raising another rejected foal

[bpotze]

I don't know why I did it...but after a maiden mare rejected her foal last year...I thought it was just a bad birthing and scared dam that caused this girl to turn on her baby....so I went ahead and bred her back...wrong thing to do..pregnancy and foaling went great...and she actually seemed to take to the foal much better this year...although I was having to hold he when he nursed....had them under camera so I could keep an eye on them...and soon noticed that although she wasn't hurting or charging him...she would always put him in a corner...and would not let him nurse unless I tied her...soon found out that even though I was going out every two hours to let him feed...he wasn't gaining weight.....and had noticed the mare was not bagging up between feedings....when I stripped her...the fluid was clear and not milky...so she was put on oxytocin...(also on ace for sedation) the oxy did not work...so tried domperidone....also didn't work....then I just let mom go...she was causing the poor foal too much stress and he is now bottle fed...he was born on Mothers Day and I have been trying every feeding to get him on a bowl instead of bottle...with no luck....I have milk pellets for him and cannot get him to even look at them...yet he will go out and nibble on everything else he can find...he is now in with his grandmother ... she likes him...but he is still afraid of any other horse....

Any ideas on how to get him to try the milk pellets?

Thanks

Becky

 

[Riverrose28]

I've never been in this situation so don't have any experience to share. Sorry this has happened to you again, and hope the little guy catches on soon.

 

[chandab]

Well, I haven't fed orphaned foals, I have fed quite a few bum calves in the last 10 years (I married a rancher). I just put a few pellets in their mouth repeatedly til they get it, eventually they get it. With a foal you can always try mixing the pellets with alittle water to soften them.

I wonder if something like a lamb nipple bucket would work for a foal, but I don't know if they come with a cover so you don't have to stand there while they eat. I found some on line, but they are mostly muliple nipper buckets, as you usually have more than one lamb. Bottom of this page has some: http://www.wigginsinc.com/Nursing%20Supplies.htm

There is also information on line about making an igloo cooler into a foal feeder, I can't find the original post, but this website has some information:

http://www.grullablue.com/colors/raising_orphan_foal.htm

there is a picture on this page of a donkey foal drinking a cooler: http://latigo.marestare.com/forum/index.php?topic=2183.0

 

[ohmt]

Jill's thread on the Best Of forum is excellent. Make sure you read it if you haven't already. I would keep trying with the bowl. He'll get it eventually and it'll benefit you both. I can't remember when Mothers day was, but he might still be too young for the pellets? I mixed mine with the equine jr i also fed. You might need to switch brands.

 

[Sunrise Valley]

We raised "Starvin Marvin" this year after his dam rejected him. We never did get him to drink from a bowl. We used a lamb bottle with a metal holder that we got at tractor supply. We used Ultra 24 milk replacer, and we never had any diarrhea. Marvin was quite a bit older than your colt when he started nibbling milk pellets. We dusted them with a little of the milk replacer powder, and that seemed to get him more interested.

 

[bpotze]

Thank you for your suggestions...

I know I just have to get through the first month or so...and it will get easier....just like having a newborn baby...at 60!!!!!

 

[wildoak]

We helped raise a neighbors rejected foal a couple of years ago... rigged a lamb bottle to the stall wall so she could nurse at will, and it worked pretty well. Drinking from a dish would have been easier but this saved many hours of holding a bottle for her. She thrived and is now a healthy little mare. I think she bought the bottle & holder (kind of like you would use inside a hamster cage but bigger) at Tractor Supply.

The Igloo idea looked like a winner, but they never tried it.

Jan