orphan

[windyr]

Last month, I lost my Unbridled mare to colic when her Kafwain foal was just three weeks old. At the time, the poor critter was afflicted with contracted tendons and a painful abcess in his left back hoof. While tending to these two issues, we had the challenge of bottle feeding him with Foalac which he hated with a passion.

The farm attendant figured that if the foal wouldn't drink the foal milk, he would try baby's milk, which was at least better than nothing. He got some powdered milk, mixed it in a bucket and put it under the foal's mouth to see if he liked the smell. Amazingly, the foal stuck his mouth in the pail and drank every drop. So much for bottle feeding!

The next day the attendant started mixing some of the Foalac into the baby's milk and kept increasing it every day. The foal has now been tricked into drinking pure Foalac and it seems that the worst is over. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Anyone has similar experiences?

[Rushtawin]

Well, I haven't raised orphans on my own, but at the few farms where orphan foals were fed, I noticed most seemed to like the bucket a lot better once they were drinking from it!

[madelyn]

I raised my first orphan last year. His dam died when he was about 2-1/2 days old.

Mine had no issues other than orphanage. He was very hungry, since he was without his mother for a few hours while we dealt with her (tried to save her). My vet at the time insisted on Buckeye Milk Replacer, that it was head and shoulders above the rest, and get him foal pellets also (Buckeye). Also, it was recommended to teach him right then to drink from the bucket. Mix up some smaller amounts, warmed up a bit. If he didn't find it palatable we could mix in some honey. Within an hour he was drinking from the bucket. She also said to withhold water for the first day or so, and then let him have a small (2.5 gal) of fresh water in his stall. Around a week later, I started giving him a flake of soft hay at feeding time, and his pellets were fed at the time the other horses got grain.

The premise seemed to be that once they have lost the dam, bottles are unnecessary and you are essentially weaning them at that time, just with an alternate, more suitable nutrition. At three months, he was the biggest foal in the barn. So obviously he didn't suffer.

Good luck.