For those of you who weaned with mare and foal on the same property

[Hiddenacresmi]

I agree with the statement the older they are they easier they are to wean. I have pastures next to each other with 20 foot lane between them. I take the mare away from the foal and put in other pasture. Foals are together with older filly/mare. They stop looking for their dams from 2 - 7 days. The dams are together so could care less about babies. Of course my maiden/open foal babysitters have obliged the foals by letting them “nurse”… obviously not getting any milk they give up. that is helpful and I am still amused they let them do it iwthout a kick, bite or push away. :eek:

I have one mare that let’s all the foals nurse off of her as well. It’s a problem I have to seperate her and her foal from the others until the foals get the point on who their mom’s are. That mare takes being “the head of the herd” very seriously. haha. :lol:

[ThisMagicMoment]

I weaned my filly at 4 months old. She was the only foal on the property this year.
I “fence” weaned her. I put a roundpen up around a shelter and put momma in there, and let the filly have the entire paddock (there was a second shelter in the paddock, a little ways away.
She was always an independent baby (you should see her inspection video lol, it’s too funny! Baby here, baby there, baby everywhere!!).

Fenceline weaning was awesome for us because this was the broodmare’s first foal ever, so we didn’t know what she’d be like. For 2 days, the mare was in the roundpen, filly just outside. Day 3 and 4 she was put in a paddock across the galloppath, mare still in her roundpen. And so on until they were on complete opposite ends of the farm
The momma called for about 2 from the beginning of weaning - the filly never responded. LOL and baby was happy as all get out and a great appetite.

I did not immediately throw the filly out with another horse. She was seperated from her mom for a week before I put her in with another horse. This turned out to be anawesome idea because it then allowed the filly to have a friend, but learn that she didn’t need one. I can take her gelding friend out to ride, and I can take her out to play, and neither one of them seem to notice. It’s fabulous!
This is how I will wean from here on out.

[skydy]

Can you post your foal inspection video? Would love to see it!

[Lynnwood]

We have Fenced weaned all of ours. Starting about a month before we really want them weaned. Starting with short trips and walk abouts around the farm in eye sight but not together.

Then the mare in a paddock foal next to her for like an hr … then back together. Just increasing the time apart. Then the paddock distance apart. Eventually till they are apart during the day together at night when they are stalled. Then the same trick in the stall. Apart and next to each other , apart then across the isle or next to … apart a few stalls down etc. We have NEVER had a foal get worked up or a mare scream and fret.

If we have a few that are around the same age and physical and mental readiness to wean makes the whole thing quicker. Babies together , moms together etc

We wean as late as possible. As long as the mares are in good condition and the foals are not turning in to sausages we’ve gone as late as 7/8 months for some of the less settled foals. Let their moms get sick of them and be the ones to start shoving them away a bit.

We do have one mare that is a food Judas. She will happily trade any foal for a few flakes of alfalfa. When she was a maiden her first foal had to have a few procedures prior to a month old and the surgical facility found out day one that she was happy as a clam and narry a wicker to the foal as long as they threw her some alfalfa before they went to grab the filly. I love my bab…OOOOHHH alfalfa literally !

[dianehalpin]

JB, I don’t wean until at least 5 and half months, fenceline weaning, and mine have all quit looking for their moms within about 2 days. I put this year’s filly with a yearling filly who thought she had a new toy and kept the weanling very busy. I weaned this year at the beginning of November and don’t think I heard more than one or two whinnies even exchanged between mother and child; however, even now, a month later, the dam keeps an eye on where the weanling is on the farm. Prior to weaning, I separate the mares and foals from each other for learning periods, feet trims, etc. but where the dams can still see them. In six years, I haven’t had any problems weaning while keeping everyone on the same property. I do think that waiting until last in the 5th month or into the 6th month makes weaning much easier.

[JB]

[QUOTE=hackinaround;5996559]
We have Fenced weaned all of ours. Starting about a month before we really want them weaned. Starting with short trips and walk abouts around the farm in eye sight but not together. [/QUOTE]

I have taken Gizmo for walks on our road (it’s a dead end road with very few houses) including out of sight of the herd, and that had gone well - didn’t stay long. He has also been fed in a separate stall for a few months now, and on nights when they’ve stayed in due to weather, it’s been in those separate stalls as well, so he was quite used to periods of physical separation.

Starting yesterday was voluntarily putting himself out of sight of mom, which is where I found him/his buddy this morning

[darkhorse2572]

It varies~ There always seems to be one foal and one mare (not usually related!) who worry a bit when weaning time arrives… however, generally speaking, a few looks and a few calls and everyone moves on !

