What Age Do You Start Offering Grain

[Indy's mom]

Hi Everyone!

Freedom's colt is 4 weeks old today! When should I start offering him his own grain and how much? He does try to eat with his mom but she pushes him out most of the time.

Thank You!!

Tammy

 

[Jill]

Our foals are eating from the mare's grain (senior feed) anywhere from a few days old - a week or so old. They get their own portion from about 3wks of age. I think in picking a grain for foals, it's important that it's "soft" enough for them to chew easily (as are complete senior feeds and purina equine junior). Good luck!

 

[targetsmom]

Great topic! Max is getting some grain in his own dish already (since a few days old), but I wonder how many people use creep feeders for their foals? Or do most people just give the foal his own dish?

 

[Miniv]

Our management may be a bit different from some.......

We usually have more than one dam and foal in the paddock. The paddock off the barn has several large rubber feed dishes spread out. After making sure they are clean from dirt (or poop!), I distribute cups of grain in multiple dishes......Often what happens is when I put grain out in several dishes, the foals find their own.

Early on when mom and baby are being stalled at night, our foals tend to sample some grain from their mom's dish, out of curiosity. We just make sure the feed dish is big.

 

[coopermini]

Most of ours are eating out of moms at a few days and at 1-2 weeks we usually give them their own pan. Mom will usually finishes theirs but it gives them a chance to get used to eating grain. We always feed beet pulp with their grain. The beet pulp is soft and easy for them to digest.

 

[HGFarm]

As soon as mine are nibbling on anything.... they will taste test it with hay and other things as they learn to eat and just a few days old.

 

[Indy's mom]

HOW MUCH should he get in his own dish now? He too has been sampling grain from just days old but how much should he get on his own now?

Thanks!!

Tammy

 

[txminipinto]

He should get what ever he wants. Like others have said, he'll eat out of mom's or a friendly adoptive mom's dish regardless. It's extremely difficult to founder a growing foal (can be done, but difficult). Most large farms dump large amounts of grain for foals/weanlings to sample all day long. When I wean (and I have shetlands) they start at about pound per weanling and increase the amount as I need too. It's not uncommon for me to feed a quickly growing shetland weanling 2 or more pounds of grain a day.

 

[barnbum]

I feed Gro N Win to my horses other than foals, but foals can't have that until they are 4-6 months old. So, I mix the mares' feed with Contender--good for mares and foals--for a bit, until the mares start getting mean about sharing their feed. Then I start a new routine: when the mares come in in the afternoon for feed, the foals stay outside the stalls to eat their Contender in a big dish. They stay out longer and longer--now while I'm cleaning pastures. They they happily return to their mamas. This happens in the morning, too. Foals come out of stalls to eat while mares eat in. It's a nice start to the whole weaning process. At first the foals just goof around, spend a lot of time grooming each other, but now they are more serious about getting their vittles.

 

[Miniv]

HOW MUCH should he get in his own dish now? He too has been sampling grain from just days old but how much should he get on his own now?Thanks!!

Tammy

We don't worry about "how much" until we start the weaning process. By then, we give them between 2 to 4 cups of grain each plus a partial flake of hay........usually one flake will feed about 3 weanlings, however, they are also on some grass too.

 

[funnyfarmnorth]

My colt started sampling Mom' grain at a few days of age. I noticed him mouthing her ears at dinner one night(about 3 weeks old).I watched to see if he was nursing on them. When she yanked her head out of the bucket quickly I realized he was biting her ear to make her lift her head so he could take over the bucket. He got his own bucket so Mom can eat in peace. Normally at about 4 weeks I split Mom's dinner between two buckets. As the baby eats more I increase the amount.

 

[Leeana]

Our foals are eating with their dams at just a few days old both hay and grain, although i think they more chew on the hay rather then eat it but with the grain i do think they get that down. Our babies are outside now with their dams and i have creep feeders set up and grain available for the babies 24/7..they come and eat as they want and leave. It is a mix of Strategy and Calf Mana. All my babies are big, strong and smooth.

 

[Marty]

My foals always nibble with their mamas at a few days old. This time the mama was pushing the foal completely away not allowing him to share. At a week old he got his own little bowl.

 

[Indy's mom]

Thank you all for replying! I am now splitting momma's food into 2 bowls so the colt can get some on his own before she heads over to his bowl. They are both pretty fat and happy so I'm not concerned about anyone missing out!

Thanks again!

Tammy

 

[Matt73]

I feed Gro N Win to my horses other than foals, but foals can't have that until they are 4-6 months old. So, I mix the mares' feed with Contender--good for mares and foals--for a bit, until the mares start getting mean about sharing their feed. Then I start a new routine: when the mares come in in the afternoon for feed, the foals stay outside the stalls to eat their Contender in a big dish. They stay out longer and longer--now while I'm cleaning pastures. They they happily return to their mamas. This happens in the morning, too. Foals come out of stalls to eat while mares eat in. It's a nice start to the whole weaning process. At first the foals just goof around, spend a lot of time grooming each other, but now they are more serious about getting their vittles.

You don't feed the Buckeye Foal Starter, Karla? It's a milk based foal feed that's meant to be fed from as soon as a few days after birth. At 4-6 months I switch to Gro 'n Win.

 

[shelly]

I'm so glad this topic was posted!!!! Trixie has been eating with Pixie for a few weeks now and I was worried she was eating too much grain! Sahara won't share with Stormy so I have been giving him just a handful while she is eating hers...I guess I will be splitting up mommas grain into two bowls so the babies can eat as much as they can until mommas take over the bowls.

Thanks for this post Tammi!!!

Shelly