or copper all result in defective bone maturation. Zinc toxicity and perhaps deficiency also have resulted in lesions, though the effects of simple zinc deficiency are not well documented. The optimal intakes of copper and zinc for young horses have not been well defined. Current recommendations for mineral content of rations for foals less than 1 year of age are given in Table 1.
Can foals get obese?
Don’t let the foal get obese (obvious crease down the back, ribs can not be easily felt) or excessively thin (ribs easily visible, hip bones prominent, hair coat dull and shaggy). If group feeding foals and mares, monitor their condition daily and feed any excessively thin or fat foals separately.
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.
Why do horses need acidified milk?
Acidified milk replacers enhance the foals ability to digest nutrients and allows the milk to stay fresh longer.
How much dextrose to add to milk?
You can add 40 milliliters of 50 percent dextrose solution to each quart of milk.
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.
What are the disadvantages of goat milk?
There are disadvantages to goat’s milk including: Comes in a small packaged volume. It’s costly. Has a greater risk of constipation. Plus sign (+) if content is closed, 'X' if content is open. Cow’s milk. Compared to mare’s milk, cow’s milk has less sugar and twice the fat.
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 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 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 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.
What is a healthy mare's milk?
A healthy mare’s milk provides all of the energy and nutrients a foal needs to support rapid, but steady, growth. Foals often nibble at grass or the mare’s rations, and they can even be seen eating the feces of adult horses. Both behaviors are normal.
How long do foals eat?
What Foals Eat When: The First Days, Weeks, Months. “The foal appears to make feeding the second priority after breathing,” is a common quote among veterinarians and equine nutritionists. Indeed, a foal is driven to stand within an hour of birth and nurse within two hours. “A foal’s most important meal is that first milk, colostrum, ...
How long does it take for a foal to nurse?
Indeed, a foal is driven to stand within an hour of birth and nurse within two hours.
How much milk does a mare need?
The mare’s colostrum will be replaced by milk within about 24–36 hours. Generally, a foal weighing 110 lb (50 kg) will consume approximately 15 liters of milk daily.
Can foals be weaned?
Many foals are weaned during this period, although timing of weaning is variable. The large intestines of foals have been developing over the past few months and now contain the appropriate microorganisms needed to ferment forage. Weaning can be stressful.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is the reward for providing excellent nutrition, conscientious care and a safe environment?
The reward for providing excellent nutrition, conscientious care and a safe environment will be a healthy foal that grows into a sound and useful horse.
What are the deficiencies in foal rations?
It is essential the ration be properly balanced for vitamins and minerals. Deficits, excesses or imbalances of calcium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, selenium and vitamin E are of particular concern in the growing foal. Improper amounts or ratios can lead to skeletal problems.
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 much should a 500 pound 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.
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
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.
Why are weanling horses growing?
Weanling horses are growing to their genetic potential when they are being fed a well-balanced diet in amounts to maintain slight cover so ribs aren’t seen but are easily felt.
How much does a foal grow in a day?
Monitor and adjust. “Prior to weaning, the foal is growing at a rapid rate of about 2 to 2.5 pounds per day,” says Pesta. This growth gradually slows after the foal becomes a weanling—to about one pound per day as they approach 12 months of age.
