# What to feed my foal?



## Dexter (27 October 2010)

I've got a 6 month old foal arriving on Saturday. Hes supposedly weaned although he is still turned out with his mother, so I suspect weaning will be done on Saturday! He is currently in fab condition, and a good doer as hes never had access to hard food or hay. Not ideal I know  Anyway, this is all going to be a bit of a shock to his system. Hes lived out practically feral since he was born.

I have 13 acres and 2 yearlings to turn him out with, but hes going to need to be stabled for a month or 2 while he is handled. At the minute hes never been touched and if I turn him out I strongly suspect thats the last I'll ever see of him! So hes coming to a yard, he'll be stabled next to my mare who is very laid back and an ex broodie so hopefully good with youngsters. The plan is to stable him initally till he can be caught etc and then turn him out with my mare for a few hours, until hes ready to go out with the other youngsters.

So what would you feed him? Normally I'd just follow on with what he'd been getting while weaned, and keep an eye on his condition. Obviously I cant do that in this case...


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## Dexter (27 October 2010)

anyone? I'd really appreciate a second opinion


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## Alexart (27 October 2010)

I'd just be giving him hay or haylage addlib and a salt lick of course, no hard feed until his system has settled for a few weeks if at all - we never feed ours as they are very good doers they just get really good quality haylage and vitamins.  A vitamin lick is a good way to get him near to you - just take it in the stable when you are in it to get him to associate you with nice things!!  

I'd also stable him with a buddy - one of your youngsters would be ideal - then he has another horse in your herd to buddy up with and learn from - horses always form pairs within a herd so another baby to stick up for him before he goes out is the best thing.  

Once foals see another being handled they will generally come to you out of curiosity, I've had one foal once that we'd never been able to touch until 2 days before weaning at 6 months - her mother was so foal proud with this foal it was ridiculous!!  So we ignored her and she'd watch us with the others but not let us touch her - we never pushed it - and the day before weaning she let us touch her, within 4 days of being weaned with an older buddy we had a head collar on her and could pick up all 4 feet and scratch everywhere - so they do learn quickly if you don't force things upon them and basically ignore them - reverse psychology works well with youngsters!!
I'm surprised though they haven't weaned the poor foal and let her settle for a month before moving her to a new home?
Good luck anyway - and pics are a must of your new foal!!!


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## Dexter (27 October 2010)

Hes not coming from the best situation, hes been raised the same way livestock is raised. Mare covered, foal pops out, an eye is kept on them but nothing more really 

Putting one of the other yearlings in is a no go. They are 5 miles away! When he goes out I'll buddy him up with one in a separate paddock, before 'throwing him to the lions"  but taking one out of an established herd is a no go for a lot of very complicated reasons. The other youngsters are very, very placid, if he'd had any handling at all I'd chuck him out and gradually integrate him into their routine, but I think thats a hiding to nothing as hes never really been handled.

The yearlings, who are all out on really good grass and good doers to boot, get suregrow at half rations and some linseed, I was thinking of just starting him on hay then adding in the suregrow very, very slowly. 

The salt lick is a good idea, I've already booked sometime off work so I can spend time just sitting in the box with him getting him used to me and getting a headcollar on him etc. In fact I already have the books picked out that I'm going to read to him 

This is a current pic:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5494706&l=da1a37c367&id=606503666

Hes a bit special! Hence why I'm taking him on despite the down sides! There will be pics a plenty once I can get close enough to get decent ones


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## Maesfen (27 October 2010)

obicat said:



			Hes not coming from the best situation, hes been raised the same way livestock is raised. Mare covered, foal pops out, an eye is kept on them but nothing more really 

Putting one of the other yearlings in is a no go. They are 5 miles away! When he goes out I'll buddy him up with one in a separate paddock, before 'throwing him to the lions"  but taking one out of an established herd is a no go for a lot of very complicated reasons. The other youngsters are very, very placid, if he'd had any handling at all I'd chuck him out and gradually integrate him into their routine, but I think thats a hiding to nothing as hes never really been handled.

The yearlings, who are all out on really good grass and good doers to boot, get suregrow at half rations and some linseed, I was thinking of just starting him on hay then adding in the suregrow very, very slowly. 

The salt lick is a good idea, I've already booked sometime off work so I can spend time just sitting in the box with him getting him used to me and getting a headcollar on him etc. In fact I already have the books picked out that I'm going to read to him 

Click to expand...

I think you're thinking is spot on; very nice to see someone who is thinking things through sensibly rather than being gung-ho about it.  Just give him a bit of time and I'm sure once he realises you are his sole provider that he'll come around quite quickly.  I'd give him a few days to settle in away from his dam with just hay and maybe some picked grass and then I'd just try him with a half  handful of Suregrow left in a safe feed bowl for him to pick at in his own time.  I expect he'll need worming as well which I would leave for a week or two until he's happy in your company and to be handled, don't want to frighten or upset him any sooner than you have to IMO.
Good luck, he looks a great chap; hope you have a lot of fun.


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## woodlander (28 October 2010)

You need to start carefully but foals should have concentrate rather than hay or chop as their digestive sytems are not really geared for too much of that. The biggest problem with a weaned foal is keeping the foal hydrated and so make a wet and sloppy feed initially. All woodlander foals are fed on oats, soya been meal and sugarbeet plus, and this is the most important thing, a good quality supplement for vitamins, minerals and trace elements. A good quality feed balancer such as that made by Parvo is also good and is designed to avaoid OCD. People makwe the big mistake of thinking that if they don't feed their youngstock they avoid OCD. The reverse is true. It is the shortage of the proper building blocks of nutrition that will cause OCD.

You don't mention the breed of your foal. If it is a native, where I have less experience, I still fed hard feed (minute quantities) and supplements to our foals. We also feed limestone flour. For a single foal a feed balancer could be your best solution but remember the hydration issue. We had a weaned foal delivered to us last year which had not been hard fed on its mother and was weaned the day of transporting. It took us a year to get her looking something like. Nutrition is the foundation of a good horse.


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## Dexter (28 October 2010)

I'm going to worm count him when he arrives and take the worming from there so i know what I'm dealing with. 

Thanks for the replies and support


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## domane (28 October 2010)

I shall be following your updated closely as I have a Welsh D weanling coming to join my two at the end of November.  I've had yearlings before but not one so young.  Mine, though, has just been weaned and they are spending the next month getting him used to being handled, led and tied so I won't have quite such a blank canvas.

Good luck... the good thing about foals is that they are naturally curious so I'm sure it won't be long before you are able to handle him


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