While mares are often ready to say goodbye to their rambunctious, rowdy charges, foals can be far more fretful. But whether you are a onemare owner or run a large. Mar 10, 2017 having other mares present when foals are weaned is thus closer to the natural situation and seems to help compensate for the removal of the foals mothers. While gradual pen weaning outlined above for five to six foals may be optimal, use of a pasture for weaning large numbers of foals is a viable option, if fencing is strong and capable of preventing nursing of the mares by the foals. Feb 17, 2017 if you have three or more mare and foal pairs, consider pasture weaning, where all three pairs start out together in a familiar pasture preferably with the addition of a kind older mare or gelding, and one mare is taken away every two to three days.
The time for weaning foals is approaching and thus begins a very stressful event for both the mare her foal. Oct 06, 2011 it is clear, then, that weaning foals in the presence of other mares helps reduce the length of time they suffer. Regardless of method, foals weaned together and those consuming feed prior to weaning will have less weaning stress. These foals do reach their final height faster, but they dont grow any larger than their delayed weaning counterparts. An orphan foal feeding program cannot exactly mimic the feeding behavior and nutrition of a suckling foal nursing its mom, and some orphans may go through awkward growing. In fact, some mares may blossom and begin to flesh out once they are freed from the burden of milk production. May 17, 2007 as for weaning, most of our mares wean the foals themselves at about 46 months old. Natural weaning induced no stress response in either partner and was performed without clear signs of rejection by the dams either just before or after. We used to wean early but just love the issuefree peace and quiet of going later. Its time to rethink early weaning of horses expert advice. This growth gradually slows after the foal becomes a weanling horseto about one pound per day as they approach 12 months of age.
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. But the little milk foals do still consume after 6 months, or the typical weaning age, is vital for their nutritional needs. Common methods of weaning horses kentucky equine research. They are then put into peer groups prior to isolation stabled from the time they are prepared for yearling sales or. Foals weaned in an abrupt manner often take 34 weeks to recover from the weaning process. Apr 30, 2019 start creep feeding when foals are about 8 to 12 weeks old. Generally foals destined for the racetrack are weaned far too early because the racing economy is dictated by money and it costs more to feed mares with older foals properly.
This method ensures that both mares and foals remain with horses they know, which helps reduce stress. One of the most important parts of weaning is to ensure your foal feels secure and happy within their social group. Feeding the mare and foal after weaning kentucky equine. But it neednt be if we consider how horses naturally wean their foals. Use a creep feeder designed so that mares cannot gain access and so that foals will not be hurt. The stress of weaning can also cause foals to suffer from weight loss, injuries, and more. Weaning systems range from an abrupt separation in which the foal and mare are separated immediately from all contact sight, sound, smell to a more progressive separation. Prepare by making sure that the foal has a herd when his dam disappears.
Feeding foals after weaning purina animal nutrition. After several weeks, remove the oldest foals dam or the dam with the most independent foal. If you have three or more mare and foal pairs, consider pasture weaning, where all three pairs start out together in a familiar pasture preferably with the addition of a kind older mare or gelding, and one mare is taken away every two to three days. Or, look for the book bringing up baby by john lyons, with jennifer.
As mentioned previously there is no textbook right time to wean your foal from your mare. Separation at feeding time is a good place to start the weaning process. In advance of weaning, place three or more nursing mares and their foals in a pasture together, along with a kind, older mare or gelding. She wants to make it the exhilarating and positive experience it is meant to be by contributing not just.
An alterna tive is a system utilizing a pasture that houses all the mares and foals. Weaning foals can be a very stressful time for both the mare her foal. Two equine nutrition experts and three established breeders share their wisdom on. Oct 04, 2017 the weaning field into which the mares and foals are moved several weeks before weaning contains a shed with similarly arranged feeding stalls. What it is to be equine marthe kileyworthington says the. When all mares are taken away, the foals are left with the older mare or gelding as a babysitter. Most foals were weaned spontaneously when 910 months old, with individual variations mainly due to the conception rate of mares. Part 1 tackles nutrition, because as your foal matures, his dams milk might not be enough to help him achieve optimal growth. My neighbour, stewart mitchell, who trains racehorses, also handles youngsters and does breaking in for a few fortunate people.
