Q: What are the best feeding practices to ensure a smooth weaning transition for the foal?

A: Suckling foals grow rapidly, with most reaching 30-40% of their mature weight by weaning. Development at this rate requires a steady supply of good nutrition. Mare’s milk primarily supplies a foal’s nutrition until weaning, after which the diet transitions to some combination of feed, supplements, and hay or pasture. You can make this transition easier by introducing appropriate feeding practices prior to weaning. What and how you feed the suckling foal will impact not only his overall growth and well-being but also how well he handles weaning.

Feeding Suckling Foals

Suckling foals show interest in eating within the first weeks of life. A foal feed should be formulated with high-quality protein to supply essential amino acids and be adequately fortified with the proper balance of vitamins and minerals. The goal of supplemental feeding for suckling foals is to bridge the gap between what the mare’s milk provides and what the foal needs to grow and develop to his full genetic potential. Feeding 1 pound of a well-formulated foal feed per month of age daily will help accomplish this. For example, a 2-month-old foal should eat 2 pounds of feed per day, or roughly 1 pound of feed per 100 pounds of body weight.

Feeding mares and foals individually—not in a group—offers the most precise method to feed the foal. However, many farms don’t have the staff or the facilities to do this. Creep feeders are an option but must be monitored to make sure mares cannot get the feed and to prevent injuries around the equipment. Creep-fed foals should be grouped and fed amounts appropriate for their age. If allowed free-choice feed, foals often overeat and gain weight too fast, putting undue stress on immature bones and joints.

Mares and foals are often fed together, which can work well. As the foal gets older and needs more supplemental feed, the mare’s nutritional demands for lactation begin to decline. When feeding mares and foals together, place feeders at a height the foal can comfortably access and be sure to allow plenty of space.

Feeding Foals After Weaning

Following weaning, feed foals the same concentrate they were eating prior to weaning, but increase the feeding rate to 1.25–1.75 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight to replace the mare’s milk. If possible, divide the daily ration into smaller, more frequent meals to help with the transition from having free-choice access to the mare’s milk and nursing over 70 times a day. Weanlings have small digestive tract capacity and benefit from smaller meals.

Forage quality is also important for weanlings because they have less capacity and ability to digest hay and pasture than an adult horse. If weanlings have free-choice access to excellent pasture or hay and would become overweight eating the recommended amount of the foal feed, you might need to transition them to a ration balancer.

A ration balancer is designed to be fed to foals as well as adult horses and will provide appropriate nutrition to support lean tissue development without unnecessary calories. Routinely assess your weanling’s body condition and adjust the amount of feed offered or transition to a ration balancer if needed to support moderate body condition. This will help ensure the nutritional requirements for growth and development are met without the youngster becoming overly fat.

Take-Home Message

Suckling foals grow rapidly and need a carefully managed feed program to support healthy development and ease the transition to weaning. While the mare’s milk is the primary nutrient source early in life, introducing high-quality foal feed helps fill nutritional gaps and prepares foals for weaning. After weaning, increase feed amounts as appropriate and offer frequent meals to ease the transition from nursing, support continued growth, and improve digestive health. Monitor your weanling’s body condition and adjust his diet as needed to help him grow correctly without becoming overweight.

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