# Best Way To Wean A Foal???



## rcfarm (Aug 2, 2009)

I want to wean my colt, but have no place off propery to put my mare. Any paddock I have they can still see each other and call. Last night I started , the night time is not too bad. This AM is horrible. I want to give in and put them back together.






I know I cant, but it is tempting. I had QH foals way back, always had a pasture for mare off property. Any suggestions??

Mo Jo is almost 5 months now, the mare was losing to much weight thus my decision to wean.

Thanks Carol


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## Joanne (Aug 2, 2009)

Every mare and foal is different. We actually like them side where they can see each other through the fence but cannot nurse. It is always easier with multiple foals weaning together.

The first few days are the hardest and I think all of us have second thoughts about now like you are. But he is plenty old and as you said, the mare needs the extra calories right now.


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## ~Lisa~ (Aug 2, 2009)

Everyone does it differently. I seperate only at night first for a week sometimes 2 weeks depending on mare and foal and how they react. People do not realize how stressful weaning is on foals and many do it at 2-3 months





Studies have shown something like over 60 perecent of weanlings have ulcers which just goes to show how upsetting and stressful it really is.

I put the foal with whoever I am going to wean them with if they stay with the herd I put them in with or next to someone I think they can buddy up with at night in the morning they go back together and stay together for the day-having nursed my own kids for me slowing down the milk production for a a bit seems to be the most logical way but again that is just my way there are plenty of ways that work.

By the time they are seperated thru a fence permantenly they both seem to realize it is not a tragedy they call a bit but it is not the same frantic totally panicked calls to eachother

I never understood why some take forever to introduce a horse to a harness or ground driving or other training things so they can take the time to get used to and understand the process yet they rip the foals off the dams and expcet both mom and baby to just get it and get over it

I have then had great luck putting them back together again sometimes after just a few weeks (although usually only if the mare is bred back since I wean later then most and by then she is heavy in foal) or a few months later. I know many say it can not be done but it works for me


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## Riverdance (Aug 2, 2009)

I usually wean all of my foals at the same time, unless I need to breed a mare or a foal is dragging the mare down. My foals are 4 months before I will wean. Since I have several foals, I have all of the foals and dams in one paddock area. They all go out to pasture together and in their paddock at night. Recently I took a mare away from her foal as she was sold and was to be bred. He was 4 months old.

I left him with the other dams and their foals and took his mom to a different run and put her with the stallion. The colt almost never called to his dam and after 2 days, the dam stopped calling to her foal. Quick, clean weaning with the least amount of stress on the foal.

When the rest are ready to be weaned, I will move the dams to a different paddock area . All of the foals will still be in the same area they are used to with all of their buddys. Last year I tried the dams in the adjoining paddock area, but some of the foals managed to get their heads through the 3 board pvc fencing lined with hog pannels to nurse.





I find if you do the weaning slowly, it just perlongs their anxiety. They are away for the day, but together at night (or vice versa, though taking them away from their dams at night, when in the wild preditors are at their peak, can be very scary for a foal). The screaming goes on and on and I really feel it stresses the foals out more to be taken away from their dams, then back, then away, then back, etc. Much better to do it quickly and cleanly with the least amount of stress for the foals. Thus same surroundings for the foal and at least one buddy. This buddy has to have been a buddy for a while before weaning begins, so the foal is not stressed out with a new horse in its paddock area.

*NEVER TRY TO WEAN A FOAL BY ITSELF.* It will be under too much stress and will try to escape any way it can to find mom.

I told this to my daughter who had borrowed a Morgan mare from me for a foal. She had the most outstanding, classically beautiful old style UVM type foal. Everyone commented on him. Well when it came time to wean, I brought mom home and told my daughter to keep the foal with one of her geldings. She did not take my advise past a couple of days and one AM she came out to find that the foal had hung himself between the fence and gate trying to get out.


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## rabbitsfizz (Aug 2, 2009)

I am one to wean slowly, and, having tried just about every way known to man in the last Lord knows how long, I find this works best.

The one thing that stands out form all the different advice you will get, though, is that if you wean at the right time _for the mare and foal_ as opposed to the time _you_ think is right, there will be less stress.

I have a colt and a filly who are ready to leave now, and the mares are ready to let them go, both mares are back in foal although they are not "dragged down" (sorry, never had that happen) they are ready for the foals to leave.

Both foals are four months old, and they will stay on another two weeks as I know the mares are not yet "sick" enough of their foals to have them go without stress, and I have to geld the colt. So he will go with Mama to be gelded, stay probably a week longer on the mare, then both foals will just not go out after being fed.

They are in the front stallion paddock to be fed, it is sheep hurdles and they can see the mares, touch noses and talk, just not nurse.

They come in each day, get tied up, handled and fed, and then stay in there for an hour or two.

When the colt is healed they will just not go out again and I do not expect any problems.

Timing, that is the most important thing with weaning, if you get that right everything else will fall into place.

Your foal needs to be eating feed well, and hay, and drinking water properly, BTW, both my coming up for weaning foals are eating a good feed each day, which cuts down considerably on what they take form the mares, and I'm pretty sure this is one of the reasons I never have thin mares.

Quite the opposite, I'm afraid


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## lilnickers (Aug 2, 2009)

I follow the exact same procedure as ~Lisa~. Works for me. Only once did I wean a foal at 3 months, and the he went straight to his new home. The colt actually did just fine, but mama cried for him for almost 2 days



I won't be doing it that way again.

GOOD LUCK, and don't give in!


