Caring for and overseeing the nutrition and management of orphaned or rejected foals

Every foaling season, some foals become orphaned, rejected, or are born to mares that cannot produce milk. This article describes a highly successful program that has been implemented at various universities, veterinary hospitals, and horse farms to raise these foals. The program is specifically designed for managing healthy foals in these situations, including those that were weaned early. The foals raised through this program grow and develop just like foals that have not experienced these challenges.

Early feeding and management

To ensure immune protection, foals must consume colostrum or receive antibodies. Colostrum, which is the first milk produced by the mare, contains a high concentration of protein antibodies that protect the foal from diseases. Normally, mares produce colostrum within the first 24 hours after foaling. All newborn foals must receive colostrum ideally within the first hour after birth. A foal weighing 100 pounds should be given 250 ml (approximately 1 cup) of colostrum every hour for the first six hours. This amounts to a total of 1500 ml, or approximately 3 pints, of colostrum per 100 pounds of body weight. Therefore, breeding farms should have a minimum of 3 pints of frozen colostrum stored. When needed, colostrum should be thawed at room temperature or in a warm water bath. Microwaving colostrum should be avoided as it destroys the antibodies and makes them ineffective.

Once the foals have consumed colostrum, they are introduced to drinking milk replacer from a bucket. Depending on the foal's behaviour, a shallow plastic bowl or a bottle with a lamb nipple attached can be used for this purpose. Most foals quickly learn to drink from a shallow bowl or bucket. A technique to help foals learn to drink involves placing a finger in their mouths to stimulate the suckling reflex. While they are sucking, the bowl containing the milk replacer is gradually raised to their muzzle. After they begin drinking, the finger is slowly removed from the foal's mouth. This process is repeated until the foals can drink independently.

It is important to lift the milk to the foal's level rather than forcing its head down. During the first few days, the milk replacer should be warmed to a temperature of 101.5°F to encourage consumption, which is the same temperature as milk from the mare. Once the foal is drinking independently, a bucket should be hung at the foal's shoulder height, and the milk replacer should be provided at room temperature. The bucket should be a different colour from the wall to make it easy for the foal to locate.

Alternative to a milk

It is important to select a milk replacer for foals that is made entirely from milk. To ensure that the milk replacer powder is made from all milk, check the feed tag for the percentage of fibre listed. It should be less than 0.2% crude fibre or less than 0.4% acid detergent fibre. Milk replacers that contain 1.0% crude fibre or more often use a cheaper protein source that is not as easily digested by newborn foals. Introducing any protein source other than milk can cause loose stools or diarrhoea in young foals, depending on the amount consumed daily. The ingredients in a foal's food should be selected based on their ability to digest them and maintain the natural pH level in their digestive system. It is important to follow the gallon mixing directions to create a 10% milk solution, equivalent to a mare's milk (one pound of milk powder to one gallon of water).

Mares produce 3.0% - 3.5% of their body weight in milk per day, which is a 10% milk solid solution. For example, a 1,000 lb (454 kg) mare will produce 30 to 35 lb (14 to 16 kg) or about 4 gallons (18 L) of milk daily. Table 1 can be used to determine the amount of milk the mare would have produced based on her size. Start by providing half the recommended amount on the first day and gradually increase it over seven to 10 days, but no more than half a gallon or 2 litres per day, until the recommended amount is consumed.

Once the young horses (foals) are drinking the recommended amount of milk, you should mix half of their daily milk portion and make it available to them freely in the morning and evening. Allowing the foals to drink small amounts whenever they want has several benefits, including fewer digestive issues, better digestion of the milk, optimal weight gain, and improved overall health. Whenever you prepare a new batch of milk, make sure to discard any remaining milk from the previous batch and clean the bucket before adding fresh milk replacer. Milk replacers that are acidified and served at room temperature have a sour taste, which discourages the foals from drinking too much in one go.

During the first month, the foals will drink milk replacer seven to ten times per hour. Feeding them milk replacer freely allows them to drink as often as they would if their mother (mare) was present. Free choice feeding also reduces the likelihood of digestive issues by preventing the foals from getting too hungry and overdrinking. If they go without milk for more than an hour, they will drink too quickly at the next feeding, which should be avoided as it can lead to colic and diarrhea.

After the foals have finished drinking the liquid milk replacer before the next feeding, you can add a handful of milk-based pellets into the same bucket. These pellets can be made from milk or milk-based ingredients, with rolled oats as the source of starch instead of other cereal grains. Using the same bucket helps the foals feel more comfortable with this new feed. Any leftover pellets should be discarded at the next liquid feeding. Repeat this process until the foals start eating the pellets. At that point, the pellets should be provided in a separate bucket and can be offered freely.

Please note that it is not recommended to feed a weanling feed formulated with cereal grains, fat, fibre, and added minerals at this time. During the first two months of life, foals have limited amounts of the enzymes needed to digest nonstructural carbohydrates found in weanling feed. Feeding such feeds too early can result in diarrhoea, poor nutrient absorption, and colic. The appropriate time to introduce additional feed depends on the foal's age, rather than its size or weight.

When the foal reaches eight weeks of age, you should start gradually reducing the amount of liquid milk replacer it receives. On the first day, decrease the liquid milk replacer by one gallon (4.5 L) and replace it with one additional pound of milk-based pellets. Once the foal consumes the added pellets, reduce the liquid milk replacer by an additional gallon per day, while providing an extra pound of pellets daily. Repeat this process until the pellets completely replace the liquid solution. This transition should be completed within approximately one week. This gradual change helps minimise the risk of digestive issues.

To estimate the amount of milk replacer (powder) and pellets needed, it's helpful to calculate the expected consumption for the first four months of the foal's life. For a foal weighing 100 pounds at birth, it should consume four gallons of milk replacer per day until it's weaned from liquid milk at two months of age. This means it will require 200 pounds of foal milk replacer during this period. Additionally, it will need 600 pounds of milk-based pellets to be fed freely from the first week to four months of age. If the foals are larger or smaller, the quantity of foal food should be adjusted accordingly.

If the foal is over three weeks old when it becomes orphaned, you should provide only the milk-based pellets for it to consume freely. At this age, the foal's molars have grown in, allowing it to chew and swallow the pellets. The foal should continue to have free access to the pellets until it reaches four months of age. Between three and four months of age, you can start mixing the milk-based pellets with a weanling feed. Begin by subtracting one pound of the milk-based pellets and adding one pound of the weanling feed every other day. The weanling feed should be enriched with the necessary nutrients to support the young weanling's skeletal development, and it should complement the protein (amino acids) and minerals found in the type of forage (hay/pasture) that your foal is currently consuming. The feed should be labelled as "formulated to be fed to weanlings." Refer to the feeding directions on the tag or bag to determine the recommended daily amount based on the foal's age, size, and nutritional needs for optimal skeletal and soft tissue development.

The milk-based pellet is designed for young foals and should be freely available until they reach four months of age or their body condition score (BCS) exceeds 5.5 on a scale of 1 to 9. After four months of age, there is no need to provide milk because the foal can begin digesting some non-structured carbohydrates from a weanling feed in its foregut, as well as soft, immature hay (structured carbohydrates) in its hindgut. This feeding and management program for orphaned or early-weaned foals promotes optimal growth, health, and nutrient absorption while minimising the risk of digestive problems and skeletal abnormalities. By following this program, owners and managers can ensure they provide appropriate nutrition for the foal's normal development and compensate for the changes that naturally occur in the foal's digestive system.