Kasie’s Korner
Care of Orphan Foals
by Kasie Morgan O
rphan foals can result from death of the mare, inability of the mare to produce milk, or maternal rejection of the foal. Orphan foals can be raised suc- cessfully with some extra care.
As with mothered foals, you should make sure the orphan receives colostrum soon after birth. If the foal cannot receive its mother’s colostrum, try to locate frozen colostrum. Thaw the frozen colostrum at room temperature. Microwaving or heating the colostrum can destroy the protec- tive antibodies in it. In the absence of any colos- trum, your veterinarian can give the foal a plas- ma transfusion or an oral colostrum replacer to get antibodies into its system.
The best and easiest solution for an orphan is to transfer it to a nurse mare. To transfer the foal, disguise its odor by rubbing whiskey, linseed oil, the foster mother’s milk, or any other liquid with a strong odor on the foal. If those options do not work, you will have to bottle-feed or bucket-feed the foal with a mare’s milk replacer. There are sev- eral recipes for mare’s milk replacer; however, the commercially available formulas are nutritionally balanced for the foal and easy to mix and use.
Whenever possible, teach the foal to drink from a bucket. To teach the foal to drink from a bucket, coat your finger with milk and allow the foal to suck your finger. Gradually immerse your finger in the bucket of milk. Waiting sever- al hours between feedings so the foal is hungry
often speeds up the learning process. If the foal does have to be bottle-fed, hold the bottle at the approximate height of a mare’s udder so that the foal nurses in a natural position.
You want the foal to learn it is a horse and to re- spect humans. You should quickly and consistently discipline the foal for inappropriate behavior (bit- ing, kicking, shoving, rearing) directed toward you. Orphans that are bucket-fed or bottle-fed should be introduced to other horses as soon as possible so they will develop normal equine social behavior. Putting an old, quiet mare or gelding in the pen or stall next to the orphan promotes normal social behavior. If your older horse can be trusted not to hurt the foal, turn them out together as soon as possible.
A healthy foal nurses from its mother up to seven times an hour for 60 to 90 seconds each time. A newborn orphan should be fed at least every 1 to 2 hours during their first week of life. Free-choice milk intake is recommended for healthy foals. During the first 2 days of life, a foal should drink about 10 to 15 percent of its body weight daily. For the next 5 days the foal’s intake should increase to 25 percent of its body weight daily. When either bottle-feed- ing or bucket feeding foals, make sure that your feeding equipment is clean and that milk does not sour between feedings. Orphan foals always should have access to water and salt. Orphans should be offered grain, milk replacer pellets, and hay after a few days of life. However, the foal may not consume much solid food until it is about 1 month old.
https://www.facebook.com/Morgan-Stables-Performance-Horses-1727009957520223/ 32 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2018 I HORSE & AG MAGAZINE
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