Orphan foals - Any Helpful Tips Out There Please?

[Maesfen]

In all the years I have been breeding, touch wood and anything else like a rabbit's foot, I have never had to deal with an orphan foal of only 9 days old. I've dealt with early weaners because of problems but not something this young. I have had some tremendous help and advice already from professional foal rearers but would love to know if any of you have any ideas or tips on how to make this easier, both on the foal and myself please.

I might add, this foal is not one of mine, I have taken him on for someone due to problems with the mare; he did receive his colostrum so that is not a problem and he is already on D & H Equilac from a bowl although he likes to slurp it over me as well as drink it! He has been given and will continue to have some Gastroguard daily although I might change that to Coligone later, when this tube has run out (again, on professional advice)
I know both D & H and Baileys do foal mix or pellets which I will try to get him on as soon as he can eat them; does anyone have a preference for either and if so, why?

He's by a TB out of a coloured cob mare although he is bay with cheeky white face, a long stocking and some short socks! I'll take some pictures tomorrow if he'll stand still long enough; he loves having a razz and buck in the box. I'm hoping that Swallow or Silvie will take him under their wing eventually; Swallow is next to him atm and can talk to him through the grill but it will be interesting to hear any tips for integrating him into a group if you have them. Until Cromarty comes back from stud with her foal, there won't be another foal for some time (early May) and even then I will be very wary of putting him with them, after all, he won't have a Mum to stand up for him will he and you know how inquisitive foals can be; don't want him beaten up just when he thinks he might have found himself some buddies!

So all tips and suggestions gratefully received, thank you!

 

[volatis]

We had an orphan foal of just a week old, after losing his dam. We tried the foster mare route but just didnt work. We hand reared him in the sense that we bottle fed him using equilac milk powder and he got milk pellets (cant remember how old he was when he started on those sorry)
However my 4yo Hanoverian gelding adopted him and it was the most important thing. Welly (my gelding) was a very gentle kind soul and took on his role of uncle brilliantly. Once he and Welly had bonded they were turned out with the rest of the herd of mares and foals as foal and parent and apart from our regualr visits with food, you would never know they weren't mother and son!
The orphan is now a wopping 17.0hh at rising 3 and belongs to peasfriend on here. For us the most important thing was having an adult horse to show him the ropes and look after him in the herd enviornment

 

[1275gta]

Sorry to be negtive, but they are a pain in the bum.

We reared one from a day old on milk and then milk pellets.

He grew and had no physical problems.

He was however awful with no respect for humans and you couldn't disicpline him. Even turning him away with other youngsters didn't help and in the end we sold him onto a dealer who was going to try and break him.

I wouldn't rear another if it wouldn't go on a foster mother I would have it PTS.

SOrry to be negative but we had a bad experience.

 

[S_N]

Well that's a wonderful way to encourage someone.

Pat, I'm always here if you need me! You know it can be done, I've done it successfully and my friend in Cornwall that lost her mare to a prolapsed uterus 2yrs ago, has her lovely dun lusitano 2yo filly that was hand reared - though she never took to drinking from a bucket or eating pellets at all and was entirely bottle fed for the first 3 months! At least he is on a suregrow mash and drinking from the bucket already. Just remember how quickly they can go downhill at this age though! He really will need regular feeds - maybe he will stretch to 3 hourly overnight. Could D rig up a lower bucket holder on the wall, so he won't knock it over, get his foot in it, when he impatiently paws when drinking?

How is Swallow with him over the wall now? If you think that Silvie would be a better buddy for him then try that. What about using the 2 outside barn boxes - they could really touch each other in there, couldn't they? Or am I remembering those boxes incorrectly? I'm thinking on my feet here of ways to actually get them physically together, without risking him....

 

[kerilli]

can't you try to get a foster mum for him? i've fostered one onto a mare, they were fine together... much the best route if at all possible, i think.. means you get some sleep too!
there is a foster page on horsequest, plus Johanna Vardon always knows of mares who have lost their foals.
sorry, i've heard so many bad stories about hand-reared ones that i would always try to foster them onto a mare if at all possible.

 

[Shilasdair]

My Shire x TB girlie was an orphan foal...she was hand reared for three weeks, then fostered onto a mare...with the whole dead foalskin thing ( I didn't breed her, but ended up involved).
Maybe keep looking for a foster mare as that would be the perfect nutritional and behavioural solution?
Failing that, try to hook him/her up with an older mare...it's a shame you're not anywhere near me as my old TB mare is the perfect nanny....kind, but rules em with an iron hoof (so I don't have to beat them as often

).
Good luck
S

 

[Foxford]

We lost our mare 3 weeks after foaling last year. We used the equilac (ouch - expensive!) and we started with the creep pellets a couple of weeks later. We found giving a small amount and wetting with milk worked well for the first few gos. Smirnoff_Ice very kindly lent us her mare who had had a foal before and still had some milk. Unfortunately he never drank from her, but she was fantastic company for him and helped him to learn how to behave. Dolly went home when he was 5 months and he is now out with our 19yo hunter "uncle ben".

