Hi
What would be the earliest age to wean a foal at? I really wanted to wean at 5 or 6 months but it is looking like 4 months.
Thanks in advance for your help.
We don’t breed our mares every year so we leave the foals on until at least 6 months unless the mare is being pulled down. Information we’ve found shows that the longer the foals nurse the lower the instances of ulcers. We also cut our colts before they are weaned. Then for weaning they go in a stall next to the mare for a week, then the mare is moved farther away. They have turn out together during that time. Then they go with one of our older geldings or pony boys if it’s a colt or with an older mare or pony mare if it’s a filly.
I weaned at my one baby at 3 months simply because the mare, normally a hard keeper, was being sucked dry by him despite bermuda pasture, free choice alfalfa hay, and 6 lbs of XTN am and pm with oil before and after partuition.
I have a similar problem foal is just doing too well and appears to me to not be coping with the amount of protein it is getting. BTW the foal is on the porky side. After trying so many different things I believe it is now down to the quality of the mares milk. BTW I will be speaking to the vet today.
How did it go weaning the 3 month old? It is very young so any advise would be appreciated.
When I wean is variable on how the mare is holding her own weight, and whether or not she is bred back.
We tend to wean no earlier than 4 months and no later than 6 months.
I have tried leaving the foals on the mares longer at various times, and have decided that I prefer it when they are weaned in the above time frame.
lolita1 – I wouldn’t worry about a pudgy foal. They tend to do pretty well on the mare’s milk, and then slim down those fat areas after weaning. They can get a pretty fat neck while nursing, which I’ve always called “milk neck”, but like I said, it goes away after weaning.
In my TB breeding history I know of a number of foals who were weaned early because the mare’s milk is too rich and too plentiful.
The worry is epiphysis (sp?), so they have to take to foal off the mare’s milk, and put it on a low protien diet.
3 months is the earliest I have heard of it being done but whether that is the age at which the milk became dangerous for the foal’s growth or if they waited that long so the foal could get the benefit from suckling, I do not know.
Lord Helpus yes this is what I think is wrong the mare has more than 52% TB in her and the foal isn’t coping with food and her milk.
I would never (unless due to a drastic nature), wean one before 4 months.
Nature has a way of starting the weaning process and so many people intervene due to what they foresee a a valid reason.
The natural weaning process is around 6 months. That being said, signs begin to be apparent after the 5th month.
Ive pulled Spanish Mustang foals as early as three months but only in extreme circumstances. Some foals grow so big so fast that they can drag mom down to bones even with the best care and feed money can buy. Most mares are kicked them off (especially colts!) by 5 months and more than happy to get rid of them by six months. When mom is losing her temper with Jr. is when I decide it’s time. Usually 6 ish months.
My TB mare was getting sucked dry and was looking emaciated despite 24-7 access to good quality hay and pasture plus grain. I was worried someone might call the SPCA on me!
I ended up weaning her at 3 months. It went EXTREMELY well. The mare went off property. At the time I weaned, I had a 6 year old mare, 2 3 y/o mares and mom and filly. I seperated the 2 3 y/o and put filly with 6 y/o. Mom went off property. I gave everyone some grain, 20 minutes later the filly was flat out on her side napping. The only time she made any noise was later that night but it lasted only a few minutes.
I would have rather weaned later but I was happy with how well it went.
I’ve never weaned before 4.5 mos willingly, but did wean one filly @ 3 mos because of health issues.
She ended up fine in terms of size.
In my case, the weaning was completely uneventful. The mare was DONE with him and, after penning them next to each other for 2 days, he went straight into the baby pasture with 5 other weanlings. He has always been an independent one (tried to bolt away from me and momma and explore the rest of the property on day 3 of life) and quickly became the instigator of his foal posse.
He did everything but lose weight and, by five months of age, he was a porker. X-rays at one and two years of age showed completely normal growth.
I would not worry about a pudgy foal either. We wean our foals between 4 and 6 months depending on what others have said. Mares condition, if she is bred back, foal’s condition, etc.
Good luck.
Lots of good advice here. I wean about 6 months. Once in awhile I have a mare that is not doing well ( like she always does) and we have to wean about 5 months. Foals do well after they are weaned on our farm. No muss, no fuss. I just move the mare and the foals stay with their group. Done correctly we do not, most of the time, even have one whinney (did I spell that right/?). Most I had this year was one time the foal looked for his dam (the boys are the worst), and the “group” came and took him away with them. Good ponies!!
If I had a mare not doing well, meaning they were dropping weight like a rocket ship, I would wean when it was the best for the mare so as not to make her just a horrible wreck.
The foal will be not as good as we would like, but should be ok.
I usually wean at around 5 months. I do know someone who was very selfish and wanted to start showing the mare so they weaned the foal at 2 months and actually showed the mare the day after weaning. Totally disgusting and I don’t know how the foal is but it broke my heart
I had to wean one at 4 months on vet’s advice because she was growing too fast. She ran and called a bit because her mom was in the next field but was otherwise fine.
Nutritionally, a foal could be weaned at 3 months, but psychologically they still need “mom” for a few more months. They can get the nutrition they need from solids at 3 months, but they are still so emotionally dependent on their dam. If you HAVE to wean earlier, make sure weanling has a buddy that he’s familiar with. I had to wean one at 3 months a few years back because the mare became deathly ill - the foal ended up fine, but filly had a buddy who was 1.5 months older, so I weaned them together. Both ended up just fine, but it was really stressful (for me too:no:). The mare pulled through too (after six months of meds), whew…
It seems amazing to me how many folks on here are willing to risk a foal’s well-being because the (fully grown) mare seems to lose some weight!
In my opinion - and this is said after breeding horses since the mid 80’s - it is much easier to bring a mare back to weight than it is to cure a foal from ulcers and behavioral issues due to early weaning.
In most instances it seems that folks want to wean a foal early because of some circumstance that conflicts with their personal schedule/feelings that have nothing to do with the actual situation. I strongly suggest that you should consider those circumstances before you breed your mare and then have a youngster that depends on her for his/her well-being.
Sorry if this isn’t the politically correct answer, but then nothing concerning breeding horses (or other animals) ever is.
Thank you for your concern siegi and I agree with you that a foal should be with the mare until 4 to 6 months. Sometimes, though, a judgement call has to be made. I know in my case, the mare had a BCS of 3 while the foal was fit and happy. She was a hard keeper to begin with and I simply could not get enough calories in her so she could maintain herself and the foal. He was the youngest of the “first wave” of weanlings, but he was very familiar with all of them and I can’t say any ill effects (cribbing, not holding weight, adjustment and confidence issues…) have been seen yet!
Out here in the West mostly we wean them at 4 to 6 months. Or when Mom starts kicking them off the nipple.
They do OK even when Mom is in the next pasture. If there are other foals to play with it usually goes off without any problems. If they have plenty to eat and are growing good it is not a big deal.
I have heard of foals being weaned at 3 months but that seems a bit drastic.
Unless there is a medical reason for it.
JMHO
