[QUOTE=propspony;6472961]
This is exactly what’s happening to my mare. (losing over the back but plenty of cover over the ribs)
So… where does one get soybean meal, and how is the best way to feed it? I’ve never used it before.[/QUOTE]
I get extruded soy bean meal from our local feed mill. I like the extruded better than just the regular soy meal since the extruded still has a high fat content.
[QUOTE=propspony;6472961]
This is exactly what’s happening to my mare. (losing over the back but plenty of cover over the ribs)
So… where does one get soybean meal, and how is the best way to feed it? I’ve never used it before.[/QUOTE]
You can/ should (be able) to get it at any feed store. I mix the feed for all our livestock here and it is as easy as adding and mixing it to your existing feed. Fertrell minerals website had recipes for feed mixing and you could look up their horse feed recipes and get an idea of how much to add. I would guess 15-20 pounds would be what they add in a 50 pound feed recipe. If your feed is already 16% you wouldn’t need to add as much as that…
One of my broodmares got very thin one year. I was at a loss as to what to do. She was fed lunch and literally could not eat any more volume than she was at. My vet recommended Purina Amplify. I don’t use Purina products and decided to give it a try. The mare did gain weight and now I use it for any mare that is lactating. The broodmares now all stay in good flesh. Once they start losing weight it is a battle for them to put weight back on.
http://horse.purinamills.com/products/naturesessentials/ECMD2-0032705.aspx
Horses can easily eat 100 lbs of grass per day, but that has a high water content. The problem comes when you feed very large quantities of low protein/low fat grain. Then you wind up trying to stuff 18 pounds of grain into the mare and still she looks like she is starving. Ration balancers, fiber (well soaked beet pulp) extra protein and extra fat are a broodmare’s best friends - and maybe 1 pound of oats twice a day if she still needs calories.
For me, weaning has always been more about the winter coming, than a number of months of age. I like to wean in November, so the foal is pretty settled before the real winter hits.
I really do not want to wean in the middle of the really cold months, or ask a mare to nurse thru that time.
If I have foals born in March/April, then they may be with the mare for 7-8 months. Foals born in June however are weaned at 5 months.
The best I found for keeping weight was just adding a good deal of alfalfa, or soaked alfalfa hay cubes.
[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;6475092]
For me, weaning has always been more about the winter coming, than a number of months of age. I like to wean in November, so the foal is pretty settled before the real winter hits.
I really do not want to wean in the middle of the really cold months, or ask a mare to nurse thru that time.
If I have foals born in March/April, then they may be with the mare for 7-8 months. Foals born in June however are weaned at 5 months.
The best I found for keeping weight was just adding a good deal of alfalfa, or soaked alfalfa hay cubes.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this living in North Central Alberta. The big deal is to wean them before I have to risk Pnumonia from the stress and have them off before the major cold hits. And unfortunately as I dont like frozen ears… Well I try not to have them born before May 1, which means maximum age is 5 months and sometimes if they foal late its 3-1/2 months… I also need to add that I incorporate the Almanac time to wean in my program. It has always gone uber smoothe.
[QUOTE=dianehalpin;6473576]
Flax meal is easy to get at a store like Whole Foods or a health food store as I know because my hubby eats it regularly![/QUOTE]
it is much cheaper to buy whole flax and grind it as needed. i buy a 25lb bag for like 15$ i think. it last forever 
I have decided to wean my colt at 6 months. He is a very large colt and has his Old/NA inspection September 23rd, so if I wean early October, he will be 6 months and it will be “by the signs” 
Here’s a question though, I have turned the mom and colt out with my old retired gelding. He is a nice gelding, but doesn’t want anything to do with the colt, so as long as the colt doesn’t try to play with him, they eat next to each other just fine. But I did see him kick out at baby when he was being obnoxious and trying to jump on him.
But, his 4 year old full brother is here too and they play nonstop over the fence, I am just hesitant to put them out together in the thought they may play too hard?
So when I wean do I put the colt out with his brother or with my old gelding?
Whichever one doesn’t go out with the colt can go out with the mare until March, then colt, 4 year old and retired gelding will be out together because momma foals in April!
[QUOTE=Tiki;6468549]
If they’re skinny in the ribs, they need calories, if they’re skinny over the back, they need protein. Try adding 1 lb of soybean meal twice a day to her diet. Flax meal also has a good amount of protein and also the fat she needs for the milk.[/QUOTE]
just wanted to chime in.
I found this post two weeks ago.
My broodmare is “skinny over the back”.
I added TC30 to her feeding of TC Growth and she immediately started putting weight across her topline.
2 weeks later she looks totally fine.
thanks Tiki!!!
also, I have a super mature baby who really has had nothing to do with her mother since birth. (except nursing of course) and due to this thread I will wean during the November dates listed instead of at 5 months like I planned.
thanks guys.
I haven’t gotten to read the article though. That link only took me to the main page. : /
For those with colts - we castrate them before we wean. We find it’s easier to do then as they can “console” themselves with some nursing. Also if the boys are turned out with older boys - then tend not to try to jump on them as much which can result in the older boys giving them a good hard kick that could cause injuries.
