# How long to wean?



## suen (Jun 15, 2011)

I have a 3 1/2 month old filly.... mom has been separated off and on for anywhere from 8 - 10 hours at a time because she is in heat and in with a stallion. I keep the foal separated so we don't have any problems. The foal (Destiny) 'hangs' with Aunt Breeze (my maiden mare) in the pasture and the first couple of day she was upset and trying to hang with mom by the fence, but now seems to be pretty happy away and out in the pasture. Seems to be a good time to wean? She eats grain and has pasture 12/7.... HOw long will it take to completely wean her (?) and do I just keep mom and her completely separted for how long?


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## AnnaC (Jun 15, 2011)

We dont actually wean our foals until they are 6 months, but if you want to wean earlier then it sounds as though your foal is almost there. It is important for the foal to have company (as yours has) but it is better for it to have another foal so that they can play and exercise each other. You will have to keep your mare completely seperated otherwise her milk supply wont dry up - and be warned, if put back with her foal too soon she can easily bring her milk back into play.

Mostly our weaned foals (colts and fillies kept in seperate groups of course) stay on their own through their yearling year. The colts are found good homes or shown as late yearlings and two year olds until suitable homes come along. The fillies are returned to the mare herd (all ages from yearlings to the grandmas coming into their 30's, including the foals/yearlings dams)from the Autumn of their yearling year.

One year we did hve a filly who rushed to her dam and tried to drink - the mare put her firmly into her place! So I dont think I would trust my weaned foals anywhere near their Mum's for a good six months after weaning.

But, interestingly, now over the years we have many older mares who have their daughters/gand-daughters/etc all living with them within the herd, and I do have to say that the connection/closeness remains - they often graze close to each other, prefer to mutual groom with a family member etc. We also have two pairs of mares that are not related to each other but were purchased several years ago from the same stud, and they also stay close to their particular friend. I just love the fact that I can keep these girls together and often feel sorry that horses have to get sold on and go to new homes leaving their special friends/relations behind (although I know it is necessary!)

Good luck with your foal, whatever you decide to do!

Anna


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## Riverrose28 (Jun 15, 2011)

This is just my personal opinion and other may have something else to say, but I think your baby is too young to be weaned, unless, aroung here our foals get their first shots at four months, and a second two weeks later. If you give them shots before then it doesn't do any good, mares milk will protect them from virus's. I would protect your foal from virus's first before weaning. I have weaned early before for showing, but with vaccinations given at four months. Just something for you to think about.


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## supaspot (Jun 15, 2011)

can I ask why do you want to wean at that age ??? is it purely convenience ? I think its too young to wean unless you have a really good reason to do it , true they wont starve to death without mums milk but I believe mentally they still need their mommas


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## Nathan Luszcz (Jun 15, 2011)

3.5mo is fine to wean. If she can emotionally handle it there is no physical need for her to be nursing.

As far as reintroducing them, YEARS. Even yearling colts/fillies will potentially return to nursing/being dependent on their dam when allowed to run with them. Do not keep them separate for a few months then expect them to "stay" weaned if you put them together again.


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## Field-of-Dreams (Jun 15, 2011)

We don't wean until 5-6 months old. We found out (the hard way) that when we bought 3 month old foals when we got them home they developed a pot belly which took MONTHS to go away. If we kept them on momma till later when weaned they didn't get that belly on them.

There is no reason she CAN'T be weaned early but several reasons she SHOULDN'T be weaned early.


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## Matt73 (Jun 15, 2011)

I weaned all three of mine (lone foals) at 6+ months and plan to do the same with this one. With my last, I only had mom and foal separated for 2 or 3 weeks and then put them back together. The foal showed absolutely no interest in nursing. The others I introduced after about a month or so. Maybe your luck, that way, is better the longer you wait. Not sure. But like Nathan said, you can't bank on being able to put a foal back with it's mother and have it NOT nurse. I've just been lucky, I guess.


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## Kelsey - Vandy's Farm (Jun 15, 2011)

We've always weaned at 4 months. Sometimes 3.5 mo if they are dragging the mare down.


