Would you wean early?

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
We had a whoopsie with one of my mares & a stallion. Despite a vets visit- 11 months later she had a colt foal!
This foal is huge, at 5 months he’s bigger than my yearlings & catching up with mum fast. Problem is is that with the recent weather and I think the fact he is so big is that she’s starting to look poor. Not poor as in skin and bone, but she’s poorer than I would like her to be at this point. Ive has them both in the barn but she isn’t an “indoor” mare, she’s a stand-in-the-middle-of-the-field-in-a-hurricane mare & we lasted 2 hours before she’d jumped the 7 bar gate & the post and rail and back out with her friends- leaving her foal behind (he wasn’t bothered) I’ve tried to shut her in the big barn, but she paces up and down screaming continuously and won’t settle & if you opened the barn door to go in she will full pelt gallop At you and run you over (I tried- after 3 days I turned her back out)
She’s out with ad-lib hay and hard feed, rug-less despite the elements because of the boy- but im not sure it’s enough.
Foal is on grass/hay/hard feed. Spends most of his time with his “uncles” rather than Mum, and I very rarely see him feed from her.
I don’t want to take him away & cause him damage, but she’s not the best do-er and I’m concerned that if she goes too far I won’t get her back easily.
WWYD?
 

twiggy2

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 July 2013
Messages
11,401
Location
Highlands from Essex
Visit site
If he is hardly feeding from the mare chances are she is looking poor sue to stress, leaving her out with feed etc sounds best.
What are you feeding them amd how much?
For what it's worth I would not wean before spring unless I really had to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJS

Asha

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 February 2012
Messages
5,883
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
If shes looking poor,then yes I would wean now, doesn't sound as though he needs her now. You can then add some extra calories to her without it affecting him.

I had to wean one at 4 1/2 months as he was growing to fast and was at risk of getting contracted tendons. If hes doing as well as you say, then a bit of a knock back may do him good.
 

MrsMozart

Just passing through...
Joined
27 June 2008
Messages
41,222
Location
Not where I should be...
Visit site
One of mine was weaned at 4.5/5 months.

He's always been very baby-ish and I wonder if that was because he left his dam early. He doesn't seem to 'get' quite a few of the sort of normal horse interaction, despite being with our other horses. I believe there was a short period where he and she were split up but on the same yard, only one or both of them kept trying to get to the other despite their apparent lack of interest.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
One of mine was weaned at 4.5/5 months.

He's always been very baby-ish and I wonder if that was because he left his dam early. He doesn't seem to 'get' quite a few of the sort of normal horse interaction, despite being with our other horses. I believe there was a short period where he and she were split up but on the same yard, only one or both of them kept trying to get to the other despite their apparent lack of interest.

Nico my Welsh D is just the same, he was at the welsh sales at 5 months:(
 

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
Thank you everyone.
I know she’s getting enough feed as I feed her separate to everyone else to ensure that she’s getting her share.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

Getting old disgracefully
Joined
24 November 2010
Messages
28,462
Location
Pootling around......
Visit site
Thank you everyone.
I know she’s getting enough feed as I feed her separate to everyone else to ensure that she’s getting her share.
That's good about the feed.

I'm another who says get the foal off. My mare had a 'surprise' end of July last year, on vets opinion the foal was weaned end Nov as the mare was falling away v quickly. Foal took it in her stride, mare took nearly 4 months of ad lib everything to look half sensible.
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,347
Visit site
All foals and their dams are different, we have got 3 planning to be weaned at the moment - the Feb born one is still really quite a Mummies boy. The youngest, a filly, quite honestly could have been weaned at 4 months had we needed to - completely independent and dam not much interested!
From what you have said I’d be weaning now.
 

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
Well as she is such a bad do-er, when she’s had foals before we’ve planned it so that the foal is weaned & shes had a bit of time to recover before winter sets in. I wouldn’t of purposely planned for her to have a foal as late in the year as she did! I also didn’t want her put in foal again but clearly she had other ideas!
I’ll start clearing a place in the barn for him & an uncle this week and separate them on the weekend when husband is around to help just incase.
I’m just waiting with the farrier. He’s stood by the gate watching what’s going on, mum is nowhere to be seen. I’ve been out here for 2 hours, he’s not moved and she’s not called for him once.
 

windand rain

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2012
Messages
8,517
Visit site
Yes I would wean him now big foal poor mum would make me go ahead. She will get a chance to pick up and he may slow down a little to give his joints a chance. You can always put them back together if he gets distressed but by the sound of things he won't
 

