How To Feed The Orphan Foal

Ever wonder how to feed a newborn orphan foal? This article will discuss milk replacers, the introduction of solid foods, growth requirements, and more.

You may find yourself in a situation where you must find alternative or supplemental milk options for your foal. This situation might result from an orphan foal, foal rejection, or poor milk production from the mare. This article will compare different milk options, from milk replacers to milk from different animal species. We will also go deeper into the details of how much and how often to feed and discuss other nutritional requirements, foal growth, and additional tips.

The best nutrition for a foal is mare’s milk. If a foal is orphaned, you can try to find a nurse mare. A nurse mare is a lactating mare who will accept the foal and nurse it as her own. This can save time, money, and potential behavior issues from the foal and provide an ideal milk source.

Foal-specific milk replacers are the second-best option to feed an orphan foal or provide supplemental milk to a foal. Some commercial milk replacers available include Mare’s Match® by Land O Lakes®, Foal’s First® by Progressive Nutrition®, and Foal-Lac® by Pet Ag Equine System®. I have experience with all three milk replacers, and although they are all adequate, I prefer to use Mare’s Match®. I find foals get less diarrhea with Mare’s Match®, and the composition of Mare’s Match® is the most similar to mare’s milk (crude protein 24% and crude fat 16%) compared to the other two milk replacers. When preparing the milk replacer, follow the label instructions. The proportions of milk replacer powder to water can differ slightly for each.

If a nurse mare or foal milk replacer is not immediately available, then in an emergency situation, goat’s milk or cow’s milk can be fed to the foal (goat’s milk is a better option than cow’s milk). However, this is not ideal because cow and goat milk have a higher percentage of fat and protein and lower lactose than mare milk. Cow’s milk might cause diarrhea in foals, and goat’s milk might cause constipation in foals.

Calf or kid milk replacers are inappropriate for foals because they are not nutritionally matched to meet the foal’s growth requirements.

Newborn foals require a great deal of energy to support their rapid growth. Foals increase body weight by 1.3 to 1.7kg (or approximately 2-3lbs) per day during the first 30 days of life.

To meet hydration and growth requirements, foals will consume approximately 24% of their body weight in the form of milk per day. This means an average 50kg (110lb) foal may consume as much as 12 liters of milk daily.

In the first 1-2 weeks of life, feed every 2 hours.

Feed approximately 24% of body weight (in kgs) per day over 12 feedings for the first week of life. In the second week, feedings can be reduced to 8 feedings or stay at 12 feedings per day. As the foal gets older, the frequency of the feedings can be reduced, and the amount per feeding would increase. Do not feed less than 4-6 feedings per day.

When the foal is first born, it might not tolerate a total of 24% of its body weight, and you might start at a smaller percentage (10% or 15%) and work your way up to 24%. Sick foals generally will not tolerate that large of feeding until they are healthier and should be evaluated by a veterinarian. A feeding schedule can be discussed with your veterinarian if dealing with a sick foal.

Foals should be fed milk from a bucket or pan because this delivery method will greatly reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia.

The swallow reflex is an intricate process and takes great coordination. The swallow reflex can be abnormal in weak foals or foals with compromised suckling ability. An abnormal swallow reflex and drinking from a bottle with the foal’s head elevated increases the risk of aspiration of milk down the trachea and the development of pneumonia.

 If a bottle is to be used, ensure there is no milk coming out the foal’s nose when suckling and the foal does not cough. A lamb nipple bottle is best to use because it is similar to the shape of a mare’s nipple. Even in a normal foal that is suckling from a bottle, care must be taken to prevent milk from running out of the nipple at a rate that exceeds the foal’s ability to swallow.

Bucket or pan feeding not only reduces the risk of aspiration of milk, but it is also less labor intensive. Foals will learn to drink from a pan or a bucket very quickly, but you will have to teach them. A foal that has drank from a bucket will also still know how to nurse from the udder.

Orphan foals should be offered creep feed within the first week of life. In nursing foals, with their dams, creep feed is usually introduced at 1-2 months of age. Creep feed with help to meet the nutritional and energy requirements of the foal and will have a balance of important minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, and copper. Creep feed will help to ease the transition at weaning (starting at approximately 4 months of age).

Feed the creep feed or other concentrate in a light-colored shallow bucket, hung at the foal’s chest height. This way the foal can see the bucket and have access to the feed easily.  Select a creep feed that has a properly balanced nutrient content (lysin, calcium, and phosphorus), so the foal not only gains adequate weight but has appropriate musculoskeletal development.

A higher fat content in the creep feed is not always better. Higher fat requires a higher percentage of lysine and minerals than creep feed without supplemental fat. Foals fed poorly balanced high energy dense creep feed deficient in essential amino acids and minerals can contribute to developmental musculoskeletal problems.

Soft good quality hay or forage can be offered at approximately 1-2 weeks of age for the foal to play and nibble on. Increase the amount of hay fed at approximately 2-3 months of age.

Fresh drinking water should always be available to foals, especially foals in hot climates.

Foals will gain approximately 1.3 to 1.7 kg (approximately 2-3 lbs) daily in the first month of life. You can monitor the foal’s growth by visual inspection, by weighing on a scale daily, or use of a weigh tape as a marker (weigh tapes are not accurate in foals). Foals that are getting adequate milk to meet growth requirements will have very dilute urine that is very clear, like water.

Foals can develop various developmental orthopedic conditions (e.g., osteochondrosis, physeal dysplasia, and acquired angular limb deformities). The cause is multifactorial, and nutrition is a factor that can contribute to orthopedic disease. Underfeeding and overfeeding can have a detrimental impact on bone maturation and structure.   To minimize the influence of diet on bone development, feed growing foals a balanced ration that is neither in excess nor deficient in energy, protein, or mineral requirements. More detailed information can be found on the NRC (National Research Council) website.

Step 1– Find a milk source: This can include a nurse mare, foal milk replacer, or goat milk until have foal milk replacer or nurse mare.

Step 2– Make the milk replacer: Follow specific instructions on the label. Never make the milk replacer too concentrated.

Step 3– How much and how frequent to feed: Feed 25% body weight divided into 8-12 feedings. Feed the milk warm. If you are in a warm place, you can feed it at room temperature or cool in the summer once the foal gets to be a few days old.

Step 4– What to feed the milk in: Feed the milk in a pan or bucket. Do not use a bottle. This can increase the foal’s risk of aspiration pneumonia. Foals are different from calves.

Step 5– When to introduce creep feed: In the first week of life. The foal can get use to playing with it until they start to eat it.

Step 6– Always have water available to the foal: Some foals will not drink water until weaning, but some foals will drink water at 2-3 weeks of age, especially foals in hot climates.

Feed based on 25% of body weight (kg). You may want to start at 10% and work up to 25% over a couple of days. For a 50kg foal this will be 12 Liters of milk divided into 8-12 feedings. For a 30kg foal, this will be 7.5 Liters per day. Typically 250-500ml per feeding to start, and once you are at 25% body weight, then it will be approximately 600-1000ml per feeding.

At approximately 4-6 months of age. By 6 months, the foal’s diet largely consists of good quality hay or forage and concentrate for a growing foal.

Mare’s milk, mare milk replacer, or goat’s milk.

No! Calf and lamb milk replacers are not appropriate for foals. They do not meet the nutritional requirements for foals and are too low in lactose. Feeding these milk replacers can lead to scours and abnormal growth.