On a funny yet frustrating note, I have one old broodie, who despite already raising numerous orphans this year, has decided that feeding the entire group of weanlings is her new mission… She will walk in from the pasture, sidle up to the fence and call the ENTIRE paddock of weanlings over for milk bar time… you should see the line… looks like the line to the ladies room at intermission… :no:

[CDE_Driver]

We weaned Monday and as of yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) not a peep was uttered by the baby. He is 4.5 months old.

Mare went to the mare field, and while it is about a mile away it is in the line of sight. She spent the past week looking longingly across the pastures to her girlfriends and didn’t even look back once when we took her out there!

Baby is in with his yearling Sister that is entirely too indulgent of him! Today we are putting the old baby sitter gelding in with them to (I am hopeful) teach him a few manners.

[Jumper_girl221]

Bella’s willing to go out of sight of her dam, but does occasionally “check in”. They’ve been fence line weaned for a while, but moving her another field over was an “event” more-so on the dam’s side then babehs. (they are on a L set up now with

Mom
-------L
… …Bella

Baby called a few times in response to mom, but that was it. Mare paced and screamed for about 3 days.

They are now not hanging out in their “corners” where they can see each other, but its been about two weeks now.

[ThisMagicMoment]

[QUOTE=skydy;5996523]
Can you post your foal inspection video? Would love to see it![/QUOTE]

Sure! Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9mvsrdTMKc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

She’s by Riverman out of a Popeye K mare and she’s premium registered GOV.

I told my “cameraman” to videotape the mare and foal… we weren’t expecting Atina to be that independent in a brand new environment! Hence you get a few shots of just the momma lol She’s a firecracker, this one!!

[Dalemma]

I did a gradual wean at about 5 months…they shared a 12 x 24 stall and both of the attached paddocks…we put up the wall and put up the electrical fencing to divide the paddock and started separating them at night and letting them together in the day and just proceeded to separate earlier and earlier until one day I decided that was it and never allowed them together…they have always shared the same fence line and their stalls are side by side…its never been an issue…she was weaned in the fall and then put out in pasture the following spring with another pony…neither of them have had any issues.

Dalemma

[Laurierace]

I let Jess and Juliet see each other for the first time today. Juliet was in her stall and I was walking Jess back to her side of the barn after I got done riding her. Juliet nickered and stuck her head out of the stall towards us so I let Jess stop and touch noses. She sniffed for a second then pinned her ears, I could tell a squeal was imminent so I walked off. Meanwhile Juliet was making the baby chomp face feverishly! I think we are officially weaned!

[Home_Again_Farm]

Each mare and foal will be a different situation. I have used across the fence weaning from my first time weaning in 1996. It has always been relatively stress free. I have had mares that recognized and welcomed their kids years later and other mares that, once weaned, had no use for them. Each is different.

[quietann]

[QUOTE=ThisMagicMoment;5997777]
Sure! Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9mvsrdTMKc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

She’s by Riverman out of a Popeye K mare and she’s premium registered GOV.

I told my “cameraman” to videotape the mare and foal… we weren’t expecting Atina to be that independent in a brand new environment! Hence you get a few shots of just the momma lol She’s a firecracker, this one!![/QUOTE]

ooo, love it! That filly is being the perfect bouncy baby, and sure is not all that concerned about where mama is.

And watching that big broodmare go airborne? Priceless… :lol:

[JB]

LOL, that’s awesome!

I love the story about baby kissing momma’s nose on the way by! :yes:

Things have improved here This morning he brought himself to the barn (and had been in that area for a while, which is very out of sight of where mom was) to make sure HIS breakfast was getting fixed correctly, came in, ate his food while I went to get mom and her buddy, and was great

[ThisMagicMoment]

[QUOTE=quietann;5998336]
ooo, love it! That filly is being the perfect bouncy baby, and sure is not all that concerned about where mama is.

And watching that big broodmare go airborne? Priceless… :lol:[/QUOTE]

Hehe
Yes, momma is quite athletic hehehe :winkgrin::lol:

And yes, Atina has never cared about her momma! Independent little one since day one! It made weaning a breeze!

[Sigrid]

i weaned my filly 2 years ago, the filly staid in the herd she was in, and the dam went in to te pastern next to them, in the barn, she was in a stall next to her mom. So they could see eachother. There was no stress for dam or foal! after 6 weeks i put mom back in to the herd and she didnt want to let her foal drink, but she still defended and cared for it…still they are close to eachother…

but i guess every dam and foal have their own reaction on weaning…