any weaning tips?

[Ashley]

I am currently weaning my last foal, and its not going so well. This is the first year the mare and foals havent been at diffrent farms.

The baby is a few days shy of 5 months, but its really cool lately so wanted to do it now. I dont have a buddy to wean her with like normal so I left her with the herd and put mom in with the stud. Mom was good the first few days, baby screaming everyday. Now today mom is just as loud. I am used to being able to take mares to a different farm and leaving the foals at original place when weaning.

Now they are seperate, but side by side.

 

[Miniv]

Ashley,

Some people like to do the gradual separation type of weaning. Are you doing that? We used to, but often it seemed to just prolong the agony. Although, I will admit that for some moms and babies it IS better. (It seems that every situation can be different because of personalities.)

More often than not we are now leaving foals with moms a little longer.....5 months is good.....sometimes 6 months is necessary. The mom and baby will show you when they are ready by how independent they are from each other.

When we separate them, we pull the mom from the foal's pasture and put her OUT OF SIGHT, if possible. I am also learning about the Farmers Almanac technique in timing for each month. That seems to help too! (As a matter of fact, I need to find out when the best time for September weaning is!)

 

[Ashley]

I have always done cold turkey method. I dont have a place out of sight. I have 10 acres and most of it is pasture in one big chunk, I have two smaller paddocks but they are all next to each other.

They werent really spending any time together anymore, one would be out at pasture the other at the barn, that kind of thing. Baby is pretty attached to the gelding in the pasture, but she is with a big group so has plenty of buddies, just not her own age.

She is a big girl(probably going over height as she is already pushing 34"). I decided to wean her now as it is cool out, in the 60's and she has a good winter coat started so didnt want her to get to hot. She eats well, drinks water fine. Mom is also getting a bit lean from nurseing and being older (18) so wanted to get some weight back on her before it gets to cold.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

What I like to do is put one of them (usually the mare) in an adjoining pen that doesn't allow nursing but gives them the comfort of each others company. When they no longer care if the other is out of sight and they are accustomed to not nursing I then am free to put either of them in any pen on the place with out stressing them over much.