Feeding a foal

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Dot2dot

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Hi guys looking for some advice on a diet for a foal. I havent got her yet as she is only 5 months old and still with breeder although she was weaned at 4 and a half months under vets advice as she is a big foal and was taking too much from mum. She is an ID X Appaloosa to make approx 17hh give or take a couple of inches.

She is currently on milk pellets and will be until she is 6 months old. I have used both spillers grow n win and feedmarks benevit advance on young horses before and had good results from both. Which ever I used I would mix it with some speedi beat and good quality chaff (dengie hi fi probably). Split between two feeds a day.

Could I have some opinions on this? Also she will be fed haylage.

Thanks
 
Maesfen

Maesfen

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TBH, if she is a big foal the last thing I'd have her on is milk pellets. The feed of choice for a lot of people including well known studs is D & H Suregrow. It gives them everything they need without the calories; you will not have to add anything to it at all and it can stay on that as long as you like, many people use it as an ordainary balancer too for adults (it's a lt cheaper than other balancers and does the same job!). The only extra it will need will be good grazing and forage. Ring the D & H helpline if needed.
Also remember that until it is at least seven months old then it does not have a sufficiently developed digestion tract to either be able to digest sugar beet/any sucrose or the dentition to chew any chaff whatsoever; to give a foal that young any chaff is quite possible to increase the chance of impaction which can have fatal consequences in one so young.

If you post in the breeding forum you're likely to get better experienced advice more geared towards foals who have an entrely different dietary need to adult horses so you could get the wrong advice in here.
 
katastrophykat

katastrophykat

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I used suregrow with hifi for the first two winters for my boy- also early weaned, though he was a hefty beast and didn't get supplemented with milk pellets at any point. as soon as they moved to summer grazing (cow grass!!) he came off all hard feed. Our grass is rocket fuel!
 
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Elfen

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D&H Suregrow or Baileys stud balancer - my chap who is also big literally has the recommended amount for a horse destined to be 17hh and good quality forage. I'd recommend one of these plus good quality hay for a foal - even though it's well grown it still needs the vitamins and minerals to support the growth.
 
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scarymare

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Main advice I would give is that whatever you feed, you don't feed much of it. We see it time and again on here, well intentioned people who get a foal and wrap it in cotton wool, over feed it etc. You need to avoid high protein like the plague, I was horrified to see Baileys stud balancer is 32% :eek::eek:. (I am feeding it to my mortally injured broodmare to get her to foaling). If you over feed and get too much growth you are in for no end of problems down the line. They aren't very good at 5 months at forage but really adlib haylage with mineral supplements is just as good as anything IMO. Personally I leave all my foals with mum until the spring grass comes through anyway.
 
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