I dont use companion animals because we have quite a few mares and foals, but for someone with one mare and foal, i believe its a good idea. Its time to rethink early weaning of horses expert. All of a sudden they have to deal with a new environment, new food sources, a bunch of other scared foals and the separation from the mother. If working with several foals and mares, group weaning may be a good option. The mares should be removed quickly, ideally when the foals are occupied somewhere else, and housed in an area completely out of sight and hearing distance to the herd. Certain factors will certainly influence the timing. What you need to know about weaning your foal winchester feed. Jane provides all the answers to the questions that owners typically ask. A welldesigned study by the university of kentucky compared groups of quarter horse and thoroughbred foals weaned at 4. Early weaning and supplemental grain does result in fatter foals and rapid growth.
The foal, conversely, often enters a growth slump immediately following. Ideally this should be a group of other mares and foals of a similar age. Ive heard of mares that are rebred weaning their yearlings before giving birth but i didnt breed mine every year so i never witnessed it. In addition to having the source of nursing removed, the foal is separated from a source of comfort.
Many different weaning systems have been devised by mare owners and breeding farm managers, but regardless of the system employed, reduction of stress at. Foals taken away from their mothers would scream and pace for hours, sometimes days, as would the mares who also experienced swelling udders with no relief. Strong, healthy foals will normally take easily to weaning from four months if the situation dictates that it is a necessity for the health of the mare or foal. The complete book of foaling not only teaches how to troubleshoot problems but also explains why a problem has occurred and what must be done to correct it. I gave four stars as i would like to see the book updated printed in 1993 and include foaling after care like how much and what to feed the mare before weaning for good, quality milk production, when to expect the foal to begin eating solid food mine began eating mamas hay by week two and i didnt know if this was normal, and how.
When i apprenticed at an arabian breeding farm in the early 1990s, weaning was an unsettling prospect. An alterna tive is a system utilizing a pasture that houses all the mares and. In the first few days after foaling, mares keep their foals at their side and greatly limit direct contact. Mares are happy, foals are happy well, maybe not happy but it goes smoothly, knock woodat any rate, late always seem to cause less of a fuss and less stress than at 45 months old. Dynamics of the marefoal relationship and weaning process. At weaning time, one or two of the mares with the oldest foals are removed from the group, leaving their foals with the group. Prior to weaning, the foal is growing at a rapid rate of about 22. Weaning foals is a nerveracking time for owners as well as being potentially one of the most stressful experiences in a horse s lifetime. Ideally, he has been in a pasture with other mares and foals or a group of some kind. Pdf for freeliving or feral horses weaning takes place naturally at around 89 months. Our experienced staff are experts at weaning, weaning more than 100 foals between the ages of 4 and 6 months old each season in as stressfree way as possible. Perhaps the best system of abrupt separation of mare and foal involves pasture weaning whereby the mares in a stable social unit of mares and foals on pasture are removed one by one over time. They wean foals by putting the mare and foal together in a large double.
During the first day or so we feed mares right by the fence, so mares and foals eat together and the. Mar 27, 2012 mares naturally reduce their milk production as the foal eats more grass. Before weaning begins, the mare and foal must be healthy. Weaning is traumatic for foalsand sometimes for the mare. We know that horses in the wild usually live in family groups, with one mature stallion and several mares with their offspring. Mar 20, 2017 early weaning and supplemental grain does result in fatter foals and rapid growth. Research indicates that group pasture weaning is less stressful overall for both foals and mares. Lowstress foal weaning expert howto for english riders.
