What do I feed my 2 and a half month old Orphaned foal??

Question

He is so tiny. his mom didn't produce a milk sac or what ever, and would kick him away when he tried to nurse. now he is on pellets but should I still feed him bottled milk?

Answer 1

What did your vet tell you to do ?  Follow his instructions to the letter.

Answer 2

We had a colt and his mom didn't have any milk for him. Luckily my hubby worked on a horse farm and they had frozen colostrum we got for the foal. (Very important). Then we gave him goats milk. If I had to do it all over again, I would just buy a milk/dairy goat instead of buying the milk.  After a couple of months we started to blend oats like you get a groc. store in with the goat milk. It worked out fine. He was a big boy.

Answer 3

go to ur local feed store and buy powdered milk i think it is called powdered calf milk but u can give it to all newborn animals. the person at the feed store should know what it is! buy 10 lbs to start off with. ask the guy to tell u how to mix it.

Answer 4

your baby definatley needs a milk supplement , let him free feed on pellets too there are some designed specifically for foals , he should also have access to water and hay as well i have a 3wk old foal and he nibbles on hay drinks water and try to eat his mamas oats too. your baby should also have another horse in with him for socializing he needs to learn how to be a horse so he will copy the other one and learn that way, you could check your area for a nurse mare, your vet may know of one that would probably be the best choice.but do make sure to have a vet check him out because if he didn't get enough colostrum the first few hours after birth he could end up with alot of health problems, hope this helps.

Answer 5

You NEED to talk to your vet immediately and give him some kind of nutrition that is appropriate for him. Pellets are definitely NOT appropriate. You should take this very seriously because it can get very dangerous. Get a vet, and a trainer, NOW!

Answer 6

You need to talk to your Vet.

He shouldn't be on pellets yet, he should be on formula.

Your Vet can help you get a good formula, and can asess him and see what all he needs.

This shouldn't be taken lightly either. He needs nutrients, and now.

Answer 7

actually...pellets (Mare & Foal feed) is very good for your foal. But the recommended diet at 2.5 months is going to be a mares milk replacer (your vet will suggest some brands), I used Foal-Lac. Follow the directions on the bucket for the age of your foal. The directions and amounts are extrememly important, if you do not follow the directions to the T, you can give you foal scours. Another thing that is recommended for your foal is creep feed. It's really just milk pellets. Again, follow the directions on the bucket for the feeding amounts. You foal should be eating hay by now also. And of course...clean water.

Answer 8

you should feed him bottled milk at least 4 times a day and give him the pellets at least twice until hes 3 mos. old, then just twice a day for the bottle til hes 4 mos. old.  I have an almost 3 mo. old orphaned colt too! He should access to soft hay(orchard grass is great) and pasture. He needs to have a buddy no matter what, a colt needs socialization and to be isolated that young will lead to vices, depression, and he may even begin to refuse a bottle if hes not happy. When starting him on the bottle, smear the nipple in molasses and stick it in his mouth. that works almost every time! good luck, email me if you need further advice, [e-mail]

Answer 9

If he's very tiny I suggest that you leave him on replacement or goats milk...however, I also agree with other posters that you need to keep your vet or an equine nutritionist closely involved.  Good luck with your baby!!!!