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
**update** if anyone’s interested...
So as usual this morning, colt was by the gate- Mumma was nowhere to be seen. So I bought the colt in with his yearling best friend. Not a murmur out of the colt. Brilliant I thought.... but then....
An hour later whilst making a tea I looked over at the barn CCTV to see the yearling eyeing up the gate. By the time I’d got down the barn he’d jumped the gate and was in the yard. Of course, colt starts bellowing and mum appeared from the furthest field, hammering her way towards the yard screaming. Put an older uncle in with the colt and turned it he yearling out and all settled, apart from mum... who proceeded to jump the gate into the yard! So mum, colt, older mare and uncle are now in the barn. Mum is settled for now but I know that’ll soon change and she’ll want out- so I’m going for reverse tactics now! If she creates without the foal then I’ll then turn them both back out and try again in a few weeks.

Dramatic morning... someone pass the gin!
 

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
Do you have any friends that could take either the foal or the mare for weaning to get the seperated?

*Disclaimer, I have never bred, I hope to but thus far haven't

that is an option, however, in the 12 years I’ve been breeding I’ve never had to use that method as I try and naturally wean rather than force wean, favouring taking the foals away when they’re ready as opposed to when I’m ready. They call a bit for a few hours but then they’re back to normal.
 

Merrymoles

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 January 2010
Messages
5,180
Location
Up t'dale
Visit site
It still sounds like they are ready really and that the issue was caused by the yearling, rather than colt or mum. Could colt stay with older uncle, rather than yearling, and see how that pans out? Mum responded to the colt bellowing because the yearling had gone, not because he was bellowing for her.
 

Bs_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2019
Messages
163
Visit site
It still sounds like they are ready really and that the issue was caused by the yearling, rather than colt or mum. Could colt stay with older uncle, rather than yearling, and see how that pans out? Mum responded to the colt bellowing because the yearling had gone, not because he was bellowing for her.



yes issue was 100% caused by the yearling. As they’re always together I thought he was the easiest option, however, that was a rookie mistake & completely my fault. He’s in the barn now with my faithful old “uncle” and an aunt and mum. She’ll want out by the morning if she hasn’t removed herself over night (from my first post she’s an out horse- not an in horse) and then we’ll start again. But she was so so stressed at that point the best thing was just to let them be together.
 

JJS

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 September 2013
Messages
2,044
Visit site
that is an option, however, in the 12 years I’ve been breeding I’ve never had to use that method as I try and naturally wean rather than force wean, favouring taking the foals away when they’re ready as opposed to when I’m ready. They call a bit for a few hours but then they’re back to normal.

I much prefer this method too. In all honesty, whether they seem ready or not, most five months old still need mum as an emotional safety blanket, even if they don’t spend all of their time together. I’d be tempted to just grit my teeth and keep upping her feed until he’s a little older.
 

Lois Lame

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 May 2018
Messages
1,616
Visit site
To me, the foal seems overfed.

Decades ago I used to read the occasional American horse magazine, and I remember one time they had a feature on what they called creep feeding. At the time, I felt that it seemed sensible to feed the foals in an area that was for foals only. The mares were too tall to get under the rail.

Now I think that this practise is harmful. Why have foals grow faster and bigger than what they would do if just feeding off their mums and what grazing that is available (hopefully enough grazing)? There is this believe that bigger and faster is better.

Thank you everyone.
I know she’s getting enough feed as I feed her separate to everyone else to ensure that she’s getting her share.

I think the foal's hard feed should be cut out and he be left on his mum.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJS

Lois Lame

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 May 2018
Messages
1,616
Visit site
**update** if anyone’s interested...
So as usual this morning, colt was by the gate- Mumma was nowhere to be seen. So I bought the colt in with his yearling best friend. Not a murmur out of the colt. Brilliant I thought.... but then....
An hour later whilst making a tea I looked over at the barn CCTV to see the yearling eyeing up the gate. By the time I’d got down the barn he’d jumped the gate and was in the yard. Of course, colt starts bellowing and mum appeared from the furthest field, hammering her way towards the yard screaming. Put an older uncle in with the colt and turned it he yearling out and all settled, apart from mum... who proceeded to jump the gate into the yard! So mum, colt, older mare and uncle are now in the barn. Mum is settled for now but I know that’ll soon change and she’ll want out- so I’m going for reverse tactics now! If she creates without the foal then I’ll then turn them both back out and try again in a few weeks.

Dramatic morning... someone pass the gin!

Ah, sorry to hear that.

I think both should definitely be out and enjoying life. Natural exercise goes a very long way in making good strong horses.
 
Top