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## kaykay (Jun 16, 2011)

There are so many variables to weaning. Each foal and mare are different so we look at each situation. If the mare is having trouble maintaining her weight we wean sooner. If everything is going well we wean around 4-5 months.

We have had some mares wean the foal for us. Love those mares LOL. Star and Dancer will both just refuse to let their foal nurse around 4 months. Some mares will let them nurse forever.

Right now Shammy our Shetland foal has pretty much weaned herself. She has just always been hugely independent. She is only approx 3 months old but barely nurses anymore. Oddest thing I have ever seen. She loves to come in the barn with me and will stay in there for hours while I clean and never call for her dam. I have to force her to go back out.


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## WhiteTailsMinis (Jun 16, 2011)

I'm confused - maybe curious a better word - why at 3 months they are being separated for so many hours at a time? Our foals nurse frequently even at that age and 8-10 hours is a long time to be separated - not only emotionally for each but momma's bag has to be getting pretty darn full by 10 hours LOL Poor girl.

Even though our babies will venture off and play further away from mom as they get older ... they still are attached and will run back for a drink or mom will run to check on baby (vice-versa) and if I were to get momma and lead her out ........ that baby would follow right in line.

I read you're breeding ....... we breed too with foals at side. We put our mares and babies at side right back in pasture with the stallion at just a week old (sometimes sooner). Although every single time I'm a nervous wreck naturally .......... mother nature takes care of things. Our foals eat grain and hay and pasture too but they are still nursing frequently to get all the benefits of momma's milk too. I will say that when we return mom & baby to the herd, I am referring one that consists of the stallion and his mares/babies he's breeding. All age appropriate and other foals. I don't throw newborns into pastures with yearlings etc.

Even hand breeding - we'll have the foal running around in view of momma so she's not fretting so bad over her baby that she refuses the stallion.

Even when we clip babies we bring mom along too - they are never separated unless it is actually weaning time and we do that about 5 months of age.

I can understand separating or weaning that young if there's a medical issue with either of them but just to rebreed is not necessary to separate. Our stallions (all 7) are perfect gentlemen with babies and we breed different sets so alot of times the babies in the stallion pastures aren't necessarily their own babies anyway (not that they'd realize it either way anyway).

Everyone has their own routines, schedules and processes that work for them and certainly I'm not critizing any at all - just curious why separating 8-10 hours at 3 months of age.


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## rabbitsfizz (Jun 16, 2011)

I am afraid I agree with all the others who have said three and a half months is far too early to be weaning- unless there is a medical reason why this has to happen.

At this age the foal just is not ready emotionally, and I can see absolutely no advantage to weaning at this very young age.

I quite happily put the mares and foals in with the stallion when they are ready to be bred- I am just about to do so with a five day old foal, if my stallion were not OK with this I should not be OK with my stallion






So, please, do not underestimate the need of the foal for the mare, even if they seem to ignore one another a large part of the time, this merely means they are confident and happy, _not_ that they do not need one another.

Leave her as long as you can- five months is the earliest and six the latest that I will wean, and I have tried every time under the sun, in my life, believe me.


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## StarRidgeAcres (Jun 16, 2011)

I personally don't wean until at least 6 months, but realize many think I wait to long. One year as an experiment I let nature decide and it was between 8 and 9 months for each. Not suggesting that, but it was very interesting I found.

And all mares and foals are different. I have one mare that let a foal nurse that had been weaned for 5 months. And 2 years of the foal being gone and having become a mom herself, I still had her try and nurse!


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## supaspot (Jun 16, 2011)

just food for thought .... if the 3 month old foals are dragging the mare down then youre just not feeding her enough ,


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## Matt73 (Jun 16, 2011)

supaspot said:


> just food for thought .... if the 3 month old foals are dragging the mare down then youre just not feeding her enough ,


That was my thought, too. My mare gets pretty much all the hay she wants and her Gro 'n Win is doubled. She doesn't drop an ounce of weight and even puts some weight on


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## minifreishorsefarm (Jun 16, 2011)

