What to feed a foal...

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lucyjay11

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Hey all,

Just after a quick bit of advice really.

I have a 5 month old weanling, and currently he is on a mixture of hay and haylage, which suits him as if i feel entirely one or the other, he just gets a runny bum.

His bucket feed is just Pegasus Chaff, which is what my tb has, he has nothing else atm and seems quite happy eating it, scoffs it down if i'm honest.

just wondering if i am alright in feeding him this? would you put him on any supplements etc?
 
I have wb and a welsh youngsters, have had them since they were that age (1 I bred) I've always just offered just grass and a small amount of pony nuts with a vit and min supplement to ensure they get the full vitamin levels needed, they also have adlib grass or hay or hayledge. I don't like filling youngsters with protein, the only thing I would say is chaff is treated with molasses which are full of sugars, I'd personally swop it for a natural grass such as topspec's afla, just grass or readigrass etc, all contain natural sugars found in the grasses without added sugars such as molasses.
 
I am swapping over to Alfa A in the summer, i wont be feeding him in the summer as he is a gypsy vanner so they are quite good doers.

next winter i shall do this, before he came to me he was on thirds and sugar beet!!!

he doesnt have much, just enough to tide him over, has mainly hay and haylage if im honest.

i am going to get a vit a min supplement though as you said.

thank you
 
Alfa A does actually astoundingly contain molasses, hence me not listing that one, the topspec alternative doesn't though and as I say the D&H just grass, spillers readigrass, plus growers graze on, don't contain molasses just natural sugars. Good luck with him...
 
I feed my wamblood foals on a stud nut and Alfa A. They are also out in a large field during the day and come into barns at night where they have adlib hay.

When they are about a year old I tend to move them onto Alfa A and yearling cubes and then at approx 2 1/2 onto hi-fi and fibre nuts with a vit & min supplement.

I don't want them carrying any exces weight but do want them to have their nutritional needs met.
 
Hes a gypsy vanner x tb.

Atm he just on normal pegasus chaff.

I am going to put him on a vit and min supplement.

He is also on haylage, atm he is in as my yard do not turn out in winter.

However he is going out this weekend, so then shall be in at night, out in the day.
 
Right so today, i've gone out and bought a vit and min supplement and i have also order Dodson and horrell foal mix.

he is currently still on the pegasus chaff as i still have quite a bit of this left, so gonna use it to slowly introduce just grass which i have bought today.

you reckon this will be enough for him, and at what age should i take him off this feeding regime and onto something else?

I am new to this owning a foal thing, i have always had horses but never a foal, so apologise for my lack of knowledge, i am just reading up on everything and 'hoping' that i am doing it right... he seems happy enough anyway, the little guy does :)
 
Seriously he will not need alot of the foal mix at all, he'll be a good doer, so just give a small amount but top up with the vit/min supplement, as soon as the goodness comes through in the grass, personally I'd whip him off the foal mix and just maintain on good grass but continue the vit and min supplement, to ensure he doesn't become deficient in anything.
 
Ok thank you for the awesome advice, it is much appreciated.

Just need to make sure that i am doing everything right, which i probably am, but i am doubting myself because never had to do this and just want to get it right!

thanks again!
 
he will be fine on what he's on with just a vit and min supplement added until maturity.

Don't go ading things to his diet for the sakeof it, it just adds expense!

I would sugest though that you use a 'lite' or mollasses free chaff. you can get alfa a mollasses free now. I personally feed hi-fi lite, high fibre cubes, speedi beet and a vit and min supp.
 
yeh i am in the process of changing the chaff to D & H just grass. i'm trying to keep his feeding similiar to that of my TB.

Hes on the Pegasus Chaff and mix, and cod liver oil, but he will also be changing onto the D & H just grass along with my GV.

Thank you all ever so much for the advice, i'm sure this will not be the last that you will hear from me. I'll probably be pestering you all for advice haha.

Thank you again!
 
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