We never treated him as a pet, but he does think he was put on this earth to rule! I think that's just his nature though as he has been cocky since he landed on the ground! Some people are very negative about hand-rearing, and I can semi-understand that from a commercial point of view. However we bred for love and our boy is the only thing we have left of our lovely mare. I'm confident he will be much easier when gelded!!!

To help you - put in a double lot of milk at around midnight so you don't need to get up again. We were lucky as we mounted a bucket to the wall so he couldn't trip over it which worked really well. Good luck it's hard but so, so worth it.

 

[Maesfen]

Thanks everyone for the replies; using QR here so apologies in advance!

Volatis - That's why we decided to try Swallow next to him; she has had foals before and is kind natured. They can see and virtually touch whiskers through the full width mesh on top of the box walls. At the moment though, apart from a quick 'who's that?' when she came in tonight, she has made a point of staying close to the other wall. If she is still like that tomorrow, I'll try Silvie, the 2 yr old next to him instead. It would be a natural thought to have Joey beside him but I think if and when they ever got out together that Joey would be a bully; at least he is to the girls if he feels like it; I can't think he'd be any better with another lad!

Gypsycob - Thanks so much for your encouragement! That is precisely why I have given him (and been given too!) this chance; he's far too nice to be put down because of his circumstances; he deserves a chance in my book.

Kerrilli - ATM, there's no chance of a foster mare for him but I'll keep my ears open; you never know!

Shilasdair - Shame you're so far away, your mare sounds ideal does she have horns too?!!

SN! - Bucket holder is in the pipeline! The chequebook will be out tomorrow along with the shopping list for Suregrow, Equilac, Coligone; you name it, it will be on the list to replenish the stocks you brought with him!
The two barn boxes would be more awkward as they have gates and gaps underneath them, would be a struggle to make them safe for Freddiphant's feet; he could also roll under which might cause a bit of a dilemma so I think he'll be safer where he is for the time being at least.
If Swallow hasn't come around by tomorrow morning I'll try Sylvie or Spring next to him instead.
Since you went, he's had tea and supper just now! He didn't want much more than a mouthful, was more intent on raping me TBH, so I'll try again at 3am. It might be our water makes the mix smell and taste different to what he's used to, will just take him some time to acclimatise but neither mealtime did he dive into the bowl like a hungry boy so he must feel comfortably full from the time before I think. Even after lots of scratches and rubs and walking around the box to use up some energy didn't make him any hungrier so I'm going to bed for a couple of hours with an easy mind. I've already made up the next feed (have you any idea how long it takes boiled water to cool down enough to feed, I had to wait ages!) so I can just bung it in the m/w and go rather than hang about. With the bucket holder I'll be able to make up double amount which I can put in at midnight and will last him til morning, hopefully which will be a help.
Don't worry, I have your number and I will shout if I need you, I promise and once again, thanks for the big man who I keep calling Freddiephant so I think it's stuck! - It's all your fault!
BTW, M had two races, won one and was second in other, so not a bad start to the season for him, thank goodness!

 

[delphipuppy]

I have had two orphans. The first was 20 years ago and the foal was 6 weeks old. He was already on hard feed and wouldn't touch milk at all, so we put it in his hard feed. I had an amazing old gelding who adopted him instantly and acted as mother perfectly for him, so it was all very simply.
The second one was last year and the foal was a week old. He wouldn't take a bottle but would drink from the bucket. Yes he slurped it all over me too

We had buckets on hooks and gave him one of milk and one a mixture of milk and sure grow. He also had gastroguard.
Fortunatey Joanna Vardon found us a foster mother when he was 3 weeks old as none of my band of horses showed the slightest interest in taking him under their wing.
He was sucessfully adopted and is now a well behaved weanling.
I'd keep trying for a foster mother but it sounds as if you've got it pretty much sorted if you can't.
Good luck

 

[AJBliss]

We had one at work last year. Got him drinking out of a calf feeder bucket with a lamb teat attached (His Morgan x mouth was too little to make much of the calf teat!) with milk pellets in a creep feeder, and put him with a sweet 2-year old, as she was the only one on the yard without a job. She took to it like a duck to water, and though she didn't feed him, she did teach him how to "be a horse," and protected him around others. He is a happy, well-adjusted horse, and definitely not a nightmare to handle. He is braver than his "big sis" and knows how to socialise with other horses, as well as being easy for us to deal with in hand.

