How long should a thoroughbred colt remain with its mother?

Question

How long should a thoroughbred colt remain with its mother?

Answer 1

Okay, for people who have said over six months: this is a bad choice! Foals should be weaned BETWEEN four and six months of age, NOT later than that. Generally, once they've reached that stage in their development, milk doesn't do them any good. There are special grain and supplement products for weanlings that do have the necessary ingredients for a healthy baby. A weanling doesn't have to be a tank to be healthy. In fact, they manage better if they are less muscle-bound as a youngster because there's less stress on growing bones.

Not to mention the obvious: the longer the foal is with the dam, the harder it will be to seperate them.

Answer 2

When I worked on the breeding farm we weaned ours at 6 months.

Answer 3

wean the colt at 6 months.

They will be upset but the longer you wait, the harder it is.

Answer 4

About 6-10 months

Answer 5

you should let them stay with their mother for about 7-8 months. most people say 6 but they dont tend to build enough muscle.

Answer 6

First, the correct term is not "colt" unless it is a male- the term you want is "foal". Most foals on the breeding farms in places like Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, and Virginia are usually weaned at 6 months of age. There are several reasons for this. One is that, usually, a mare will be rebred within a month after she foals, and it is extremely taxing to her system to try to supply milk for one foal while carrying another. The other is that male foals ( colts) enter puberty and become sexually mature at the age of 8 to 10 months- and they can mount mares and will in some cases  actually be fertile as yearlings.  Since this can lead to indiscriminate breedings, colts are weaned before this happens, and they are separated from the fillies ( female foals) at or shortly after weaning.  Another reason for weaning at 6 months is so that there is time for the foals to be prepared for the weanling and yearling sales that usually occur in the fall of the year. These sales are important to the breeders, because they bring in much of the money that helps keep the farms going. Weaning the foals at six months also gives the mares a rest before they have to raise a new foal in the spring of the next year. I have never heard of a case where a foal wasn't weaned until it was 10 months old- that's very late, and the owner will be lucky if they don't wind up with problems with the mare afterwards. Hope this answers your questions.

Answer 7

They usually wean a colt away from its mother between 3 to 6 months..