# Natural Weaning does it happen??



## charliesarmy (30 January 2010)

My mare and foal are still together "foals 7 month old" now was gong to send mum away in March *after colts cut* for the weaning process but have been observing them in the last couple of weeks and they are always away from each other in the field...colt is always with playmate pony...he sometimes goes to mum for a drink and she just walks away or nips him and he walks off. the only time I see him feeding is if she goes and stands by him and sort of presents herself he drinks and she inevitabaly walks off mid drink....sois she weaning him off herself or is this common in older foals and mums...any info greatly received


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## jaypeebee (31 January 2010)

Many mares will wean their foals naturally.  I really like to do this and I usually do so long as it doesnt take the mares too long to move the foal off them.  I have one mare who would keep her foals on her forever though so she does have to be separated from her youngstock but I dont do it the way most places do where they send the mare or foal to the far end of the stables, I keep them in adjoining fields where the foal cannot suckle but she and the foal can still interact over the fence.  She is happy with this way and the foals have never been upset either so it works for me.  Obviously if the mare is in foal again then I have to have the foal off the mare a bit earlier than if she were not in foal again.  I do the same with the infoal mares though and just have them share a fenceline.  It always goes smoothly and calmly.


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## KarynK (31 January 2010)

I also do not wean till the foals are much older, Having much experience of the sudden separation method in the past I choose a more natural route which I feel is much more beneficial to all involved.

I would much rather have the foal fed by the mare through the winter than put a foal on a man made diet.  I usually wean at around 10 or 11 months when the spring grass is coming in and separate mare and foal with an electric fence which the foal is familiar with but that will break if the foal tries hard to get to mum (But apart from one that managed to limbo under the single strand at the gate) mine never have.  The foal stays one side with all its companions it has been with all winter and a mare and her friend the other.  They can touch over the fence but no feeding.  

I will have handled the foal all winter and taken it into an adjoining field for leading practice.

 I then bring the foal round to mum on a lead rope and allow them to feed until the udder is comfortable.  This will initially be 2x a day and then the udder powers down so I feed only when it is getting full and only enough to ease it not drain it.  This usually takes about a week and avoids the risk of mastitis and minimises discomfort to the mare.

Natural weaning as such usually requires hormone release from the mare when she is expecting her next foal, it makes sense that she need time to build colostrum for the next foal and doesnt want the teenage oaf drinking it all!  

I believe in the wild mares can feed their foals up to 2 years of age!  But all mares are different and after 6mths the foal becomes increasingly more independent spending time with mum only to feed and that is less frequently.  My current filly likes a drink after sharing mums short feed!!


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## Holly831 (31 January 2010)

Usualy I wean around 7 months (ish) and I hate it! This time I have left my filly with her dam (8.5 months old) Dam is due again in June and is looking really tired. I sometimes see her filly try to suckle but her dam just walks off. They are stabled together at night but the filly prefers to be with an older gelding during the day and ignores Mum most of the time. 

She will happily be led out of the field back to her box and wait for mum to be brought in (usualy last!)
Is it OK to leave them until they can be turned out 24/7 in adjoining paddocks or do I need to be weaning now? I was really hoping to leave them to wean naturally


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## magic104 (31 January 2010)

I know you are all far too sensible to allow you mares to drop off weight by letting the foals stay on after 6mths.  There are people sadly, who do not take into account that it can take a lot out of the mare especially going through winter.  There is nothing wrong with leaving them later, just keep an eye on the mare though.


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## Britestar (31 January 2010)

Well, mine is 20 months now and still has his 'bottle'. Mum and he have been apart at night since he was 7 months, and mum has been away for 2 weeks last summer, and as soon as they are back together he has his 'juice'.

Over New Year he was box rested after a nasty kick, and as soon as he went back out - you guessed it! Mum encourages him as well. I assume eventually they will stop, but its not bothering anyone so I just let them get on with it.

Does look funny tho, as he is bigger than her!


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## Holly831 (31 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
I know you are all far too sensible to allow you mares to drop off weight by letting the foals stay on after 6mths.  There are people sadly, who do not take into account that it can take a lot out of the mare especially going through winter.  There is nothing wrong with leaving them later, just keep an eye on the mare though. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Mum looks well in terms of weight etc she just looks a bit tired, she is 18 this time and I have made the decision not to cover her again, so (fingers crossed everything is ok with her current pregnancy and the foal is ok) her last foal can just stay with her till Mum has had enough of him/her!!

Its the first year I have left a foal with a dam over winter and its less stressful for me but I am not 100% sure I would do it again with an in foal mare!!


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## Rollin (31 January 2010)

My CB mare foaled in March and we started separating her from foalie end Nov.  We did this gradually over 6 weeks.  She is now weaned and back with mum and mum is looking great.

CB's are such good doers she has not suffered from keeping her foal til 9 months in fact it was recommended by another CB breeder.

My mares only foal every two years though.


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## magic104 (31 January 2010)

As I said there is nothing wrong with it, but some people just dont take into account how much it can take from the mare.  I have seen 3 very underweight mares recently &amp; one thing they had in common was they still had last yrs foals on them.  I suspect for at least one of them they could do with a visit from the dentist.  The weight loss I saw was not an overnight job &amp; there is no excuse for it.


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## amandaco2 (1 February 2010)

well mine was left on her mum until she was  about 12 months old, then went into her own stable and then her own field. mum probably needed her on to stay slimmer!


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