Hence, anything that minimizes weaning stress should also aid foals in resisting infection or disease. Many studs still separate mother and foal cold turkey, and when they are only 4 7 months old. Sep 28, 2011 much emphasis is placed on the foals during the weaning process, and little attention is often paid to the mares. The first milk, which contains colostrum, is vital in protecting the foal from health problems. Oct 31, 2016 weaning foals is a nerveracking time for owners as well as being potentially one of the most stressful experiences in a horses lifetime. This was always my old gelding, who was very tolerant of youngsters, and sometimes other mares that didnt foal that year. Expert advice on the steps you should take when weaning foals to minimise the stress on both mare and foal alike while avoiding common. Sep 23, 2017 depending on the number of foals to wean, as well as the availability of pasture, fencing, and stalls, different weaning variations may work better for your situation. Hayes knows that the foaling process can be scary and exciting at the same time. They have written several books and many articles about horse care. Foals can be switched to this program at any time, but the switch will require considerably more effort, and foals may be more stressed the longer they are with their dams. Reducing weaning stress in foals illinois livestock trail.
Make sure both mare and foal are in excellent health before weaning. Recently, he has been weaning two tb foals for one of his owners, and so, with this article on my mind, i asked if i. Make sure the feed is fresh daily and that foals are consuming it adequately. We only separate the mare and foal for long periods of time when they both are ok with it. Its amazing how quickly they adapt to this routine and how much easier this little bit of separation early on makes the weaning, says megan. Ideally, the mares and foals are brought into a big weaning pen together so the foals become familiar with the feed and water and are at ease with their surroundings. We wean them in adjoining pens with mares on one side of the fence and foals on the other. After foaling, the mares milk is perfect nutrition for the new foal that provides energy, protein and other essential nutrients to support healthy growth and development. Feeding foals, weanlings and yearlings hygain horse feed.
At this point, the breeders attentions are usually diverted to other farm procedures, such as evaluating barren mares, weaning foals, and conditioning yearlings. Aurich interprets the results in relation to the situation in wild horses. The presence of a support group seems to help foals accept the loss of their mothers but the researchers have not yet considered how the mothers may be helped to come to terms with no. More than just separating the foal from its dam the weaning season is in full swing now. Weaning your foal written by tom lenz, dvm, ms, dact weaning is usually done somewhere between 4 and 7 months of age, although some ranches leave their foals on the mares a bit longer. In one experiment involving 41 marefoal pairs, foals that were. Then a handler leads the mare out of the stall and takes her to a distant paddock, while leaving the foal inside the stall. If the soontobeweaned foal will end up isolated, we prepare by adding a mare or two to the pasture in the month before the weaning. It is clear, then, that weaning foals in the presence of other mares helps reduce the length of time they suffer. While it is true that mares, particularly those that have had previous foals, tend to weather weaning more calmly than their foals, nutritional changes in mares should not be forgotten. Feeding the mare after weaning kentucky equine research. If the mare isnt back in foal then its true she may not wean the foal herself, but the time and method of weaning can then be done when its least traumatic for the foal which is around 1012 months old. Aside from the lactating mare, the growing foal is the most demanding life stage in terms of nutrition.
Weaning foals is a nerveracking time for owners as well as being potentially one of the most stressful experiences in a horses lifetime. The act of separating and reuniting mare and foal two or three times a week creates that sense of security and resilience to stress that conventional weaning practices sacrifice to the detriment of horse and human. The weaning foals ebook focuses on weanling nutrition and best practices for weaning. In barn weaning, the mare and foal are brought into the barn and fed. We found that most foals were weaned spontaneously between 9 and 10 months of. Easy to use and in note form, the book covers everything from conception to weaning. The ability of the weanlings digestive system to digest forages also increases postweaning, as does their daily forage intake. Although the mares pregnant state indicates that her reproductive status is generally acceptable, her health and safety should not be ignored during this period. If you do not want a field type feeder, you can tie the mare in her stable, allowing the foal to eat. Pdf the effects of weaning on the domestic horse equus caballus. If you put them out with your group, the foal will probably naturally wean sooner because there are other horses to get attached to. Orphan foals feeding programs purina animal nutrition.
Family structure is an incredibly important part of a horses life young horses need role models and teachers they can trust. They are then put into peer groups prior to isolation stabled from the time they are prepared for yearling sales or broken in as pretwo year olds. Jan 10, 2002 weaning is a stressful time for foals and mares. Personally, i liked to have a babysitter in with my foals. Even after weaning has occurred the mare and foal retain an integral. Ideally, the mares and foals are brought into a big weaning pen.
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