Feeding 2 month old foal?

[mbm]

I was wondering what folks like to feed their babies once they are chowing down on moms food?

My filly eats moms food like their is no tomorrow and i would like to get her something that is for foals…

Mom is eating alfalfa pellets/Dry COB/and a Ration Balancer.

I am going to start upping moms feed intake as she is starting to loose weight… so I would like to get baby eating her own ration to help keep weight on mom.

Filly is 8 weeks old and has wanted to eat moms feed since she was a few days old - at that time i just hung moms bucket up where baby couldn’t reach it.

Now they are out in 24/7 paddock and there is no place for me to hang a bucket so filly happily mows down on moms feed.

I will also need to create a creep feeder for filly and filly has a very short petitie pony head and the creep i bought at the store was wayyy too big - she couldn’t reach the bottom

ideas/suggestions?

they get fed hay 3x/day and feed am + pm

i can have them brought in at 4 and have them in over nite but i prefer them being out 24/7.

tia!

[Laurierace]

I feed this for the first four months. http://www.prognutrition.com/ffstartercreep.html

[mbm]

Laurie -

Yes i saw that on another thread and that is what got me thinking. It doesn’t appear that I can get that product here in CA - at least it doesn’t come up on the website for me to purchase… ?

[sporthorsefilly]

I feed Legend’s mare and foal texturized or Triple Crown Growth. I have had no problems.

[Laurierace]

Can you get this? http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/breeding/foal-starter.aspx

[mbm]

I bought the growth formula from the feed manufacturer that makes the RB i use… and it has a lots of whole oats or barley in it… and a lot of molasses… so while she loves it i cant imagine it would be good for her?

[mbm]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7115150]
Can you get this? http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/breeding/foal-starter.aspx[/QUOTE]

no dealer pops up when i put in my zip

[Laurierace]

Shoot. I am sure it would cost a fortune in shipping but you would probably only need one bag total until the foal ages out.

[mbm]

what about this? i am pretty sure i can get it

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/horses/vitality/vitality-mare-foal/index.jsp

or this?

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/horses/life-design/mare-foal/index.jsp

[mbm]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7115163]
Shoot. I am sure it would cost a fortune in shipping but you would probably only need one bag total until the foal ages out.[/QUOTE]

i emailed them to see… tnx

[Dune]

Can’t you get something from LMF or TDI? They are good products overall, and yes you do want to stay away from all the sugary products, especially since you’ve got the pony genes. Ask me how I know, lol!

[Home_Again_Farm]

I would raise mom’s feed tub so that baby can’t chow down on her feed.

Foals under 4 months are unable to properly digest cereal grains. That is why laurie is suggesting Progressive or Buckeye foal feed that is milk based. I used to creep feed my foals with milk pellets. These days, I don’t bother, as I find that they do just fine on mama’s milk until weaning. But, if you are going to feed the foal, you’d be better off to feed a milk based pellet than anything else until it is 4-5 months old. Then start mixing in a good foal feed (like Growth) and gradually cut the milk pellets.

[JB]

What Laurie and HAF said. I would not remotely be letting baby eat a cob mix of any sort, not even grains at all. Not only can they not really digest those things (edible is not the same as digestible ;)) they can be a leading cause of the development of ulcers, adults and especially babies.

At this point find a good milk-based feed for foals under 4 months.

[goodpony]

Triple crown senior was recommended to me for my four month old foal and his momma. It was recommended over other RBs/growth formulas for the lower NSC content.

[JB]

It’s only 2% difference from TC Growth, 11% vs 13%, and very, very close in nutrition, so you could use either But it’s too different from any RB to really compare it. Most RBs are also pretty low in NSCs. And, TC 30, their ration balancer, is only 9% NSC, which is even lower than the Sr.

AND, at the recommended feeding levels, you’re feeding less NSC with most RBs than even the lower NSC regular feeds. Easy keepers who can’t take the calories of the regular feeds do better on the lower calories of the RB, and vice versa for harder keepers.

