Orphan foal
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster, madelyn
Orphan foal
Just lost a mare at 2days, ruptured uterine vessel. Anyway foal is doing fine feeding formula, my question is how long does he have to have just milk when can I start putting in real feed for him to nibble on and how long will he need to be on milk?
Jean
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mare. We raised an orphan who is now 3 and his barnname is Lenny. I hung a bucket of milk in his stall 3x a day (sorry I couldnt do the every few hour feedings with all that goes on around here) and he is a nice youngman. You can buy milk replacement pellets (Foal Lac) and I mixed those into mare and foal feed when he was a few weeks old let him nibble as much as he wanted to. I also kept a full bale of hay in his stall, strings still on thinking he would lay next to it which he did for a few days and then he started nibbling on it as well. He would eat a full bale in about 2 weeks until he was a few months old and then he ate much more. He gave us a few scares and if you do a search here you will find my messages about what we went thru.
Goodluck with your baby and please keep us posted with how he is doing!!!
Gerry
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mare. We raised an orphan who is now 3 and his barnname is Lenny. I hung a bucket of milk in his stall 3x a day (sorry I couldnt do the every few hour feedings with all that goes on around here) and he is a nice youngman. You can buy milk replacement pellets (Foal Lac) and I mixed those into mare and foal feed when he was a few weeks old let him nibble as much as he wanted to. I also kept a full bale of hay in his stall, strings still on thinking he would lay next to it which he did for a few days and then he started nibbling on it as well. He would eat a full bale in about 2 weeks until he was a few months old and then he ate much more. He gave us a few scares and if you do a search here you will find my messages about what we went thru.
Goodluck with your baby and please keep us posted with how he is doing!!!
Gerry
-
Mood Swings
- Grade II Winner
- Posts: 1473
- Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:23 am
- Location: Ontario, Canada
I am so sorry for the loss of your mare 
Can you get hobbles for the mare? What breed is she? Basically spend alot of time standing with the mare and foal. Whenever the foal tries to nurse if the mare is aggressive she should be reprimanded and likewise she should be encouraged and given lots of positive reinforcement when she is good. I know that is probably all obvious
I have found Belgians and Percherons to be the best for accepting new foals. I wish you the best of luck with your new mare and your little surviver!
I wanted to add that newborns will often start trying to eat grain in their first week. I would either keep a creep feeder with foal feed in the stall at all times or have "feed times" where the mare is tied and the foal can be allowed to eat unbothered a few times a day
Can you get hobbles for the mare? What breed is she? Basically spend alot of time standing with the mare and foal. Whenever the foal tries to nurse if the mare is aggressive she should be reprimanded and likewise she should be encouraged and given lots of positive reinforcement when she is good. I know that is probably all obvious
I have found Belgians and Percherons to be the best for accepting new foals. I wish you the best of luck with your new mare and your little surviver!
I wanted to add that newborns will often start trying to eat grain in their first week. I would either keep a creep feeder with foal feed in the stall at all times or have "feed times" where the mare is tied and the foal can be allowed to eat unbothered a few times a day
"People come and go but horses leave hoofprints on your heart"
If there is one thing harder than losing a foal, it is losing the MARE. The poor little one tucked up so sad and mourning... you have my deepest sympathy.
I raised an orphan on Buckeye Mares Milk Plus and Buckeye Foal Pellets. We mixed the milk four times a day (every six hours) and put it in a bucket in his stall. We started him on the pellets at two weeks old. He always got both. He started eating hay at about a week old, I pulled out the softest stuff and put it in the big feed tub in the stall. He started getting grain mixed in with the foal pellets at 2 months old. He is now a big normal bouncy two year old.
I have no experience with nurse mares, but I think there is nothing you can do to MAKE her accept the foal, she either will or she won't. You can't stay in the stall 24/7 and if you try to force anything, she can just kick the he** out of it when you are gone. I don't know at what time limit you call it "quits" and send her back. If she is only letting him nurse when you are there it is NOT a good sign, in my opinion. You could put in a camera to monitor what it going on when you can't be in the stall.
I raised an orphan on Buckeye Mares Milk Plus and Buckeye Foal Pellets. We mixed the milk four times a day (every six hours) and put it in a bucket in his stall. We started him on the pellets at two weeks old. He always got both. He started eating hay at about a week old, I pulled out the softest stuff and put it in the big feed tub in the stall. He started getting grain mixed in with the foal pellets at 2 months old. He is now a big normal bouncy two year old.
I have no experience with nurse mares, but I think there is nothing you can do to MAKE her accept the foal, she either will or she won't. You can't stay in the stall 24/7 and if you try to force anything, she can just kick the he** out of it when you are gone. I don't know at what time limit you call it "quits" and send her back. If she is only letting him nurse when you are there it is NOT a good sign, in my opinion. You could put in a camera to monitor what it going on when you can't be in the stall.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....