3 week old orphan

[Sobriska]

What is the preferred milk replacer from those who have fed orphans before? Also, any particular type bottle, nipple work better than others?

I have raised bottle/bucket babies in the past, but it has been years. I am sure there are some advances.

[Home Again Farm]

I like to use a milk replacer that is acidified so that it lasts longer before going bad. Buckeye , Land O' Lakes and Progressive Nutrition make good ones. It is safer to feed with a bucket than a bottle and most foals will readily drink from one. At 3 weeks the foal is old enough to start nibbling milk pellets, so bucket feedings don't have to be quite as frequent. Another great option is Fairview's igloo feeder.

[FriesianX]

I used Foal Lac powder, then transitioned to pellets. And was lucky enough to have one who took to a bucket right away!

[Sobriska]

Update. The person that checked on her and is trying to arrange transport to me said she is now nibbling some food and hay. I SO hope she will catch on to eating the milk replacer pellets quickly.

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=Sobriska;4061847]What is the preferred milk replacer from those who have fed orphans before? Also, any particular type bottle, nipple work better than others?

warm mares match in a bucket...no bottles here...it's too easy to starve them to death expecting them to drink from an 8 oz bottle....they cannot founder on it and mine drank it like runners jugging gatorade....yummmy stuff...had to keep more than one naughty mare out of it as well

best

[Sobriska]

Best advice from my vet and others is to hope she can get onto bucket feeding quickly.
Was thinking milk replacer pellets, soon enough, but there would be a concern of her either getting too full to drink water, or the water making her too full to eat enough.

My last orpahn was a bit older. And he was really a walk in the park.

[hansiska]

I've used Land O'Lakes Mares' Match with great results. Our foal never would eat the foal lac pellets, though. He just went to hay and then small amounts of grain designed for young horses. Good luck!

[sfstable]

I used the Buckeye product with my orphan. I mixed up large amounts in the morning and evening for the day. I got a huge cooler and put the "milk" with an "ice pack" in it to keep it fresh. I made the "ice pack" with an clean, empty, capped 20 oz soda bottle filled with water that I had frozen in the freezer the day before -- that way I did not dilute the milk or introduce any chemicals into the milk from a typical ice pack.

I also mixed powdered probios, live-culture yougurt, and Ranitidine (Zantac) into the milk :)

[trakehner013]

I used to volunteer at a tb farm and they also gave the orphans foal lac which worked really well.

[Home Again Farm]

Foal Lac does not have as good balance of minerals as Progressive or Buckeye. I'd recommend supplementing with Rejunenaide or Foal Aide if using it. It also is not acidified, so spoils quickly. It is quite palatable, though, and many foals who start on it will not be persuaded to change to an acidified replacer.

Foals can't digest cereal products well until they are 4 months old, so it is vital to get this baby onto a bucket or igloo and then introduce milk pellets. I have raised a couple of orphans and they turned out fine with the right care.

[Clarion]

I had an orphan in 07. He lost his mom at a month old. We tried Buckeye milk replacer but he wouldn't touch it. He liked the Land O Lakes replacer, so we used that and then let him eat Buckeye Foal Starter pellets. He took to the pellets right away and I think that really helped him. He's a strapping 2 year old colt now. Good luck!

[Sobriska]

Update: She is here safely. She is bigger than I thought. May be older. She will not touch the milk replacer. 2 different kinds. But will go for water. So, it is not the bucket. Though I did try a bottle as well. She just plain thinks it is icky. Tried it on my fingers, nope. She went right for hay.

Called my vet. She had been eating grain with her mother. So suggested to try some grain. Omelene 300 and a little calf manna. I am sure there are better choices, but only one feed store open on Sunday. She is eating it. She is not at all dehydrated. She grazed some too.

Tom going to search the entire county for milk replacer pellets. Any brand at this point. I SO know that grain is not ideal. But, better than not eating at all. And she is definately hungry.

Greatly appreciate any feed suggestions. Including better ideas to get her to drink her milk!