weaning

[orin]

At what age do you wean your babies and can someone please explain what the almanac is?

 

[chandab]

Here's a link to an Almanac, so you can check it out for yourself: http://www.almanac.com/bestdays This is the online version, and I've heard the dates can sometimes differ slightly from the hardcopy.

As long as the foal isn't pulling the mare down, then I wait til 5-6 months before weaning. I weaned one earlier, and one wasn't weaned til she was well over 8 months (mostly due to timining, 5-6 months old came right in the middle of winter and I didn't have a spare pen, so it was easier to just leave her with the mares all winter).

 

[Matt73]

Between 4 and 6 months is the norm. I don't go by the almanac....

 

[REO]

I do go by the Almanac, but only the actual book, not the online one.

I have the book. If anyone wants the dates for COLD TURKEY weaning, just holler!

YUP, you can gradually get them used to it gradually way before the cold turkey date if you like the gradual method!

 

[eagles ring farm]

We usually wean at 4-6 mos too mostly about 4-1/2 mos unless baby is overly attached to mom

which we only had happen 1 time. And we do cold turkey as far as nursing but allow baby and mom to visit at the gate for a few days. Baby is usually quite bored with that and wants to go with the rest of the herd. Who are all her friends by then.

And moms seem to understand and just go eat grass in their pen rather than hang by the gate

 

[AngC]

Almanac? I checked out the link, but I don't get it.

...are you supposed to select a specific day to wean based on the Farmers Almanac?!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

3-6 months. Never gone by the almanac and don't intend to. We cold turkey dozens of babies a year and never had an issue.

 

[bevann]

I have been weaning by the signs of the Almanac for over 20 years.My foals were weaned cold turkey when the signs are in the knees or feet.I prefer the 2nd day of the knees going into the feet.This was told to me over 40 years ago by an old Standardbred breeder.Mom and baby are together in the morning, fed as usual then mom is moved to a different pasture usually far away from babies.Baby stays in comfortable surroundings.No more grain for mares for 2 weeks or more.Check bags on mares daily.Bag should be almost gone in 2-3 days.Babies should be eating grain well before weaning.Feed babies grain on schedule as before.I have NEVER had a foal lose weight or stop eating due to weaning.The first day or 2 there is some talking but it usually stops quickly.It helps if they have buddies to play with.I have weaned as early as 3 months(due to nasty attitude of mare-didn't want baby to get her bad habits)and as late as 6 months.I waited until I had buddies for each foal. This has worked for me-I know others do differently.Whatever works for you.Just make sure babies can't get out of fenced area to find mom.My first foal laid down to slide through a rail fence to get to her mommy who was way down the lane.I still have her at age 24 and I can still see her little self going down the lane with her tail in the air to find her mommy.Mommy was very cooperative-just lifted her leg so baby could nurse through the fence.We soon had to make other arrangements.

 

[kay56649]

My minis just didn't care to be seperated so I started weaning her at 4 months. I don't believing in seperated them so they can't see each other, it's more comforting for them to see each other.

 

[REO]

I wean by the Almanac (book) and do it cold turkey, but they can see each other through the fence.

The weaning date is Aug 29th (this Wed) and I plan to wean some

 

[AngC]

hmmm...

Wow...ask a question and then it appears I'm too ignorant to understand the replies.

I still don't get what you're supposed to find in the Farmers Almanac (I didn't realize that anyone even referred to it and didn't know it was still around; I vaguely recollect it being on sale years ago when I went back home (MT) to visit.)

Baby was born Memorial Day and is just over 3 months old. I have read conflicting information regarding when to wean. Mom allows Baby to nurse, but as pasture becomes lean, Mom is becoming more aggressive regarding feed. I am trying to be careful since Mom and Dad are both overweight; Baby looks awfully pudgy and while I don't want to hinder her proper development, I don't want a third obese horsie.

http://blg.mypicturetown.com/cache/4x0Qzx%25nOvmv1OvVokwK42maDPhA2I_sDKqiCK36hMDUR9s%25U7wa.LGZ-D-Joyi/item.JPG?rot=1

bevann... I sure wish you would explain further what you mean regarding the knees/feet. Baby has had her first foot trim and all seems well there according to the farrier.

 

[madmax]

I began the weaning process at 4 months using the gradual method, beginning by letting the foal eat alone in aisle, mom in the stall, after a week, separating for longer periods, then total separation. BUT, mare and foal next to each other in separate areas, they can see each other, touch noses, etc. My place is too small to totally place them out of sight and/or hearing, and my thoughts on weaning are to dry up the mare with less stress on the foal. I did that for 20 years and it worked well for me with heathly foals.

Never used the almanac, sun, moon, whatever, to me does not matter compared to the maturity of the foal, whether the mare is being pulled down, and the foal is fat and healthy. I think you could find an almanac in a book store.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Always do gradual, but, one way or another, you still end up with "cold turkey" as you do actually have to take the baby away in the end!

I take my foals off every day, in sight of the mares, and feed them, then they stay off for a couple of hours, and go back after I have milked off the mares, which then turn the foals off after a couple of sucks which helps the weaning process a lot.

When I think the mares are ready I just do not let the foals back. The mares can still see the foals and touch them but the foals cannot nurse. It has already worked for me.

 

[Lewella]

Essentially weaning by the almanac is weaning when it believed to be astrologically favorable to wean, when gravitational pull will have the least impact on the process. We all know the moon and its gravitational pull causes tides to be higher or lower during certain phases and more woman to have babies during the full moon - this is no different. By signs "in the lower legs and feet" the poster is also referring to astrology - the astrology that the almanac authors use to base their "best days" calculations off of.

 

[AngC]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll just skip the astrology aspect. We have our facilities set up so that we can remove Mom but still allow them to see each other, bump noses, etc. I'm rather looking forward to it because Mom is a devil/voodoo child and when we remove Baby from Mom, Baby (who already prefers humans) hopefully will become closer to her other Mom (me.)

I was rather fascinated by the Almanac aspect since I genuinely did not know that people still referred to it. ...but then prior to reading here, I didn't realize that people were putting make-up on horses.