Be careful giving big feeds to tide him over at night though--it can be a help, but some foals will keep drinking past the point they should stop. I would think you will be safe following the directions on the package. Do you have anyone to help you with the feedings?

 

[Amazona]

What ever you do dont bottle feed them !!!
Had orhan foal from 2 wks old ... Teach it to drink from a bucket like a calf and the results later in life are much better ... give it a companion pony or horse if you can. I had no probs with behaviour that way

 

[AmyMay]

QR following on from Gypsycob's post.

We have what was an orphan mare on my yard. Delightful mare, who at a good 17hh has manners to burn. No trouble in any way with discipline or respect.

 

[Peasfriend]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to be negtive, but they are a pain in the bum.

We reared one from a day old on milk and then milk pellets.

He grew and had no physical problems.

He was however awful with no respect for humans and you couldn't disicpline him. Even turning him away with other youngsters didn't help and in the end we sold him onto a dealer who was going to try and break him.

I wouldn't rear another if it wouldn't go on a foster mother I would have it PTS.

SOrry to be negative but we had a bad experience.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the orphan foal that volatis raised (in my avatar). He is full of character and only occasionally shows a lack of respect for humans. It's evident that he had early contact with other horses from an early age as he knows how to socialise. The one thing he really lacked was someone to put him in his place. My old TB did his best but wasn't firm enough!

Something that made a huge difference to him was introducing another older horse (when Pick was about 19 months old) who put him in his place very firmly in the field but who also plays with him. This had almost an immediate effect on Pickle's behaviour when in hand. Obviously, we also have strict boundaries over what we do and do not accept behaviour wise and it hasn't always been easy. But I wouldn't reject a foal on the basis it was an orphan

If you didn't know Pickle was an orphan, I think you'd be hard pushed to tell.

 

[LindaW]

I had an orphan foal too who has been raised and become a well mannered stallion.

I took him on at about 10 weeks, and it involved taking no nonsense from a cheeky confident colt. My now gelding Salazar who was still entire at the time took him under his wing, which did help.

 

[ecs]

had an orphan last year mother died (PTS) perforated uterus, so not even colostrum given, anyway got colostrum from Tullis matson, bottle fed, then got her on a bucket, eventually had two buckets hung on wall one with milk one with creep feed, she was a greedy little thing, so no feeding problems, until trying to get her on hay which was a nightmare, she is very pushy and reluctant to go out she has another foal as a companion, and we are slowly overcoming this problem by leaving her door open and letting her decide whether to go out or not, unfortunately we could not find a suitable nanny for her as a baby, and this was our biggest mistake, as i feel sure it would have been better if we could have got her out with a friend, i would move heaven and earth to find a pony friend if i had to do it again, the biggest problem we had was when she went onto hard feed she developed very loose water like droppings, the vet said because she had not enough gut flora, with the help of Global Herbs we have now overcome this, it was hard work fed every 2 hrs until she was 5 weeks old, if i had to do it again there are things i would do different, i think if the foal has had a mother, even for a few days, it helps. Good luck with your foal hope everything goes well for you.

 

[zigzag]

Was involved with raising an orphan (well his mum was alive but tried to kill him ) he was a TB and we used an old gelding who completely mothered him

only thing he couldn't do was give him milk, he only had a bottle for two days then we got him drinking out of a bucket, he was eating hard food after a week (couple of cups a day) cost fortune in foal milk, cos we gave more than they said, he actually grew bigger than him Mum and Dad

he was sold at four and went through the sales ( due to circumstances beyond my control

) found out where he was this year, he is actually owned by a HHO Member and he is stunning I love looking at his pics on here

It is very easy to cuddle them to much and discipline is then hard, this bugger got away with things with me

 

[amandaj79]

Hi, i really hope someone can help me,

We lost our much loved mare last week, due to a suspected twisted gut, leaving us with her 2 week old orphaned foal.

Bought an array of different mares milk replacer, goats milk, ewes milk etc none of which it will drink either from a bottle ( which it firmly rejected with a rather painful kick, nor from the bucket.

However from a few days old he was pinching hard feed from its mom.

We have continued to give it hard feed in the form of a handful of sugarbeet, molasses and have introduced spillersfoal creep pellets and equivite (spillers) milk based bodybuilder ( which states it isnt a milk replacer). Someone suggested also sprinkling dried milk powder in with the feed which i have done, however he doesnt like it much and leaves half of it.

Getting really desperate now as really concerned he isnt getting the right nutrients from not having correct milk quota.....im desperate. I guess if we had him orphaned from birth it would have been easier to feed him a replacer but hes having none of it. Can anyone help? suggesting a good milk base pellet that is suitable?

Even thought about getting a goat as we have a companion for him and he is attempting to go under their belly as if to suckle.

Reaaly hope someone can help, any advice is greatly appreciated