At what age do you guys......

[Lil' Horse Lover]

I have my lil' colt Spirit and he's going to be 4 months old in November and the lady I co-own his mom with wants her back at her place around the end of november. I was just wondering if that would effect Spirit negatively and if it would be better to wean him later. So what age do you wean your babies???

Thanks!

~Anna~

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

All depends on the individual foal and mare.. I've weaned from 3 months to 6 months, with average age being 5 months..

As long as your little guy is healthy and eating well on his own, I do not think you will have a problem weaning him at 4 months..

 

[Miniv]

As Lucky C posted, it depends on the foal. But 4 months of age is fairly standard.

We look to wean at 4 months. Normally by that time they are drinking water and eating on their own, and acting fairly independent of mom. The nursing is more for reassurance than anything. If the foal still seems immature at 4 months, we will wait a little longer.

We also like doing the buddy system with weaning, if possible. So, if there are two foals within a few weeks in age, we wait until the younger is at least 4 months.

MA

 

[Jill]

I've weaned only 3 minis. Ages were 3mos (mare was being pulled down) to about a year (won't ever let it go so long again). When I've bought weanlings, generally they've weaned and been ready to come home aroudn 4mos, which is when I'll aim to wean our 2008 babies.

 

[Sarah's Little Blessings]

Well, I too wean around the same age, most of mine were weaned at 4-5 months depending on the foal, I have only had one(in which I bought) that was weaned at 3 months and she did ok, but I think she could have used another month...

:

 

[Dona]

Usually 4 - 5 months here.

:

 

[txminipinto]

I wean at 3 months mainly because at that time, the mare's milk has lost the majority of it's nutrients. As long as the foal is actively eating and drinking on it's own, its perfectly acceptable to wean. I weaned a little later than usual this year due to being busy with trying to move, and my mares suffered for it. One mare in particular was pulled down quite a bit by her foal.

 

[sedeh]

Ditto here. I usually wean between 4-6 months. I also use the "Buddy"system when I can and then it's when the youngest hits 4 months......in fact, I just weaned my 3 boys a few days ago! :bgrin Last year was the first time I had a "single" foal. I weaned her around 5 months and brought in a yearling to be her friend during the process. Worked pretty well.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Will clarify that the only reason the one colt was weaned at 3 months was due to him pulling the mare down, she milks like a cow so puts a lot into her foals and he's a big colt.. By the time he was 3 months he was very independent, easy going attitude, eating grain and drinking water on his own, in fact he would eat his grain then push his dam away to get to hers, there were several times where I caught him putting himself between her and her feed bucket so she could not get to her grain, if she tried the little $&*% would pin his ears and kick at her till she finally gave up, then he'd eat for a while then nurse off of her and be done.. I decided it was time when he started the pinning ears/kicking at her to get her grain and she would get to the point where afterward when he would go to nurse she would kick and not allow him to do so.. So I pulled him off her, gave him a stall of his own and he's doing great, not a cry out of him for his mom and still has the laid back, easy going attitude..

On the other hand, last year I bought a mare with a filly at her side.. The filly was a good month to two months older than the foals born at our place.. I waited till the filly was 6-7 months to wean her as she was so attached to her dam and very timid.. I waited so she could spend time in the pasture with the other mares and foals, and so she had a buddy to be weaned with.. It worked out great as the more she interacted with the other babies and mares she became less dependent on her dam and timid, would run and play with the other foals and when someone would go out to the pasture she would approach us when the other foals did.. Weaning her with a buddy, she could still have that 'security blanket'.. She was sold a month after being weaned, and you wouldn't believe the filly that left that day was the same timid little filly we bought with her dam, she had done a complete 180, so I think the best thing we did for her was let her get a little more age and maturity on her before pulling her from her dam..

 

[River1018]

4 months here

 

[SHANA]

Depends on the foal and the circumstances. I have weaned as early as 5 days old and as late as 6 months old, though usually wean around 3 months. The foal I weaned at 5 days was because her dam was sickly and vet said it would be best to hand raise the foal on foal-lac. That mare sadly was put down when that foal was 3 months old as she wasn't getting any better. She had no milk either. That foal we own, it is our arabian mare, SPH Sameera Sunnphire. No one can believe she was hand raised on foal-lac. I try to wean two foals together but if I only have one foal I ususally will put a goat in with them. My grammy has tons of goats. I hope to get a few pygmy goats in the future, maybe a llama or two as I have always wanted those 2 breeds. Someday.

 

[Cedar Ridge Farm]

Sounds like I do the same as Carin and MA....normally around 3 months if the foal is eating and drinking. I also try to do the "buddy system" so they are not by themselves.

 

[lilfolks]

I always did it somewhere between three and five months depending on the mare and the foal.

Joyce L

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

yikes maybe i am waiting too long... we have only had a few foals but weaned at 6 months. if mom was being pulled down we tried a LOT of extra feed first... that so far always worked and did not have to pull the foal early. we had one 2-month-old orphaned, he did do fine on foal-lac...

 

[eagles ring farm]

we have only weaned 7 foals so far but all around 4-5 months , would wait longer if they didn't seem ready as far as eating well on their own or still too attached to mom

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

6 months here sometimes a bit longer if the mare is being pulled down she gets enough feed to solve the problem.

they usually dont nurse to much past 4-5 months but.. that said I just think there is plenty a mare needs to teach her foal about herd dynamics and life in general I just feel emotionally they do better and foals I have bought weaned 3-4 months dont seem to do as well early on they catch up though.

Just what works for me

 

[Devon]

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