🍼 Foal
Also known as: foal, colt, filly, young horse, weanling
A foal is a young horse that drinks its mare's milk: it should suckle within two to three hours, gets colostrum in the first 12 hours and is weaned at 4 to 6 months.
A foal is the young of a mare, that is, of a horse. A healthy foal should be on its feet and suckling within two to three hours of birth. The first milk, colostrum, matters most: its antibodies can only be absorbed in the first 12 hours. After that the mare's milk feeds the foal for several months.
In the first week a foal nurses about seven times an hour, and by seven weeks about once an hour. Mare's milk holds about 10% dry matter. Protein is 2% and fat 1.3%, so the milk is thin and extra feed is needed early. Creep feed can be offered from two weeks, and by three months milk covers only about half of the protein and energy the foal needs.
The usual age for weaning is 4 to 6 months. Weaning before four months adds stress, and waiting until six brings little extra benefit. A young horse under one year old that has been separated from its mother is called a weanling.
Compare it with other young animals. A joey spends months in a pouch and a puppy is born with its eyes shut, but a foal is up and following its mare almost at once. That is why the first hours decide so much. If the foal has not nursed in two to three hours, the mare is milked and the foal is bottle-fed. An orphan needs colostrum from another mare, then a mare's milk replacer, which extension guides prefer to other milks.
Facts
| Animal | Domestic horse (the young of a mare) 1 |
|---|---|
| Duration | Should nurse within 2–3 hours; colostrum antibodies absorbed in the first 12 hours 1 |
| Nutrition | Mare's milk: about 10% dry matter, 2% protein, 1.3% fat 3 |
| Bottle size | Orphan foal: milk replacer at 10–15% of body weight a day, 250–500 mL per feed 4 |
| Season | Weaning usually at 4–6 months 2 |
How it connects to milk
Links
- Fed with milk by
- 🐎 Mare
- Part of
- 🤱 Who drinks milk: young animals and feeding
Frequently asked questions
How long should a newborn foal take to nurse?
Within two to three hours of birth. If it has not, the foal may be weak. The mare should be milked and the foal fed by bottle while a vet is called.
How often does a foal nurse?
About seven times an hour in the first week. By seven weeks it is down to about once an hour.
What is in mare's milk?
About 10% dry matter, 2% protein and 1.3% fat. That is why foals need extra feed by the time they are a few months old.
What is a weanling?
A young horse under one year old that has been separated from its mother. Most are weaned between four and six months.
Is it true that a foal can wait a day for its first milk?
No. Colostrum antibodies are absorbed best in the first 12 hours and only minimally after that. A foal that has not nursed in two to three hours needs help.
Similar
🍼 Goat kid · 🍼 Lamb · 🍼 Buffalo calf · 🍼 Donkey foal · 🍼 Reindeer calf · 🍼 Moose calf
Sources
- Extension Horses. Management of the Newborn and Growing Foal
- Extension Horses. Weaning and Management of Weanling Horses
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. Feeding and Care of Orphaned Foals (NebGuide G1872)
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Feeding the Aged Horse and the Orphan Foal