How many of you don't supplement your foals?

[JackSprats Mom]

I'm curious, how many of you don't supplement their feed and just let them nurse and graze?

My feeling is I will need to supplement my mare (regardless of the fact she is on 40 acres of prime grass) as she lets everyone and thier buddy nurse from her. I'm wondering though, whether its normal practice to just let the foal be....do they NEED to be supplemented? (if it helps its an Angloarab and not a warm blood)

[dressurpferd01]

Our mares and foals live out 24/7 on grass and have a round roll and grain 2x daily. Why do you feel the need to supplement them with extra? And what are you supplementing with. I would think an A/A would need less than most warmbloods, they tend to be airferns, no? We have Hano's, and they get plenty fat on grass/round rolls and their daily grain.

[JB]

Calories vs nutrition.

They are separate.

You cannot sacrifice nutrition for the sake of reducing calories.

[dbaygirl]

I have never supplemented my foals. They have all nursed and learned to eat grass and hay and of course, lick a mineral block. I supplement my mare, not the foal, with extruded or grain. Nothing major. They grew up just fine.

[JoZ]

I base it on weight and condition. Prior to delivery and during the first month or so of the foal's life, the mare gets a pan of pellets, flax and vitamins. Junior grabs mouthfuls but does not get a meal for him/herself.

When they go out on pasture -- that's it. We have VERY nutritious pasture grass. They have salt and minerals, fresh water, and good grass.

Weaning usually coincides with the end of pasture for the year. Then everyone starts getting supplemented, both with hay and with a meal as described above (pellets, flax, vitamins).

This is of course modified if the mare loses condition or is not producing sufficient milk.

[selah]

Ditto what pretty much everyone else said here, with the note that I am in a "low selenium" part of the country. Though I have great pasture, what the ground is missing, the pasture can't give. It's important to read the fine print on the mineral block, as only certain ones contain selenium.

[FriesianX]

Unless I see a problem in a foal (or mare), all they get is good pasture, good hay (timothy and alfalfa). After the pasture dries up (we don't have irrigation, so pasture is a Spring thing), they are on the good hay. The dried pasture just becomes roughage (I call it celery sticks) to keep them busy during the day - nutrition comes from the hay.

After weaning, the foals still get that timothy and alfalfa, plus some concentrate - 3 to 5 pounds depending on how they look.

Of course, all have salt and trace mineral blocks.

I think the big question is - what quality hay do you have? Or what quality pasture? If you are worried about that food source, you should consider supplementing. Around here, alfalfa is often the cheapest hay - and some people feed it and nothing else - so calcium/phosphorous ratios get out of whack, protein can be outrageous high too. I've had my "timothy discussion" with a few area breeders - and they all laugh at me for spending so much on plain ol' hay...

[camohn]

I'm curious, how many of you don't supplement their feed and just let them nurse and graze?

My feeling is I will need to supplement my mare (regardless of the fact she is on 40 acres of prime grass) as she lets everyone and thier buddy nurse from her. I'm wondering though, whether its normal practice to just let the foal be....do they NEED to be supplemented? (if it helps its an Angloarab and not a warm blood)

depends on what you mean by supplement
on the mare they just get milk/graze and snatch bits of mom's pelleted feed

once weaned they get small amounts of the same pelleted feed they were swiping from mom (no more than a quart a day)

We feed vitamin supplemented feed (pellets) already so I do not add any extra supplements above that. They are on pasture in summer and orchard grass/alfalfa mix hay when the pasture gives out.

As to the selenium thing we are in a high SE area, so have to watch the supps for the opposite reason.

[pintopiaffe]

All my mares have always let the kids eat with them once kids started showing interest, so I just keep increasing Mama's feed until weaning.

Sometimes it's up to 20lbs/day of high quality, high protein feed, with vits/mins. My grass and hay are poorish nutrition-wise.

As far as seperately supplementing foals, I have used Foal Aide and RejuvenAide twice, and will always have them on hand, in the same way I have electrolytes, probiotics, biosponge etc. Should I have a foal with any growth issues, or scours etc., they get the daily RejuvenAide. (Progressive will mail order, BTW, if you just call them.)

I don't creep feed, nor do I use a special feed at weaning--though I wean late. My orphan year, the orphan was adopted by a mare with a foal a month older. Mare obviously wasn't giving either of them all hte nutrition they needed, so I used an age appropriate, milk based pellet until about 9 mos of age, cutting it back from 6mos on and bringing up the other concentrate...

[Foxtrot's]

Isn't it usually the opposite - the babies are over fed and run the risk of OCD problems, etc.