[mbm]

i feed LMF super supplement G .

i can’t put moms tub up - she is in a field and there is no place to do so. Where she is fed baby can access. and she does eat what mama has. most of what i feed is alfalfa pellets - but mare is losing weight so i need to do something… i figured if i could get a creep feeder for baby then she would eat her own feed and let mama eat hers.

[mbm]

or - i can have them brought in at nite. i dont want to do that as that means 16 + hours in stall and like 9-4 outside. i personally don’t think that is a good choice.

so …

what if i can take the COB out of mares feed altogether? what can i use in its place that will have as much calories and is EASY to feed - i can put in baggies for the guys to feed 2x/day?

(no i cant use BEEP - i dont want to ask them to deal with the water and soaking etc)

[dianehalpin]

I pull my babies into the center aisle, safe and rubber-paver footing, until dam’s fed, then they can go back together. I feed the nursing mares 4 times a day, smaller meals but a lot of concentrates when added together. All get ground-fed hay, as well as carrots and apples (we’re producing a lot of apples right now). Foals don’t get any concentrates and just tiny bits of carrots and apples in small amounts. The grazing is great this year and I’m terrified of OCD lesions, ulcers, etc. in foals so don’t let them eat concentrates until weaning. Keeping the foals in the center aisle keeps them close to dam’s eating and allows me time to scratch, groom, pick up feet and let them think they are helping me with barn chores! And always hope I’m doing right by these babies!

[mbm]

That sounds like a great system

Unfortunately I have my mare and foal boarded so I can only ask them to feed them on the same schedule as the others… so that is 3x/day …

i also cant pull baby out for feedings when i am not there. when i am there i feed mom and play with baby while mom eats… when i am not there baby eats what mom eats.

so i guess i will remove the COB now - maybe i will just use all alfalfa pellets + RB.

I do have the LMF development feed but that is very molasses-y and also has grains:

(edit - would it be better to use the development and chuck the COB? i am feeding 2lbs/day of COB right now. )

DEVELOPMENT (G):
Barley, Oats, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Flax Seed, Vegetable Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Monocalcium/Dicalcium Phosphate, L-Lysine, Monosodium Phosphate, Natural and Artificial Flavorings, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Chloride Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, d-Biotin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid Supplement, Cobalt Sulfate, Potassium lodide.

[goodpony]

[QUOTE=JB;7116690]
It’s only 2% difference from TC Growth, 11% vs 13%, and very, very close in nutrition, so you could use either But it’s too different from any RB to really compare it. Most RBs are also pretty low in NSCs. And, TC 30, their ration balancer, is only 9% NSC, which is even lower than the Sr.

AND, at the recommended feeding levels, you’re feeding less NSC with most RBs than even the lower NSC regular feeds. Easy keepers who can’t take the calories of the regular feeds do better on the lower calories of the RB, and vice versa for harder keepers.[/QUOTE]

Yep-this is exactly how it was explained to me that the TC Senior and the TC Growth are very close with the Senior being only slightly lower in NSC. I have fed LMF & TDI and prefer TDI over LMF. I did buy one bag of the LMF development recently and didnt care for it–my vet was the one that actually warned me off using it as she’d seen some issues with it–it may simply boil down to what works for some isnt necessarily ideal for all. I’ve been discouraged from using “Growth/Development” formulas in general (by every feed company I have enquired with) with my ponies so have raised several crops of pony foals on TDI and one or two on LMF. We’ve also used Progressive when were able to get it. I personally dont necessarily go out of my way to ‘creep feed’ the pony foals but rather focus on feeding the mare till we are ready to separate them at weaning. This years colt is a hearty eater and would gladly gobble up whatever was offered-his body condition though is excellent so I would prefer he doesn’t chunk up. We do have irrigated grass pasture though for most of the season-I am not yet hand feeding hay but expect to do so in another month or so. I am currently using TC Senior, Lite and 30% with my ponies and so far very happy with it.

MBM I do think I’d ditch the cob and replace with the development-you might ask LMF what they recommend for increasing calories–I suspect though they will recommend feeding the Development at an appropriate rate for you mare.