Older orphaned foal, help

[redpanther]

Sorry about your Mare.

I did feed Progressive Foal First to my colt starting at 10 days up to 4 months, and he inhaled that stuff. (They were still with their mom). I was in contact with Donald Kapper from progressive nutrition and he helped me the whole way. (I had a foal that had lax tendons).

I had a foal that I was going to have to bottle feed, and and friend showed me a setup she had. (http://www.neshires.com/manny/)

“Manny wouldn’t nurse when he was born but learned to drink from a bucket. It is desirable for milk to be fed many times a day. Since we had full time jobs and prefered to sleep at night we designed an automatic milk dispenser. This dispenser is simple to put together. It is based on a small submersible aquarium pump and a timer purchased at Home Depot. Milk was automatically dispensed at 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, midnight, and 3am. At 6am we cleaned the setup and fed Manny milk by hand.” They also had a webcam setup so they could watch as well.

[Hampton_Bay]

The feeder is brilliant!!!

How many bags of pellets will I need for 6weeks? That will get her to 3months. I need to get it all in the one shipment. She’s playing with the liquid replacer now, not drinking a lot. Trying to decide when to make the call on her dam. We separated them last night as her dam is too unstable on her feet.

She’s been out with the other mare and foal since day 3. The other mare is fine provided filly doesn’t try to nurse. She’s shown no desire to get close enough to do that. I feel more comfortable with her in that group than with the other options. Our small pony does kick.

[redpanther]

Email Donald Kapper <Dkapper@prognutrition.com>; He can give you more information. He can also check if there is a dealer in your area. Don will probably send you tons of PDF files full of information and could help estimate how much feed you would need.

http://www.prognutrition.com/pn/products/foal-supplements/foals-first-starter-creep-pellet/index.jsp

We fed 1 lb per 100 pounds of body weight, but my foal was nursing the whole time. We were paying 50 dollars a bag it too. Not sure how much the buckeye costs.

I’ve heard good things about buckeye as well, it just wasn’t as easily available in my area.

I’m weaning my foals this week, if you lived closer, I’d volunteer one to see if she could be a nurse mare. Maybe there are some breeders in your area that could also help?

[Hampton_Bay]

I’ll email progressive. Thanks for the name!

No breeders in the area who are reputable that I know at all. A bunch of BYB, so horses won’t be vaccinated, who knows what they are exposed to. I really live in the middle of irresponsible horse keeping. Reference neighbor with 4 stallions on 2acres, 3 of which aren’t halter broken and will jump or take down a fence when approached.

[secretariat]

We’re in the same boat at about 8 weeks. Could not train foal to take milk replacer, but he was eating hay/drinking already when the mare went down. We gave him free choice alfalfa and individual bins with free choice mare and foal grain and another with foal milk pellets (vet highly recommended Land O’Lakes (from Southern States), which we’re using). For a couple of days, we made a paste with milk replacer and gave it to him with a syringe several times a day. Then he began eating the mare and foal, but didn’t like the milk pellets - so we’re blending the milk pellets with the mare and foal and he’s eating that. He also eats grass well, and so far it seems to be working - don’t know what the long term prognosis is, but at least he’s survived this long.

[CrowneDragon]

You can order Foal Lac online, and you can also use goat’s milk. Are there any goats around?? When I worked in the NICU at a university hospital for a while they used 1 part Foal Lac and 1 part goat’s milk. That is also what we used at the breeding farm I worked at. I know some people feed goat milk straight, but I don’t know how well-balanced that is. I have heard of people training goats to stand on hay bales for foals to nurse off of. Not sure how much of an undertaking that is.

Foal Lac on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Foal-Lac-99637-Instantized-Powder-40-Pound/dp/B000BWSEDM

Foal Lac at Drs. Foster and Smith (no FOB charges): http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16265

Good luck

[Fred]

From what I understand, goat milk is acceptable, but not ideal -
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10250/feeding-the-orphan-foal
Maybe by mixing it the way CD suggested that corrects it.

When I had my first orphan foal, I did feed him goat milk until I got foal lac. There is another manufacturer of milk replacer that the two foals I raised (one bottle, one bucket) - preferred to Foal Lac, and I am trying to remember the name.

Both foals grew well and went on to very successful performance careers.
The first one evented to Advanced and then went on to be a winning Grand Prix jumper.
I did have a nanny goat for him, and while he would not nurse from her (even though sweet creature that she was, she would stand on a bale of straw to allow him to nurse) she was a wonderful companion, and helped him to learn to graze etc.

My Bottle Boy: https://www.facebook.com/119405697399/photos/pb.119405697399.-2207520000.1413287846./10150189408672400/?type=3&theater

[msloyer]

You can’t go wrong with Progressive or Buckeye milk replacer and pellets. A friend of mine has raised a HUGE warmblood colt from day one on Progressive first, and then Buckeye milk replacer. He had dummy foal syndrome and kidney issues and wasn’t expected to survive. 2 months later he was premium at his inspection and went on to DAD and came home with ribbons. No one can believe he’s a bucket baby. He looked much better than many of the unweaned foals his age. He’s 4 months old today and now eating milk replacer pellets only. I can’t say enough good things about Dan Kapper and his Progressive Nutrition products and Robert Croteau at Stoltzfus Feed in Gap, PA who worked hand in hand with the colt’s owner to facilitate a successful outcome to what could have been a double tragedy.
I am truly sorry about your mare. It’s so hard to lose them. Hopefully you’ll have a wonderful healthy foal who will remind you of all the things you love best about the mare.