Weaning the foal??

[suen]

This is probably going to sound really stupid to most on here, but wondering when to start weaning my foal. She just turned three months old this weekend. Is out on pasture 7-8 hours a day, grain twice a day. Will mom wean her on her own?

 

[Matt73]

4-6 months. I like to wait to the 6 month mark. Just see how they are. I've weaned 3 foals and all went so smoothly. I just went by gut

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

This is probably going to sound really stupid to most on here, but wondering when to start weaning my foal. She just turned three months old this weekend. Is out on pasture 7-8 hours a day, grain twice a day. Will mom wean her on her own?

We seperated our filly and mare breifly several times a day (for feeding, walking on a halter, etc) at about 3 months. We brought the filly away from her dam for longer and longer periods and alsoput a third horse (another one of our mares) in with her until she was about 6 months old, and then we completely seperated them. By gradually weaning her they were both less stressed about it. We also did not have another foal for her to be weaned with, so we essentially just took her dam out of the pasture and left her with the other mare

(it'sbest to wean them with another horse so they stress less.) Oh, and mom typically wont wean her foal. Hope that helped some!

 

[Eagle]

Very good advice above. I wouldn't do it until 6 months unless there is a problem. Just increase their time apart very gradually and it will be just fine. Last year I had an even number of foals so the first night apart (after 2 months of short daily separation) I put 2 foals per box opposite their mums and then I let them all out together in the morning, the first morning mum's milk bar was bursting but within just a week this was no longer the case and within about 2 weeks the mum's stopped feeding them all together as they were fed up.

 

[raine]

Like the others i would never wean before 6 months unless there was a problem with mare or foal....I had 1 mare last year and she did wean her colt herself at 8 months , there was no need to take him away before that, they were both happy and healthy.

Once he was 8 months he went in with another Stallion with no problems and was very happy about the whole thing....

 

[AnnaC]

We also leave weaning until 6 months. We are also lucky in that we always plan to have at least two mares foaling each year - most important that a foal has at least one other foal to be weaned with/play with/already familiar with. Mostly we just lead the mares up to our 'weaning' field (4 acres plus large open barn for shelter), pop the foals into the barn and lead the mares away. The foals are so busy investigating their new surroundings that they dont notice their Mums going in the opposite direction! Once all the foals are assembled, the mares are moved to a field the far end of the farm (luckily we have the space) and turned back out. Never had a problem with either mares or foals with this method. But I will say again that I do think it essential for both the mare and the foal to have other companions available to them and familiar to them to make the weaning process go smoothly.

Anna

 

[supaspot]

I also wean at 6-7 months , they are some people that wean earlier but mentally most foals still need their mamma at that age , you have already been given great advice above ,I also do it gradually like eagle and jaiteraminiatures

 

[bannerminis]

I wean at around the 6 months too and also sometimes the mare is more then happy to be rid of her bundle of joy by that time especially if its a really boisterous colt continuously jumping on her and basically driving her mad lol.

 

[Magic]

I'm glad to see that so many wait to wean their foals til six months or even longer. I understand that sometimes it has to be done earlier (foal or mare has been sold etc) but I think it's so much better for the foals to be with their dams for a good stretch of time. I believe that they do better physically too, since their digestive systems are more mature.

Make sure that your foal is eating a good feed well (like Purina Equine Junior or some such made for young horses) for several weeks before weaning so that they are used to it and doing well. I also make sure that my foals have buddies to be weaned with. We have a 27 year old mare that lives with the mares and foals out on pasture and as the dams of the foals are removed, the older "babysitter" mare stays with the foals as an adult companion for the foals to look up to (and obey, lol!) She's so good with them, and I think that it gives the foals some comfort having an adult to "look after" them. Not necessary, but nice.

Oh, and I leave the foals in the familiar area and take the mares away, to lessen the stress oon the foals.

 

[Riverrose28]

I'll get flamed for this statement but the earliest I have wened was four months, in 2005 I had two fillies born within days of each other, showed them with their dams and quilified for Nationals, since I had limited room in the horse trailer for such a long trip I weaned them early, at four months. Usually I wean also at 6 months. this is what I do. I have two broodmare paddocks side by side with stalls, So after the foals reach six months I take the mares and put them in one paddock and the foals in another, then at night I let the foals back in with their mothers to relieve pressure on the udder, I do this for two weeks, then stop, mares can see foals, foals can see moms, so I don't have all that screaming and stress. Then I take the mares and but them in a mares paddock, far away. Foals usually have friends to keep them company and mares don't mind at this point. Only problem I have right now is I had a mare deliver last year in Dec. all the other foals have been weaned, so this year now the filly is six months old and I put two other yearling filly in the broodmare paddock and am gettingready to move the mare and put the two yearlings in with the six month old. I'm hoping all goes well. Years ago when we were breeding arabs ans paints, hubby would just take the mare away from the babies, mom would scream, it would make me sad, so I'm happy now that I have control over weaning the minis.

 

[Magic]

I'll get flamed for this statement but the earliest I have wened was four months, in 2005 I had two fillies born within days of each other, showed them with their dams and quilified for Nationals, since I had limited room in the horse trailer for such a long trip I weaned them early, at four months.

I don't think that is a bad thing at all; imagine the stress the foals would have had to go through on a trip to Nationals and then to be there for so long, their dams having to be away from them for an hour or more at a time for classes, etc, then the trip home.

I totally understand that there are many reasons for weaning "early", and I won't flame anyone who does so. I'd just like to commend those that do let their foals be with their dams for longer than three or four months when it's feasible.