[Laurierace]

I don't know if it qualifies as supplementing but I give my foals foal aide once per day until they are old enough to reliably eat enough of the foal's first pellets to give them the same things that is in the foal aide. Its more of a vitamin, mineral thing than calories.

[not again]

We feed Tizwhiz products and have had good success with healthy foals.

http://www.tizwhizfeeds.com/

[EqTrainer]

FWIW, I would never buy a horse that I knew had not had proper nutrition as a baby. The effects can be so far reaching and certainly not obvious until much further down the road. In other words, just because a baby is not skinny does not mean they are getting all the *nutrition* they should be getting. They might be getting plenty of *calories* but that is not the same thing.

For example, my vet and I were looking at films of a very large coming two year old... and there was something about the hocks (don't remember what exactly) that we were concerned about. When I asked her why something like that would/could happen, she said the most likely reason was poor nutrition as a foal. I know for a fact this horse was raised only on grass for the first year of his life. So there you have it. The horse himself looked great, you'd never have guessed it.

[Home Again Farm]

I don't know if it qualifies as supplementing but I give my foals foal aide once per day until they are old enough to reliably eat enough of the foal's first pellets to give them the same things that is in the foal aide. Its more of a vitamin, mineral thing than calories.

Same here. :yes:

[grayarabpony]

For example, my vet and I were looking at films of a very large coming two year old... and there was something about the hocks (don't remember what exactly) that we were concerned about. When I asked her why something like that would/could happen, she said the most likely reason was poor nutrition as a foal. I know for a fact this horse was raised only on grass for the first year of his life. So there you have it. The horse himself looked great, you'd never have guessed it.

Was the pasture analyzed?

[JackSprats Mom]

FWIW, I would never buy a horse that I knew had not had proper nutrition as a baby

So how do you know whether the foal is getting the correct nutrition from the pasture (I assume just have it analyzed)?

Thanks all for the replies :)

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

I also use the foal-aide daily until about 3 months of age. Also always use a ration balancer, probiotics fat supplements, T&A & lush pasture for mom & foal. Foal just picks at mom's feed. Do give the foal some paste probiotics as needed.

[Equilibrium]

I don't know if it qualifies as supplementing but I give my foals foal aide once per day until they are old enough to reliably eat enough of the foal's first pellets to give them the same things that is in the foal aide. Its more of a vitamin, mineral thing than calories.


This is what we do as well. We have plenty of calories most summers, but they still need those vits and mins.

Terri

[JB]

Was the pasture analyzed?

So how do you know whether the foal is getting the correct nutrition from the pasture (I assume just have it analyzed)?


Exactly.

And even then I highly doubt there is any grass, in the US at least, that provides everything a fast-growing foal needs for optimal health. Sure, he may grow up and look pretty, like ET said. And in the wild, what it takes to get a horse grown up and just live and run fast every now and then is not necessarily the same as what it takes to get a horse grown up to carry a rider and work and jump and do all the other things we ask them to do for 15-20 years or so.

That is why I said - don't ever compromise nutrition for the sake of keeping a foal lean.

[okggo]

I quite literally learn something new every day on here...
I don't know anyone that supplements NURSING foals around here (vet included) - typically the foal gets milk, hay, and steals some of mom's grain. After weaning it is a different story...

Right now my foal gets milk, and eats from moms bucket (vit/min, beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, barley), has 24/7 hay and mineral block. Should I be giving her foal aide (or something similar) too? This is the biggest foal I've had, she is growing like an absolute weed right now, but certainly isn't even close to fat - she is growing UP so fast, she can't seem to keep up weight wise. Her mom is getting a TON of food (several feedings) to keep her from being dragged down, and the filly is just 2 months.

[sixpoundfarm]

It certainly wouldn't hurt your foal to have supplemental V/M drench if she's growing that rapidly. I would advocate using the Foal Aide or Rejuvinaide product for her, in addition to offering her the appropriate amount of a milk pellet as well. Buckeye and Progressive both make one, designed to be used as a creep for growing, nursing foals.

[okggo]

http://www.lolmilkreplacer.com/FOAL/MaresMatchFoalPellets/default.aspx what do you think about this one? I can't get Progressive or Buckeye locally. Triple Crown doesn't seem to have a product.

[sixpoundfarm]

I am not familiar with that product, but it appears it may be suitable.
You can order from Progressive directly, or Heartland Vet supply carries their products also. (Milk starter pellets included)

[okggo]

Okay, so I bought the pellets and the foal won't touch them. Tried giving to mare and she took a bite and gave me the ugliest face and wouldn't go near them. Mixed a little bit with the mares feed, neither would touch it.

What is the trick?? I stupidly assumed she would go right for it and be attracted to the smell and taste - HAH!