Another weaning question-SORRY

[shelly]

So I have begun the slow weaning process with my two foals...they spent their first entire night away from dams last night and all went very well! I will continue to leave them alone at night and in with the herd during the day until Thursday and then they will be separated entirely. My question is---how do I get the mares milk to stop producing? Their udders were both HUGE this morning after being separated for only one night--can I give them something to dry it up? They must be soooo uncomfortable!!

 

[minih]

The mares bags are one of the many reasons we wean cold turkey anymore. It is too much stress to go back and forth on the mares and on the foals. We were forever taking them away and it took twice as long for the mares to dry up. We cut back on the mares grain for a few weeks with free choice hay, and have not had too many problems with their bags We have one mare that will get huge, but if left alone it will go down in just a day or two. The more you milk the more they produce.

 

[osu_barrelracer]

They will dry up on their own. We don't do the 'gradual weaning', as we've found it to be so much easier on the mares and foals if we just "cut the cord" and separate them. You can expect your mares bags to be swollen and full for a couple of days, then they will go back down and dry up. The only real big thing to watch for, is that they don't get really hard/lumpy, as that is a sign of mastitis. Its also usual for one udder slightly larger than the other, don't worry about that.

Also, when we wean, the foals stay in their same stalls and turn outs (an environment they are familiar in), and the mares go out to pasture, and are completely cut off of grain for about two weeks. That really helps cut the milk production.

Good luck!

 

[Miniv]

We also wean cold turkey. The gradual process seems to prolong the agony for both.

As has been posted above, by doing it cold turkey, it seems to encourage the mare to dry up quicker. We check her bag after a day or two to make sure she's reducing in size and there isn't any heat occurring. If she's still tight, we will do a small squeeze on each nipple to release some pressure.

Remember.....as long as the mare is being nursed from, she will continue to produce milk.......

 

[Relic]

Thats always been my main reason for going cold turkey at weaning time the stress on the mares. l always felt more sorry for the mares then the foals. Maybe because l could relate to the feeling

Our weaners have been on there own with a sitter for a month now the mares were kept up across the fence to comfort the foals for 3 days then back out to pasture if they wanted and they wanted. One mare still comes up to check and make sure l feed everyone enough l think because as soon as l'm done feeding pellets to them she's gone.

 

[shelly]

OK, so I should be reducing the mares grain...how much should I cut back and how often? Do I need to supplement with a vitamin pellet? I have Enrich 32 that one other mare is on because she is too fat with any grain.

 

[~Lisa~]

I have found weaning cold turkey does not make the milk production any slower nor make the mare any less uncomfortable.

Having nursed 2 kids I can tell you the body makes milk on a supply and demand basis once the milk comes in so either way the first 24-48 hours will be the hardest on the mare and yes it hurts them and yes it is more then slightly uncomfortable.

I wean the way you do and have found it to be much easier on everyone my foals do not scream, the mares do not scream and the mares milk production has a chance to naturally slow down

If you notice the mare is really full and really seeming painful you can milk her out just a bit if she will let you,

everyone has there own way to wean and everyone is sure their way is correct lol sounds like all in all it is pretty stress free at your place right now

 

[Annabellarose]

I had the easiest time weaning EVER this year. The mare was growing tired of the foal and not wanting her to nurse anymore anyway (and she was not even 4 months old) and I separated them and I didn't feed the mare anything but free-choice hay for two weeks and then I slowly worked her back up to a cup of (high fiber, high fat, low starch/carb) feed (just to "keep her coming" and to keep her from feeling "left out" at feeding time). The mare dried up faster than any I have ever had with no problems and the baby only cried (not bad) for about 36 hours (mare was like "good riddance!") and boom! it was done.

 

[Just Us N Texas]

We weaned this past week-end, by the sign, and everything went pretty smoothly. We do the cold turkey kind of weaning. We move the mares from the pasture, and leave the foals in familiar territory. We also leave one mare with them for awhile. There has been no screaming or yelling on either side, well, hardly any, and everyone seems to be happy. They have the one adult mare that is familiar to them, and now they can play together all they want to without Mom yelling for them to come back!

If a mare 's bag seems to get too big, there is bag balm, and there are products to dry them up. One old old practice is to use camphor oil on them. This will soothe and help dry them up.

 

[barnbum]

I wean the way you do and have found it to be much easier on everyone my foals do not scream, the mares do not scream and the mares milk production has a chance to naturally slow down
If you notice the mare is really full and really seeming painful you can milk her out just a bit if she will let you,

Same here--I would let the foals nurse just a little to relieve the mares, or it was easier sometimes to just express a bit myself... just enough to take the pressure off and the udders dried up nicely and the mares were happy. Heck--everyone's happy!

 

[Genie]

Cold turkey here as well.

We think that "cold turkey" is much better for the mares udders and as far as the babies go, the slow process just prolongs the agony for them.

Being a dairy farmer in my younger days I worry about mastitis and I think the slow process would be more conducive to that happening than just stopping completely and going thru 3 or 4 days of mares and foals worrying about each other.

 

[Magic]

I've tried weaning many different ways, and the way I like best for both mares and foals is to take the mares away, leaving the foals in their accustomed area, and only take out one or two foals at a time, leaving some mares with the foals, including the "babysitter mare" that doesn't have her own foal (mine is a 25 year old retired mare who, as a friend said, is a "gem"). This way the entire bunch of weanlings aren't all freaking out at once. I do halter the mares and bring them into the barn aisle twice a day at first, so that the foals can nurse. This eases the pain of the mares' udders, and gives the foals a gradual reduction in milk. Once the foals have nursed, they wander away from their dams and the dams go back into their own area, and the foals back to their pasture. I cut this back to once a day, and then quit. The foals are nursing less, so the mares produce less milk, and I think it makes it easier on the mare's udder pain. I'm actually weaning right now, and one mare's bag has gone down almost completely already, after three days. One mare milks like a cow, so she is taking longer. Another mare and foal were just separated this morning, and I've heard hardly a peep from them. Two more to go!

