What do you feed a newly weaned foal?

What do you feed a newly weaned foal?

FOAL FEEDING GUIDELINES

1. Provide high-quality roughage (hay and pasture) free choice.
2. Supplement with a high-quality, properly-balanced grain concentrate at weaning, or earlier if more rapid rates of gain are desired.

How long does it take to wean a filly?

Weaning 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.

What to feed a mare after weaning?

A grain concentrate appropriate for a weanling on pasture or fed a legume-mix hay (such as an alfalfa blend) will generally contain 14% crude protein. Some horsemen that are feeding strictly grass hay will provide feeds with 16% or 18% crude protein.

Can you wean a foal at 2 months?

When the foal is about 2 months old, the immunity he gained from his dam’s colostrum is wearing off, but he won’t develop his own strong immune system until at least 4 months old. If you wean a foal before his immune system kicks in, he’s more susceptible to disease than an older weanling.

Do Foals Need grain?

Introduce Feed to Your Foal Once the foal begins eating, it will get the vitamins and minerals it needs from the grain as well. The mare’s milk supply will start slowing down at about three-four months, so it is important that the foal is eating grain at this time.

What can I feed my 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.

When can 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 happens if you wean a horse too early?

When you wean a foal too early, he won’t learn valuable behavior information. This can lead to a horse who becomes overly aggressive as he matures, or one who’s extremely timid.

At what age do foals eat grain?

Foals are natural explorers and by 3 weeks of age the foal will nibble at the dam’s food sources. Although horse owners consider this arrangement as creep feeding, it’s not.

Is it time for a mare to wean her foal?

The time for weaning foals is approaching and thus begins what can be a very stressful event for both the mare her foal. Foals raised with their siblings or other horses will have good social skills. But it needn’t be if we consider how horses naturally wean their foals.

How old does a pony have to be to be a filly?

A female pony has the same names as a female horse. Filly for under 4 years old and a mare is 4 years or older.

When do I start feeding creep to my foal?

At 2-3 months of age you can begin feeding a creep ration at a rate of 1/4 to 1/2# per 100# of body weight (a 1# coffee can maximum daily). At weaning, usually around 5?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.

How often should I Feed my 6 month old colt?

If OCD, epiphysitis and other leg problems occur in the herd, we advise limiting the daily amount of creep feed to a maximum of 1# per month of the foal’s age daily until weaning at 6 months; for a large 6 month old foal this is a maximum of 3# of a colt diet twice a day, or approximately 1% of body weight maximum.

How old does a mare have to be to wean a foal?

Therefore, proper nutrition is paramount. 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.

When is the best time to wean an orphaned horse?

Foals which spend a lot of their time exploring away from the mare and playing with other pasture mates will probably have little trouble during the weaning process. Sometimes, in the case of orphaned foals, weaning has to happen much earlier. Weaning can be done in more than one way, depending on the facilities you have available.

When to introduce Creep feeding to mares after weaning?

However, if the mare has maintained her condition on pasture and isn’t being hard fed, then the foal won’t be exposed to grain or pellets until weaning. Some foals are introduced to creep feeding by two to three months of age, a time when milk production begins to decrease and often no longer fulfills the nutritional needs of the foal.

What should I Feed my foal before weaning?

The foal should no longer be dependent on his dam for his nutritional needs. He should be eating grass, hay and grain prior to being weaned. The foal should be introduced and accustomed to the paddock or stall where he will be weaned.