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## ~Lisa~ (Aug 2, 2009)

rabbitsfizz said:


> The one thing that stands out form all the different advice you will get, though, is that if you wean at the right time _for the mare and foal_ as opposed to the time _you_ think is right, there will be less stress.



I could not agree more with that


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## shelly (Aug 2, 2009)

I am preparing a strategy to wean both my filly(4 months on the 15th) and my colt(4 months on Sept. 7th). The filly hardly ever nurses, is eating well and drinking water. The colt still nurses frequently but is eating well and drinks water sometimes. I want to wean them together--should I wait for the colt to catch up to the filly as far as nursing and put them in the same area at night first, then all the time? Mommas are both doing ok body condition wise and the filly's dam could care less if she is around or not, but the colt's dam is not quite as "sick" of him yet as the other mare. What do you all think? I also have a bred mare that they can buddy up with if needed.

Shelly

curious to know when is the "Right Time"?


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## rcfarm (Aug 2, 2009)

Mo Jo is and has been eating and drinking for about 2 months now. So no prob there. So I started this, and I do like the idea of being together daytime seperate at night. Question is How Long



Should I put them back together tomorrow? I fell terrible





He is the only foal this year, so I put him with my gentle gelding. I have had them together for a few days, mom didnt mind too much. And he played without incident with my gelding. He is getting a little more fretful as day wears on.

We do have split rail fence so he could still reach mom thru fence.

Thanks Carol


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## Make A Wish Miniatures (Aug 2, 2009)

I wean slowly . I wait till the youngest foal is 4 months and do them in groups of two or three. I have been bringing my mares and foals in during the day as it is so hot here in Texas. The foals all go in the stalls with their mothers ,while I start feeding then I just take the foals out . They are able to see their mothers but not nurse. They usually just play with their buddies and check on their mothers throughout the day. I make sure the mares have lots of hay to take their minds of the foals. For about two days , I will let the babies back with their mothers at night . Then for the next few days they will not go back but can see and smell their mothers. After about a week I take them completely away . I have four foals weaned right now and all doing well eating and drinking well I have two more that are four months right now but I will wait for another three or four weeks untill my last foal is four months so that she will not be by herself. This has worked well for me. But there are so many different ways to wean . You just have to see what will work the best for your situation. The foals do not stress as much as the mares. Mine only call for a day or two. Good Luck


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## Genie (Aug 2, 2009)

I always try to have a buddy foal, as weaning one alone seems more stressful....for both of us.

I have two to wean mid August and the third will be due a month later and she will be addedc to the group of two at that time.

None of the mares have been bred back so they are in good shape if I want to leave the foals on a bit longer.


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## barnbum (Aug 2, 2009)

I also wean slowly. I started when the foals were about 3 weeks--when their mamas didn't want to share food. In the morning when I take grain to the dams, the foals walk out of the stall and into "their" stall where their grain is. When everyone is done eating--they all go out. In the evening, when the mares and foals come up to the barn, the mares go into their stalls while the foals wait to go into theirs. The time apart lengthens--and it's common for them to be apart for an hour in the evening. By then I don't have trouble getting the foals to go in the stalls with their mamas-they're ready. Often times, if I want to rush it, the foals are in no hurry to go in--they think being out and about is an adventure.





Once we get closer to real weaning, I love keeping them together during the day and separating at night. I've only done that for a few days before, but Lisa has given me the idea to extend that.



I have a nice arrangement where the foals will go into a stall, but I'll secure the door open so they can go talk, rub noses, even groom with their mamas over stall gates. I'll leave it like that for weeks.

Soon I'll put my gelding and 2 and 4 year old fillies in the mares and foals so they get to know each other before the foals are weaned with them.

Last time I weaned foals (2007) I had the foals in a pasture where they could see their mamas, but not 100% of the time. One foal was not happy. I tried moving foals to the pasture beside their mamas and she was very content then--never fussed at all.



> yet they rip the foals off the dams and expect both mom and baby to just get it and get over it


 Makes my belly hurt just thinking about that. One mares especially is very attached to her foal, and the other foal is very attached to his mama... this needs to be a gradual thing for my heart too.
I'm glad I have no reason to rush things this year--looks like both are staying.


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## 1keegan (Aug 2, 2009)

So how do you all wean when you have an "only" foal?

We have just one mare and her one foal. Mom isn't dragged down from him. As long as he has a human with him, he doesn't mind being apart from mom, and mom seems to care less when she's out of sight from the foal,( when out driving, for instance). The foal is 4 months now, and doesn't nurse alot, mom sometimes even pushes him away, so I thought maybe if left to their own devices, weaning would take place naturally??

LG


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## Relic (Aug 2, 2009)

We wean cold turkey meaning when the youngest is ready for it just after 3 months. All are put into a seperate paddock across from the moms with a weenie sitter..usually one of the older mares we aren't breeding anymore which is a form of comfort for the weaners as they grew up knowing her. Mostly the first 2 days are crying days then thats it if anyone is hanging around the fence line it's usually the moms making sure babies are fine and hoping for a handout from the feed bucket.. l've never felt bad for the way we do it yet






have tried the slow seperating them for a half day/night and that didn't work around here at all because after a week l couldn't stand the hang dog looks and pacing till foals were back with moms with full bags so now just do it fast and get it over with. l find the boys are bigger cry babies then the girls most years...sitting playing and loving on them a few times a day also does wonders...the few times only one was weaned because thats all there was spending lots of time with them and letting them talk and touch moms body but not nurse through the fence worked out well here.


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