It took our filly some time to get used to eating away from her mom’s dish, but gradually she is eating more and more of the FF. She started out with just handfuls and is now eating about 3 pounds per day (she is 3 1/2 months old). Her dam’s last foal was not creep fed and he ended up with OCD’s so I am paranoid. The FF has lots of minerals for bone development. We started out having her eat out of our hands, transitioned into a small black feeding dish with low sides and now she eats out of her own bucket. She seemed afraid to eat of out a bucket when she was just starting to eat the FF. Our filly is not overweight at all.
From the picture you foal looks fabulous. At 3 months a foal’s top line, muscle by and large and all things being equal is the last thing you need to worry about. IMO and experience with raising lots of foals.
We only breed and raise Thoroughbreds which as a breed have a higher metabolism than other breeds from what I am told and have read.
I have never used creep feeders. Nor do just about all of the farms that I have been on and or know in Kentucky. That’s not to say that some or a lot do. Just saying by and large most do not. As far as I am concerned the Thoroughbred farms in Kentucky pretty much wrote the book on raising TBs. For good reason the majority of foals born there are quite valuable and are bred and raised by commercial breeders for the market. It’s their livelihood. When I need some advice I call the farm managers. I know they have walked the walk so they can do the talk. I only take advice from those who have a resume on a professional level.
Our mares and foals live out 24-7 and are fed on the fence or ground buckets. They are divided into groups and paddocks and once settled in they are know which bucket is theirs. All of our foals, as many as 30+ up until a few years ago never developed much of an interest in their momma’s feed until 2-3 months of age. They only nibble a bit in the first couple of weeks and progress from there. We monitor their intake and increase the amount appropriately for each. We also have excellent and plentiful grass.
When we wean usually around 5-6 months they are good to go and we slowly increase the amount to the norm that we feed in the coming months.
I am often asked what our feed program is by folks that stop in and look at our horses. We have a rather large population. All shapes and sizes. I tell them they’re in for a disappointment because we keep it quite simple. Basically a type of sweet-feed that folks around the forum seem to think is “garbage”. It is mixed to my specification for fat and protein with just enough molasses to bind things together. By and large the only thing we add is Calf Manna.
This has worked very well for us and a multitude of other TB breeders.
We rarely sell weanling but when we have depending on pedigree they have brought anywhere from $10,000 to a couple hundred thousand. Most of the horse we have bred have outsold and or out ran their pedigree. So I would like to think we are doing things pretty well.
I was raised on Wonder bread, hotdogs, TV dinners, Ring Dings, Funny Bones and Good Humor popsicles. World Class Mountain and rock climber and a pretty darn good ski racer in my teens.
I rarely comment on feeding or raising because it is very subject. It’s not that I agree or disagree with the majority of advice offered. It just seems like it is based more on what people have read then on actually breeding and raising horses for a living. Lots of them.
To each their own on this.
She’s getting the idea of eating the milk pellets pretty well. I still only feed it to her while mom is eating her grain.
A neighbor had a feeder they loaned me. Will hang it up soon and try free choice. I’ll replace it if mom destroys it.
The other reason I thought about feeding her so soon is because she’s going to an inspection in a few weeks. Figured it might help, even if a little.
Incase anyone wanted a closer look 
I just love her.
[QUOTE=Sparky Boy;8270681]
Vet was out yesterday and he suggested the grain so I went for it.
I just fed breakfast and baby ate several bites from my hand but inside a bucket. So thats a start.
She will always be on the same schedule as the big horses. Once weaned, she’ll probably want atleast a handful of something when everyone else gets their grain.
Probably a waste of money since I’m sure I won’t feed near the amount the bag suggests.[/QUOTE]
I always fed my mares & foals Omolene 300 ( as it was called back then) so the foal was already used to eating it by what he/she could steal from mom. I found that both my mares would completely destroy any creep feeder , so I couldn’t go that route.
I wean at around 6 months so my youngsters were already eating very well by then all on their own.
As for the feed you just bought ? Just give some to the mare with her feeding. No need to waste it.
ETA: Just saw your most recent update and glad she is eating better. She looks lovely in the picture.
This foal does not need free choice anything other than mom’s milk and whatever forage she’s picking at 
Unless she got really thin since the 3 month pics, she does not need extra calories.
Gorgeous, gorgeous foal in really, REALLY good weight. No additional calories are needed.
Omelene 300 is really high in NSC, like 38%. That’s feeding candy bars to children.
Ok. Ok. I’m listening. I can hang on to the bags of growth for a while.
The super expensive milk pellets. … I suppose I could just give her a handfull while mom eats until its gone.
There’s nothing wrong with giving her her own little bucket with a cup or so of the FF, and then use that to mix in and gradually use up as you transition her to a ration balancer or a good growth feed later
