foal orphaned at 3 months what should i feed her?

S

SophieLiz

Active Member
Joined
22 February 2009
Messages
44
Visit site
Hiya next weekend i have a foal coming who was ophaned at 3 months, she was a late foal (born in september) and her mum died just before christmas of suspected botulism. One of the other mares did feed her (and her own foal) for a while but isnt any more shes currently just eating hayledge (has been for the past few weeks). she will be about 4 and a half months now, im going to put her on sure grow and alpha a when she comes but would you add anything else? and is loosing her mum so early likely to have caused her any lasting damage?
 
Suregrow is probably a very good bet... I would be careful with alfa-a though as it is very rich.. I'd be inclined to go for hi-fi mollasses free or just a bit of speedi beet...

Be careful that you don't over-do her as you could create more problems than you solve.
 
I had a colt foal orphaned at 8 weeks a couple of years ago. Attempts to foster him failed, he wouldn't drink milk replacer except mixed with hard feed. I fed him a grass chaff (Graze-on) and Bailey's Stud Balancer - plus good haylage - and he did wewll and is now a strapping rising 3 year old.

Alpha A is NOT suitable as a complete food for a young foal - remember that they should be drinking a minimum of 4 pints of milk at this stage (high in protein) and you need to feed extra protein to ensure a decent growth rate.
 
Mine have been on Alfa A with oil and one mug 1/2 a lb of balancer twice a day with plenty of haylage
They also have a horslyx in the field which is brilliant
Maybe if he needs a bit of help getting used to hard feed get some milky proposes they dissolve easier every horse is different one of mine ate food at 3 months like it was an adult the other found it difficult and would wonder about forgetting what she was doing dropping all the food out of her mouth!

He will want some company too has he got friends?
Picture would be nice :) is he yours to keep forever? What's his breeding? And his name!
Xx
 
Oh no he's a she sorry!
Milk pellets that was ment to say aswell once she is eating well get the balancer in and that will help make sure she has everything.
Both of mine were weaned early too as they were orphans I think there should be no lasting damage to your foal
The fact your asking shows you are going to ensure you do the right thing by her!
 
Please contact a feed company like Dodson and Horrell for some expert advise! Foals shouldn't really be fed chaffs, as they find the chopped straw in them difficult to masticate, which can cause choke. An alfalfa product is a more palatable source of fibre and with the higher level of protein, more appropriate for a foal. Suregrow is an excellent product! Be cautious of the amount of Sugar Beet you feed until foals are approx 8 months old, as although a lot of manufactured feeds contain SB, feeding the soaked product can have quite a laxative effect on a foal's gut, due to the sugar content.
 
Thanks for your replies guys, i will give Dodson and horrell a ring in the morning and see what they have to say about her.

Carmenlucy123: to answer your questions, yes she will be mine forever! I loved her Mum to bits and have always said i would have one of her babies. My sister bred her, shes out of a Percheron mare by our Andalusian stallion, just before christmas my sister went up to do the morning rounds and found her Mum unexplainably dead :( she had been fine at tea time the night before and showed no signs of having been is distress, then two days later we lost a 2 yr old filly, the vets couldnt really give us an explanation of what had happened there were another 10 horses in the same barn and out of them 1 lost quite a bit of weight at the same time and everything else was absolutely fine!

Her and the foal of the mare that adopted her are moving up to my yard at the weekend and will be kept together for a few weeks so we can make sure there both eating ok then go into our small herd which has one old mare, 3 other yongsters (one being her 3yr old full sister who is owned by my best friend) and a grumpy little sec A gelding so dont worry she will have friends!

not sure if this link will work but she is the little bay in this picture (and the other filly is her friends that is coming with her)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3016376576834&set=t.513128365&type=3&theater

this is her a few days old with her mummy
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...31351391945.2106585.1485203085&type=3&theater

and this is her big sister giving my baby his first riding lesson (as an unbacked 2yr old)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...31351391945.2106585.1485203085&type=3&theater
 
Hiya, i've just spoken to dodson and horrell and they have advised i give her foal mix (rather than sure grow as its higher calories), foal creep pellets and an alphalfa based chaff. just rang round feed stores and ordered it in so hopefully all should be set as long as this snow doesnt call off play!
Im very excited I've not had a pony of my own for almost 3 yrs and have missed it soooo much!
 
Do be careful with the hard feed for this foal. She is a slow growing "native" type with her breeding and will mature far more slowly than a tb foal.

IMO the feed company had suggested too much for this foal, (as they always do) and as others have said, chaff is not a good idea in any form for a foal under 6 months.

4.5months isn't horrendously early to be weaned. It's not ideal but it can happen. I appreciate your foal hasn't had any milk at all since she was 4ish months old? Again, this isn't ideal, but not the end of the world.

Use your common sense when you see her. At this time of year she should look a bit "thin" You should easily be able to feel all her ribs. You might want to mother her and fatten her up, but this could be disasterous, especially with the spring grass on the way soon.

If she looks ok, you really only need to feed something that provides a good vit and min balance. I haven't fed suregrow, but I hear it is good. It's unlikely she will need as much as they recommend though! I like the surelimb supplement. It's good for growing youngstock.
If you are concerned about a protein source, then what about micronised linseed? Again, you only need tiny amounts, but it is highly digestable and is a source of high quality fats and oils too.

Far more damage can be done to youngstock by over feeding (protein especially) than underfeeding.

Make sure she has good quality hay and have a good worming programme in place.

Why don't you post a pic of her when she comes and we can have a look at her condition for you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top