:yes:
I’ve always weaned between 4 and 5 months. I try to keep all mine as close in age as possible so I wean then together. So my breeding window is limited to April, May and early June. I aim for getting them bred in April and May.
[QUOTE=Ibehorsepoor!;6475763]
I agree with this living in North Central Alberta. The big deal is to wean them before I have to risk Pnumonia from the stress and have them off before the major cold hits. And unfortunately as I dont like frozen ears… Well I try not to have them born before May 1, which means maximum age is 5 months and sometimes if they foal late its 3-1/2 months… I also need to add that I incorporate the Almanac time to wean in my program. It has always gone uber smoothe.[/QUOTE]
Us too!
[QUOTE=sterling2000;6466166]
. EIGHT cups of oil were dumped over everything, even her hay, in a desperate attempt to keep weight on her. Any more and she would refuse the food. She still continued to drop weight. .[/QUOTE]
There are studies that show when trying to put weight on horses, feeding excessive oil will actually slow any weight gain. I wish I could find the study. It was comparing types of hay when refeeding starved horses.
[QUOTE=Samotis;6512696]
I have decided to wean my colt at 6 months. He is a very large colt and has his Old/NA inspection September 23rd, so if I wean early October, he will be 6 months and it will be “by the signs”
Here’s a question though, I have turned the mom and colt out with my old retired gelding. He is a nice gelding, but doesn’t want anything to do with the colt, so as long as the colt doesn’t try to play with him, they eat next to each other just fine. But I did see him kick out at baby when he was being obnoxious and trying to jump on him.
But, his 4 year old full brother is here too and they play nonstop over the fence, I am just hesitant to put them out together in the thought they may play too hard?
So when I wean do I put the colt out with his brother or with my old gelding?
Whichever one doesn’t go out with the colt can go out with the mare until March, then colt, 4 year old and retired gelding will be out together because momma foals in April![/QUOTE]
I would think he is safest going out with the older gelding. He may teach him some manners a little more roughly than you would like, but it’s probably better than what would happen out with his brother :yes:
I would put the brother in with him and his mom, and allow them to play together, while the baby still has a safe mom to run and hide. Then after a few days, remove mom. A few days after that, remove the other gelding.
Any chance anyone in your area has a group of colt weanies that he can go in with? Buddies his own age would do him a world of good. Then as a yearling in the spring, he should have developed enough group-living experience to do quite well with the other 2 geldings.
Well, duh I looked at the 2011 weaning by the signs, not the 2012.
So I thought I was weaning this week, turns out it will be at the end of the month.
My 4 year old gelding is off to a jumping barn for 3 weeks so I though I could just turn my old gelding out with mom and baby till the 4 year old gets back.
Then I could just wean when he gets home and trade pasture buddies.
Only problem is my broodmare doesn’t like her 4 year old son much! Maybe it is her being protective now because of the baby? She doesn’t treat the old gelding like that. I will try it out and just make sure to watch for a bit.
Mare is still in good weight and baby is huge! Inspector joked he wasn’t sure which one was the baby at his inspection. :winkgrin:
But luckily he is very friendly and nice to his momma. They hang out together, but he also wanders away to play with his brother. He isn’t nursing a whole lot so I expect everything to go smoothly.
So he will be 7 months instead of 6! Oh well.
To the poster asking about weaning across a fence - I have had very good luck with that with 4 different foals. One year I had 2 to wean, but the other 2 times it was 1 baby, but they had a buddy to go with that they had been with previously. In all cases, we put them out with friends so they could still see and touch each other over the fence, but not nurse. I have a very solid, safe fence that they can’t stick their heads through, so wouldn’t consider it otherwise. I found it SO much easier and no stress on anyone.
[QUOTE=Samotis;6585457]
Well, duh I looked at the 2011 weaning by the signs, not the 2012.
So I thought I was weaning this week, turns out it will be at the end of the month.
My 4 year old gelding is off to a jumping barn for 3 weeks so I though I could just turn my old gelding out with mom and baby till the 4 year old gets back.
Then I could just wean when he gets home and trade pasture buddies.
Only problem is my broodmare doesn’t like her 4 year old son much! Maybe it is her being protective now because of the baby? She doesn’t treat the old gelding like that. I will try it out and just make sure to watch for a bit.
Mare is still in good weight and baby is huge! Inspector joked he wasn’t sure which one was the baby at his inspection. :winkgrin:
But luckily he is very friendly and nice to his momma. They hang out together, but he also wanders away to play with his brother. He isn’t nursing a whole lot so I expect everything to go smoothly.
So he will be 7 months instead of 6! Oh well. ;)[/QUOTE]
it is stated in the “weaning by the signs” that the almanac will differ slightly.
I too looked at the 2011 signs and planned on weaning this Sat!
I freaked out when I saw your post. :lol:
and upon some Googling…I found that I can still wean this weekend.
I can separate them on Friday and then take the mare as planned to the other farm on Sat.
http://www.almanac.com/bestdays/timetable
here is the intro to the above table:
http://www.ramblinroseranch.com/foaling%20calculator.htm
This month allows 3 dates according to the Farmers Almanac.
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