Weaning - Mare's bag drying up.

[2minis4us]

Questions ! I have never weaned before and was curious about my mare and her bag drying up : )

Do you take your mare off grain when weaning ? What do you feed...pasture, hay, or both

How long does it usually take for her bag to dry up ?

I think my filly is depressed. Mare and filly share a fence though. They are the only 2 minis I have.

 

[targetsmom]

I stop all grain for the mare at time of weaning and substitute soaked alfalfa cubes because mine expect something when everyone else gets grain. Your filly should be eating grain though, and probably needs more than you think. The bag should start to dry up in a few days - the first couple of days it may look like it is about to explode and the mare may be very uncomfortable and leak milk. Not touching it at all will help. Some mares won't dry up completely for a long time so you may need to keep mare and foal separated longer than you want.

Your filly is likely depressed and very stressed - I would recommend treating for ulcers or at least feeding alfalfa in some form (for its ulcer preventing calcium) or Stomach Soother, or aloe vera juice. Ulcers are nothing to fool around with.

 

[Miniv]

We also pull grain from the mare's diet. Little or no pasture is best. After about a week you should see an obvious difference with her bag.

How old is the filly? Unless there's a reason for weaning at 4 months, we hold off separation to 6 months and occasionally a little longer. Those few extra weeks can make a huge difference with the foal's independence.

One year we had a foal that became so depressed it scared us, so we put them back together and waited until we could tell that the foal was mentally ready......by seeing that he was spending huge chunks of the day away from mom.

 

[muffntuf]

Well I do differently - from experience. I cut their grain down but don't take it completely away. Depends on the mare's condition too, an older mare who really got pulled down - I don't take off grain. I put her in front of a round bale for a week's break from the day I wean. The first day is bad but she quickly dries up and within a week goes back in with the mare pack.

This year I did have a young mare who stayed pretty chunky - but it was her first foal, and she did not milk heavy. So I cut her down to a few mouthfuls. But she still gets a few mouth fulls.

 

[2minis4us]

I had to wean because my filly had to stay at the vet clinic for 4 days with ulcers. She was 4-1/2 months old then, and after she came home it was the start of it.

It has been 2 weeks, and my mare's bag does feel smaller.

Just wondered how much longer.

 

[supaspot]

if she was mine Id put them back together until I was sure the ulcers were no longer an issue and wean when shes 6 -7 months , a friend of mine just left her on the mare and the mare weaned the foal herself from suckling over winter , it worked well for her

 

[AnnaC]

I agree with Sue (supaspot), I would put them back together and quickly. If your foal already has ulcers then what she is going through now, stress wise, will not help. Was there a medical reason as to why she went to the hospital without her dam in the first place?

 

[2minis4us]

She went to the hospital without her mama because we had to get there ASAP, no kidding, and we put her in the back of our Subaru. I was going to wean her anyway.

It will be hard to keep them separate in the cold weather so this seemed like a good time.

My filly is on a restricted diet per my vet and she is on Ulcer Guard and a yeast probiotic.

PLEASE, my question was about mare's bags and drying up, not about the care of my filly : ) Ok ?

 

[muffntuf]

It takes a couple weeks for the bags to dry up - as long as the size is going down, she is drying up.

 

[targetsmom]

If your question is how long do you have to keep them separated to be sure the foal is weaned and won't go back to nursing, even in my very limited experience I found that it can take a lot longer than you think. My first foal, long ago, went right back to nursing after a full month of separation. I know someone on here posted foals being weaned after 11 days separation, but I sure wouldn't count on that. I don't think anyone can give you an exact time when the mare will be dried up and the foal will definitely be "weaned".

 

[AnnaC]

Without the foal suckling the mare will automatically dry up - it will take time and it may take longer as they are next to each other (mentally the mare will still think she might need to feed her foal - just the way nature works!) but she will dry up in the end. Our mares are all at grass 24/7 and when we wean we do nothing extra except return the mares to fields that are well grazed down rather than the 'lush' fields they are on with their foals. Some mares can take up to a month to dry off, but after the first week there is an obvious sign that their udders are decreasing. Luckily we have plenty of space so our filly foals are not returned to the mare herd until the following year, but without exception, they all recognise their dams and with the generations that we have here, I will often visit the fields to find a mare happily grazing with all her daughters close by. I did have one filly who, when put back in with her dam a year after weaning, rushed to Momma and shoved her head straight under for a drink - she was met with a heafty kick and never tried again! LOL!!

All mares (and foals) are different and time is really the only answer. If, after you are happy that your mare has completely died up, you put them back together and your foal tries to suckle, then you may have to part them again for a bit longer. If, on the other hand, the mare tells her daughter in no uncertain terms to 'clear off' then you may be alright, but keep a good eye on them as a foal can be very persuasive and your mare might give in and possibly regenerate her milk supply.

Good luck!

 

[2minis4us]

Thanks for the info.! Like I said this is my first time at this and was curious how long it takes for my mare's bag to go away. : )