My mares get 3+ meals a day and eat every drop plus plenty of grain. 2 mares, my tallest 2 are a bit slim looking and they're the ones that eat the most. Both are boss mares so are not getting chased from others. Both their babies are tall, the colt is 28" already at just over 2 mos old and the filly is 26" at just a month, so I am thinking they are really draining the mamas down. They both eat hay and grain with their moms too. And our mares share the grain very well with the babies. I am keeping an eye on them and if they do not improve, I will wean at 3-4 months as well. All the babies are independent usually eat with a different mare and her foal, they swap who they're eating with all the time. Last year (different mare) had to wean her filly at just under 4 mos for the same reason, she bounced back real fast after no more nursing and the filly did just fine and never got the dreaded bloated belly look from weaning early.

A well known lady in the show world near us says she weans all her babies at 3 months old so they bond with people better. She puts all the babies together away from their moms. Dont think I agree with that idea, but everyone does stuff their own way.

Marsha


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## Matt73 (Jun 16, 2011)

minifreishorsefarm said:


> A well known lady in the show world near us says she weans all her babies at 3 months old so they bond with people better. She puts all the babies together away from their moms. Dont think I agree with that idea, but everyone does stuff their own way.
> 
> Marsha


Don't know if I agree with that at all. I know of a big, reputable Canadian Sport Horse (Hanoverians etc.) breeding farm that basically puts all the colts in one huge field and all the fillies in another, upon weaning between 4-6 months, and lets them be horses until they are 3 years old. Whereupon they are rounded up and broken/backed. All of their horses (stallions, mares, and geldings) have stellar personalities (once they are backed etc.).


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## suen (Jun 16, 2011)

Geez guys..... what a tongue lashing,



)))) Seriously... have decided not to wean yet considering all the good advice on here. But..let me defend myself before you hang me from the tallest tree. This is not my stallion. He is on loan as I didn't want to haul baby three hours in trailer to get to stallion. So.. don't have any idea what his attitude would be for foals, and...he is a virgin so owner probably didn't know either. I will say... he is the sweetest, gentlest (sp) little guy I've ever seen and I doubt if he would hurt a fly, but when the mare is in heat he is all business! Still very easy to work with though! Now... Destiny (foal) has been an independant little girl since she was born and we have bonded to the point when she is in the pasture she hangs with Aunt Breeze, not mom. And, if she sees me, she comes running. Anyway... will keep her with mom now that mom is out of heat, just didn't want baby in harms way.

And... thanks for the advice. Can always get answers here


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## Kelsey - Vandy's Farm (Jun 16, 2011)

suen said:


> Geez guys..... what a tongue lashing,
> 
> 
> 
> )))) But..let me defend myself before you hang me from the tallest tree.








People need to get all the facts before judging harshly. That's all I have to say on that matter.


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## WhiteTailsMinis (Jun 16, 2011)

Kelsey - Vandy said:


> People need to get all the facts before judging harshly. That's all I have to say on that matter.



I went back and read everyones comments and I don't get that anyone is judging at all - moreso asking why and offering what works for them. I was curious myself but I don't see where I was judging anyone at all. As with alot of original posts on this forum .... perhaps if the facts are presented upfront explaining the initial questions then it would change some of the comments/responses.

*and I do apologize if my previous post came across different than I intended.

** and the OP specifically asked this question: "Seems to be a good time to wean? " so there was in fact a question asked of others opinions


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## suen (Jun 16, 2011)

My reply post was intended for humor... not starting any arguments. And you are right, I needed to state all the facts. Just didn't think it was such a big problem with weaning early. Mom is doing well so that was not the problem.



WhiteTailsMinis said:


> I went back and read everyones comments and I don't get that anyone is judging at all - moreso asking why and offering what works for them. I was curious myself but I don't see where I was judging anyone at all. As with alot of original posts on this forum .... perhaps if the facts are presented upfront explaining the initial questions then it would change some of the comments/responses.
> 
> *and I do apologize if my previous post came across different than I intended.
> 
> ** and the OP specifically asked this question: "Seems to be a good time to wean? " so there was in fact a question asked of others opinions


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## Matt73 (Jun 16, 2011)

I didnt' see that anyone was judging at all, just giving their opinion. That's what this forum is for, right?


