Major Oops---Need help

[McBunz]

My mare had a dead foal removed April 04. Dropped a filly yesterday. The mare's cycle must have been messed up. Anyhow the stud helped her out with a little thru the fence breeding. My question is what can I feed the filly once she starts looking for solid food. I was thinking soaked hay cubes and soaked rolled oats. This is Alberta Canada so it is going to get pretty cold soon. She is wearing a dog coat and has access to heat lamps.

 

[kaykay]

im really confused. are you saying she lost a foal in april and then foaled another last night?? That would only be 7 months!! A new born foal cannot eat hay cubes etc. Some start nibbling moms hay in a few days but i would give both her and mom equine jr.

Sorry im just confused by the story!

edited to say i get it now she had the first one in 04 LOL. im slow today.

 

[Miniv]

What are feeding the mare? Your filly will be investigating whatever the mom is eating very soon.....so you should be giving her good quality hay and either an Equine Jr grain or a Mare & Foal grain......(Another grain is a SENIOR grain which is easily digested and higher in fat content.)

As Kay pointed out, CUBED feed is not good for a foal.....and we don't even feed adult minis it incase of choking.

MA

 

[pepperhill]

I'm afraid I have a mare that is going to do the same thing to me in another month!

I would think the main thing is to keep it warm. It sounds like you have that handled as best you can with the coat and heat lamps. Other than that, the foal should start to nibble on mamma's food when it is ready just like they would in the spring. Instead of grass, it will be hay, but they will get after it when they are ready. If you don't already, I would start feeding a good supplemental feed like Natures Essentials or the Equine Jr. You can put hot water on it to soak it to make it easier for little mouths, it also enhances the aroma a bit for reluctant youngsters. My babies usually start nibbling it on it within the first week without it being soaked, but with your weather situation you might want to try to get the little guy going earlier by soaking it. Start with really hot water on it because by the time it soaks awhile, it has cooled considerably. Even with the lousy timing your mare chose, congrats are still in order! Best wishes with the little guy!

Linda

 

[bevann]

Congrats on your new baby.I had a foal born Nov 15 in DE 1 year and he was out in the snow when just a few weeks old.HE WAS VERY HAIRY!! Born that way.He made out fine, but it is not as cold down here as where you are.When my babies are old enough to eat hay I give them Triple Crown chopped Grass forage.It is kiln dried hay that is chopped and shrink wrapped.It is very digestible and has no hard stems.My babies always try mom's food and I use a 14% sweet feed.good luck&keep us posted.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

COngrats on your new baby! I will be having one in feb or early march.. I dont like to have early foals as I want then turned out as much as possible but sometimes things dont go as planned

 

[Becky]

Congrats on your new foal! If all went well at delivery, then I'm sure she will do fine with some heat lamps and a warm dry place to sleep. I would recommend putting her on a milk based foal starter pellet as soon as she starts nibbling around. I just put it in with the mares feed and let them eat together. Helps milk production in the mare too!

 

[Marty]

Congratulations on your new foal! Keep that baby warm up there please.

My foal Timmy was a pig from the start. He began eating with his mama almost from the second he was born! He just one day stuck his face in her bucket and began to try and wolf down whatever she was eating and after that, it's history. By the time he was a month old, he graduated to his own bucket and he does eat exactly what she does which is Purina Omelene 300. They switch buckets too back and forth but I let him eat all he wants. This kid thinks he's starving all the time .

Good luck and very best wishes to you!

 

[Jean_B]

Since you are up in Canada - I would not feed anything that is soaked because if the foal doesn't clean it up right away it will freeze into a solid lump and it won't be able to "free forage" later on. And I agree on no cubes - not good for any weanlings just learning how to eat solids.

 

[hairicane]

Surprise!!!!! Congrats on the new baby!!!!!! Lets see some pictures now.

 

[Equuisize]

......best laid plans often go awry. Not an ideal time but babies are

always such a miracle........

Sending you good wishes that all goes well with your new little one.

 

[Relic]

The Oct 30 filly we had a few years back l just soaked some beet pulp and added the Start Right Step1 mare/foal feed in with it to soak and picked out the softest hay from the bales for her and mom. Around xmas she was eating real good and the temps were way down in the -30 that year. Your late baby got lucky the weather is great some days better then summer so at least she/he isn't freezing there butts of like last year at this time.

 

[McBunz]

Thank you all.

I'm afraid I was in panic mode. The mare is on Mare and Foal, with rolled oats and Timothy and brome hay. The idea of a poor toothless baby eating dry hay just scared me silly. The rest of my foals are five and six months old. Well her daddy won't get that chance again. Today he was moved about

four hundred feet from the closest mare. I don't post often, but read this board every day. Thanks again all.

 

[Bluebell]

Ahhh poor daddy. He just wanted to give you something really special. Congrats on your pretty little filly. Glad she and mom are doing fine.

 

[Nicole-DownUnder]

CONGRATS

on your new baby, sounds like you've got it under control now.

Love to see some pics too

Nicole

 

[Magic]

Congratulations on your new foal! I wouldn't worry too much about your "toothless baby" and her eating, she will get most of her nutrition from her dam's milk anyway for the first three months. Just make sure mama is well-fed.

Now relax and enjoy your new surprise!