What age do you/have you weaned???

[Holly7]

Was just wondering at what age everyone considers weaning?

What age is too soon ?? and who leaves theres to wean themselves naturally??
Is there any benefit to doing this?

Is there any risks with weaning too soon. i.e. stunted growth? Or is that a myth??

Im planning on weaning mine at 5 months old (early Oct) Shes eating her own feed well, drinks plenty, and eats plenty of hay. She mainly goes off by herself in the field, and mum always seems to be in one and baby is normally flat out sleeping or eating in the other (they have access to two).......just I think shes picking up too many bad habits from mother! i.e. knocking over the water buckets, kicking her feed bucket whilst eating, pouring the bed all around the stable, pouring the hay pile and then standing all over it whilst munching away and mother knocking her flying to get her off it!! (although maybe she finds that a good game)....

 

[_jetset_]

I weaned Troy at 7 months, and it was pretty much a natural weaning because she would not let him near her at that point

There was no stress at all when I weaned the two of them, so I couldn't recommend this method enough

 

[kerilli]

i think it's traumatic for them to be weaned before 6months minimum, i left them till 7-9 months (mare was always empty for a year though, different if she's in foal again and trying to eat for 3!) and found they were more confident as adults if i left it a bit longer, funnily enough.

 

[Faithkat]

I weaned my filly at 5 months last year. She had been eating hard feed for a good couple of months and grazing for far longer. The mare had hardly any milk and I only saw the foal attaempt to suckle on very rare occasions, maybe once a day and the mare had been pushing her away for two or three weeks.

 

[arwenplusone]

As I understand (don't have time to look this up) research has proven that if you wean any sooner than 5 months then there will be a definite change in the growth pattern of the weanling, which could be problematic. After that I think is ok & of course dependent on the individual horses & how confident they are.

 

[dotty1]

I wanted to wean mine naturally, there was no need to rush but at 15 months old mum was still happily feeding her.... until this weekend when enough was enough and they have been split up.

 

[CrazyMare]

The plan for mine is 6 months. I think my mare will be ready then as shes making every effort to be away from her foal, and they had a full on scrap this morning about little one having a drink.

 

[Holly7]

Thanks for your responses. Thats what Im worrying about now CrazyMare, last night went to the field to collect them and they were in the same field (for a change) both came over but on approach mum went for baby, ears flat back and was kicking out at her, baby took a step back then began to approach the gate again and mum went ballistic, not seen her like this in a long time. I know she might have been putting her in her place but it was very upsetting.

She went in the stable for her tea and baby eats hers outside (mother is a ganit and eats at hundred miles an hour) then baby rejoins mum in the stable, and always goes for drink from mum, normally mum bites baby bum, and baby bucks whilst trying to feed, but mum was having none of it and banished her to the back of the stable, eventually she was allowed to come and eat the hay pile with her mum.

I checked the mares teats and they were larger than usual with the milk bag looking a lot fuller than the day before, which made me think has she allowed her to suckle in the day??? I will keep a close eye over the next few days as baby will only be 4 months next week and really dont want to wean just yet.

 

[Shilasdair]

My youngsters were both weaned around 8 or 9 months of age...it felt the right time for them, and I didn't see any advantage in hauling them off early.
They were given to my old mare, a strict disciplinarian, and were completely unbothered by the process - my last one didn't even whinny or look after her mum as she was led away.
S

 

[BallyshanHorses]

if the foal is well grown,eating happily and has enough condition then i would wean it.have seen this before where the mare has had enough and unfortunately the outcomes were that the foals had to be rushed to the hospital to get their jaws wired as the mares had lashed out and fractured their foals jaws.(not mine) dont dice with the foals health.they will be much happier with a shetland companion or something.five months is old enough for a foal to be weaned.i think it is just laziness not to do it as its too much stress on the mare and a danger to your new foal if the mare decides to really turn nasty.

 

[MissIndependance]

I tend to wait until 6 months as a rule and we've not ever had any trouble... This year I have a couple of mare who aren't carrying as much condition as I'd like so I may consider weaning their babies at 5 months just to try and get some condition back on them before winter comes

 

[almorton]

we have weaned successfully on vets advice at 3 months. as long as foal has friends, space and food, i dont see the point in leaving them on the mare if you need them off. we never had any problems and the foal looked as well as the rest that we left til 6 months. we did get ours onto foal creep first though!