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## Riverrose28 (Jun 16, 2011)

Please don't think that anyone wants to hang you from the highest tree, you asked for opinions and we gave them. Really mares milk peaks at the time the foal turns two months old and goes down from there in nutrients and antibodies, so to wean at 3 or 4 months is not that unusal. I myself try to wean at six months, but one year because of our show oblications I did wean at four months. My vet has informed that I can't give vaccinations until the foals are four months old. In the past I used to vaccinate at three months, but she explained that it was null to vaccinate that early. So it is just my opinion that any time after the foal has received their two vaccinations is up to the owner. You want your foal to be protected from flu as weaning can cause stress and respiratory flu to set in. Take it or leave it, just my 2 cents worth. Whatever you decide is certainly up to you.


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## HGFarm (Jun 16, 2011)

Have not read all the posts, but my personal opinion is that is way too young to wean and dont know why the foal would not be allowed in pasture with the stallion with it's mother. They all learn social skills this way and those hours that foal is away it is missing out on the nutrition that it should be getting from it's mother which is vital for good physical development and health. Not to mention the security at that age- it causes undo stress on the foal and the mare. I dont know why some folks treat Miniature horses like puppies or kittens and think that a few weeks old is ok to wean.

A study done a while back showed with big horses, that weaning too early caused social skill issues (such as agression) and issues later such as cribbing, weaving and other problems. Even when foals have others their own age to play with, they learn their social skills from their dam and the older horses.

If the stallion has the temperment that a foal cannot be left with it's dam for pasture breeding, I would have second thoughts about breeding for that temperment. If not enough room is a problem, then I would be hand breeding the mare and leave the foal with her, as nature intended.


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## suen (Jun 16, 2011)

People..... see my 'happy face?"







I take criticism well so I don't tend to get too upset about anything, especially good advice.

Now... don't want to open another can of worms... but my vet vaccinated the foal at six weeks old for just about everything... sleeping sickness, west nile, etc (think it was a 6 or 7 way shot). all except rabies which she can't have until she is 4 months old. Was wondering if that wasn't a little too early??? Evidently didn't hurt her.....


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## Matt73 (Jun 16, 2011)

If your mare was vaccinated there is no point. The foal was/is getting antibodies from her. Hopefully Dr. Taylor is reading and can give a more educated opinion. I vaccinate my mare/mares 4-6 weeks prior to foaling for that reason and then don't vaccinate the foal until weaning (4-6 months). There is no point. The foal(s) don't get any "shots" until that time.


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## suen (Jun 16, 2011)

Well once again I've found another reason to find a different vet. I got the mare two months before she was due... when I told my vet she was due for shots he didn't want to give them because it could cause problems with the unborn foal. He suggested we wait until the foal was six weeks old and vaccinate both of them at that time. This is the same vet who told me that mini's don't have any more problems with foaling than big horses and that I was worrying unnecessarily. Well, she had a dystocia where the foals leg was somewhat further back than it should be, and thank goodness I did my homework and knew what to do. Got the little leg in place and everything went fine then. He also argued with me about twitching when we gave the shots...said he never twitches a horse. Had to call him back on the maiden mare two days later because of swelling on the neck, she was so sore. She fought so hard when he gave the shots.... When he came back to give anitbiotic and cortizone shot, I lit into him and that time we did twitch and everything went well. Previous owners told me that they always twitched which was why I told him it needed to be done. So.... when do I need to get the second set of vaccinations?



Matt73 said:


> If your mare was vaccinated there is no point. The foal was/is getting antibodies from her. Hopefully Dr. Taylor is reading and can give a more educated opinion. I vaccinate my mare/mares 6-8 weeks prior to foaling for that reason and then don't vaccinate the foal until weaning (4-6 months). There is no point. The foal(s) don't get any "shots" until that time.


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## Matt73 (Jun 16, 2011)

A booster is required after 4 weeks from the initial vaccination. (I only give a 4 or maybe 5-way to my horses). Obviously wouldn't give a WNV or rabies as a prefoaling vaccination. But give the EEE, WEE, tetanus, and flu 4-6 weeks prior to foaling.


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