Weaning advice

[mynutmeg]

I'm going to be weaning in the next couple of weeks and am after a bit of advice on the best way to do it. He's a single foal, turned out with his mom and an 'uncle'. Once weaned he is going into a field with my yo's and the grass liveries (2 broodies, an 'uncle' used to babies and a 2 year old). My plan is to seperate and the mare will go to another yard for a couple of weeks as our yard is not big enough to have them out of sight and hearing.
Foal is used to being left in the stable for 10 minutes or so at a time with company and is ok with that. I'm not sure whether I should keep the Milo in for several days until he settles down and then turn out into his new group or whether to put him down straight away. The other option is to remove the mare and leave him with his current 'uncle' but I feel that then he has to move to the other field so would almost be weaning twice. Putting one of his new group in with him now or putting him and mare into new group before weaning is not an option due to yo (my mare can be a bit free with her hind legs with new horses and they don't want to risk their horses, fair enough) Foal is well socialised with other horses on the yard and says hello with correct foal submission etc. Fencing is good quality permemant post and electric tape. Same as he's been out in all summer and he does respect the electric. He's eating very well on balancer and haylage.
Stable doesn't have a top door at all but I have weave bars I can put up to stop him jumping out if needed.

So basic questions are how long do I need to keep them totally seperate (when the mare comes back she'll be within sight/hearing but several fields away) and should Milo be kept stabled for a few days or go straight into the new group or any other way to do it?

Thanks

 

[mel_s]

All of them seem to react differently. i've never had my own to do before so i just went with what seemed right for him and the facilities i have. I have no stables. I also cant move the mare out of sight so she's gone to a friends for a while. All i would say is - it seems the more you change the more worried they get. So i'd keep the routine/buddies etc the same if possible.

I started splitting mine up for short periods and putting the mare over the fence (more grass in there so she was happy). The foal remained with my other 2 horses - who hes been in with since June. I increased the time apart to all day long and they went back together at night. Then i left them apart all night too. The foal was perfectly fine with all of this. The mare hasnt been bothered throughout. The foal has been eating hay and food out of a bucket on his own for yonks so i knew eating was ok.

Then on saturday i loaded the mare and took her to my friends. The foal reacted more to this than i thought (he'd not been bothered with the rest of it) but luckily the mare loaded quick and we were gone. He ran up and down shouting but it was short lived. By the time i got back (i'd left someone there keeping an eye on them) he was fine and i was told he had been after the first 5 minutes. He was also completely fine yesterday. Hes got my other 2 for company and they are good with him so i think he got comfort from that.

My mare cant stay away for ages so ultimately they will have to go back together at some point further down the line the way things are at the moment. But i think by then they are used to being independent. I certainly dont think they'd bother if they were in separate fields as long as the mare is away for a fair while?

 

[ihatework]

Personally I'd put foal in the new group now, along with the Dam. She should protect him a bit and help him settle in the herd. Once established I'd then move the mare out. This would pretty much always be my preferred method of weaning, it is the way a close friend does all theirs and it has never gone anything but smoothly.

 

[Maesfen]

Agree totally with IHW even if it means holding onto the others while they get the lay of the field. If you really can't do this at least put them in the next door field now so that he can talk and meet new buddies over the fence long before you're weaning.. He's going to be stressed enough with her going without him having to meet his new mates at the same time, that's a recipe for him to go through the fence to get away from what he will see as intimidating new horses.

 

[mynutmeg]

Personally I'd put foal in the new group now, along with the Dam. She should protect him a bit and help him settle in the herd. Once established I'd then move the mare out. This would pretty much always be my preferred method of weaning, it is the way a close friend does all theirs and it has never gone anything but smoothly.

This would be my preference but isn't an option as the yo doesn't want my mare in with their broodies as they're worried about her kicking their horses.

Agree totally with IHW even if it means holding onto the others while they get the lay of the field. If you really can't do this at least put them in the next door field now so that he can talk and meet new buddies over the fence long before you're weaning.. He's going to be stressed enough with her going without him having to meet his new mates at the same time, that's a recipe for him to go through the fence to get away from what he will see as intimidating new horses.

They're next door at the moment. Think I'll ask yo if he would put one or two of his in with Milo and the gelding he's currently out with once the mare has gone so he at least has someone he knows out with him.
Going through the fence is my concern

 

[Clodagh]

Like you say there, I am no expert but I would leave him with his gelding friend until he has calmed down over the loss of his mum, then put another couple of the new herd with them.

When I weaned Piper, it wasn't until the spring so he was quite 'old', the mare went away for months and still came back and got all hysterical over him. sHe didn't start producing milk again but if I put a headcollar on him she went frantic.

 

[Dry Rot]

It's always been the mares that are the more upset here. They are removed to a small field 300 yards away and the foals kept in. Just one observation, foals have no idea that bars on a door aren't something they might just push through so I'd be tieing a bag or something over the bars to make them look more solid. One of mine tried to jump a steel gate at four months, got a hind leg caught between the top bars and just hung there. Fortunately, he was quickly rescued and not even limping next day.

 

[mynutmeg]

I dont think the mare will be a problem. Shes started weaning already - doesnt let him drink half the time now and isnt at all bothered if I take him out of sight of her.
I was thinking the same about the bars.

 

[AdorableAlice]

When Alice was weaned we borrowed an ex and very ancient broodmare, she was a 12h Welsh pony. We put her alongside Alice and her dam for a week or so and then in with them for another couple of weeks.

All three then came into the yard into individual stables (Alice was 6 months), the mare was then led away to a neighbouring farm and Alice was watched for a while. All was peaceful and the next morning Alice and her nanny were turned out together. Alice did a bit of calling but her nanny kept an eye on her and everything was fine. They stayed together, wintering out and thriving. The dam came back 6 weeks later and was not put alongside Alice until the following Spring. They were then put back together because the nanny was required to provide sick company to my big horse.

 

[Rollin]

I always wean slowly. Separating mare and foal with a 'talk grill' for part of the day before we move onto total separation.