I've also done this method with the mares removed just to a dry lot or pasture next to where the foals are, sharing a fence line, and it has worked out well, though I expect that the mares produce more milk this way, since they can see their foals. Still, it works well for those horses that have a complete conniption fit when separated out of sight of each other. I would rather have it take longer with them next to each other than have someone get hurt or develop ulcers or something.

I don't think that there is one "right" way to wean-- just do what feels right to you, and what you are comfortable with.

 

[eagles ring farm]

we do cold turkey. The foals are left with the herd they know in the same area they have been

Mom is turned out in an ajoining field where they can visit with foal through the gate the foal gets bored hanging by mom at the gate and just visits now and then and usually the mare will just go eat grass

and ignore the foal as though they know what is best

then after the first couple days mom is moved out of sight to another pasture. They are in their own separate stalls at night with the foal next to a pasture buddy or mare they have befriended.

This has worked well for us except in 1 case where mom being on the other side of the gate kept the foal fretting and hanging by the gate so we moved the mare out of sight after the firsy day and the foal was fine.

Usually by weaning they are used to spending most of their day away from mom playing and just returning for a drink anyway

 

[Miniv]

OK, so I should be reducing the mares grain...how much should I cut back and how often? Do I need to supplement with a vitamin pellet? I have Enrich 32 that one other mare is on because she is too fat with any grain.

Shelly,

NO GRAIN for the mare! Grain encourages milk production. Grass Hay only if possible until the mare's bag reduces.

And for the short time, no supplement is necessary either. Give her a few weeks and then resume that. Supplements often are mixed into an alfalfa pellet which can encourage milk as well.

 

[shelly]

Should I stop all grain now even when the foals are still with them during the day? Boy they are going to be very unhappy campers at feeding time!!!

Won't they stress out even more if they don't get grain with everyone else?

Do I increase the amount of hay they are currently getting?

 

[Miniv]

Shelly,

This is why cold turkey is often easier for all involved.

Even if I were weaning gradually, I'd pull the grain. Why encourage the milk production?

 

[~Lisa~]

I do not cut their grain ration if they were increased to help them maintain weight during nursing I go back to there prelactating amounts. I have not found it changing the amount of milk production. I think in the long run it changes the quality of milk not the amount of milk. I have seen mares who were truly starved and at a body score of 2 produce as much milk as a mare at a healthy weight getting proper feed. Although I am sure the quality of nutrients the foals got were very different

 

[shelly]

thanks everyone for all your advice!!!

I have cut the two mares grain ration in half for these next few days-I give daily wormer so I have to have something to mix it in with-and I will slowly decrease it to just the vitamin supplement once the foals are off them completely this weekend. I will monitor them carefully to make sure they don't go down hill quickly on weight. Right now they both are a little chunky so this might be just what they need to loose their broodmare bellies. Babies are doing good...I have been putting probios treats in their morning grain and I haven't seen any diarrhea from either!

So far so good-this weaning is going pretty smoothly!

 

[Firefall]

I also do cold turkey. If the mares bag is really tight and painful I express just a very tiny bit once and thats it. So far has worked well.

I put the foals in their own big pen. They are in familiar surroundings and can see mom but can't nurse. Last year it was wonderful and soooo quiet. I was amazed and decided to watch for a bit as to why it was too good to be true. Well I didn't realize that the dams were coming to the foals fence line and they were nursing between the bars!!! jeez, now I use smaller fencing.....................

Good Luck!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

My weaning will take the first four months of the foals life, starting at two weeks (roughly) and ending when the foal is separated form the mare forever.

During this process the foals have more and more time apart from the mare, but in sight of her, each day, and learn to eat their own feed, be halter trained and to stand, tied up, to eat their feeds (this way I know exactly who is eating what!)

By the time they are around four and a half months and become ready to wean (depending on the foal, and the mare) they do not go back out. The mare can still see and touch them, but they cannot nurse.

The foals are in the big front round pen (much to Rabbit's disgust as this is his round pen!) and there is grass in it, and they also get free choice hay and a good feed at least once a day.

This year I swapped the procedure round and put the mares in the round pen and let the remaining foal and mare and the weaned foals through onto an untouched paddock that adjoined the round pen and, of course, the foals went off happily to graze and never called once.

One of the mares went a little crazy at first then, when she had no answer form her foal, she settled down.

Since I do not grain feed my mares anyway, there is nothing to cut back on, I have tried that both ways and, whilst I would cut back on grain if I fed it, I do not cut back on grass, in fact if I have a free pasture I will turn the mare out on it, there is not that much in grass at this time of year and there is nothing like a bit of new grass to distract a mare!!

As weaning is a totally unnatural thing to do anyway, but absolutely essential for domestic animals, we have to find our own ways of making it as easy as possible for the mother and the baby, and this is mine.

I have done cold turkey, I would not like it myself and I do not think it is any good for the mare or the foal either, if the foal and mare are ready , psychologically, to be separated, you get a far easier weaning, and the bag i gone in a matter of days.

I have to say, though, no matter how gently you do it, the bag will always "blow".

Just keep an eye for mastitis (I draw a bit of milk from each mare into my palm the first week,) and draw off a bit of milk manually if necessary.

Once my foals have left Mama they do not go back, I tired that once.

Once was enough.