This year a number of breeders/ horse owners will be faced with having to raise an orphan foal. Whether due to problems during pregnancy or delivery, possibly resulting in the mare’s death, or the removal of a foal to increase an older mare’s chances of conception. Some mares, are not good mothers and may harm the foal. Mares that are shipped to a stallion may have their foals weaned at an early age to avoid the stress of travelling. A number of factors will impact on the decision of how to raise the orphan foal. Orphan foals should be placed on a foster “nurse” mare or be given artificial milk replacer. The first priority is to ensure the newborn foal receives adequate colostrum. If the mare dies at birth the foal must be given colostrum, either from another mare or frozen from a vet clinic or breeding farm.
Any orphan foal will experience a great deal of stress, increasing the importance of adequate antibodies being received, via colostrum, within 12 hours of birth. If weaning early, it is best to allow the dam to feed the foal for the first 2 or 3 days this ensures adequate colostrum is received. To ensure sufficient antibodies and colostrum are received, blood can be drawn between 12 and 24 hours after birth. Draft breeds and draft crosses are often used as nurse mares due to their easygoing nature and tolerance of the adoption process.
Nurse mares have been raising orphan foals for years, with excellent results. When choosing this option the following issues should be considered. One concern is the quality and quantity of milk received by the foal. Mares produce approximately 3% of their body weight in milk per day. A 600kg Thoroughbred mare will produce about 18kg of milk per day, this should provide sufficient energy, protein and minerals to support her foal’s growth. If this foal is weaned onto a 850kg Clydesdale mare, producing 26kg of milk per day, the foal’s growth may be effected. A foal’s growth rate is dependent on energy and protein intake. An increase in the growth rate as a result of a higher level of nutrient intake may increase the risk of Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD).
Also consider the stage of lactation, mares produce higher levels of protein, lipids and lactose directly after foaling. So a young foal placed on a mare that has been lactating for 5 months may not receive the required levels of essential nutrients. A KER study compared the growth rates of 3 groups of foals, one group raised on nurse mares, a second weaned at 5 days and fed milk replacer, and a control group raised with their dams. The foals raised on nurse mares were larger than the other groups at 6 months and had higher growth rates for the first 3 months. The second alternative for raising orphan foals is milk replacer. This option is not usually favoured due to previous bad experiences with milk replacers. Problems such as scours have been addressed by improvements in the milk replacer formulas.
Intense management of the amount and timing of feeding can also eliminate some of these problems. Company from other horses is also an important consideration to ensure the foal is socialised. Choose a milk replacer specifically formulated to mirror the nutrient composition of a mare’s milk, with additional fortification of trace minerals and vitamins. Foals’ will suckle dozens of times a day ingesting relatively small quantities of milk at each nursing session. The digestive tract of a very young foal is simple and fairly undeveloped. The small intestine is permeable to protein for a brief period usually under 36 hours. Large quantities of milk offered in one meal, to very young foals, overwhelms the digestive tract’s ability to digest and absorb the sugar and protein. This leads to diarrhoea and the “potbellied” appearance often seen in foals fed milk replacer.
Milk replacer is most effective when fed often in small amounts. To start the foal, offer no more than 2.2 litres of milk per feed. Mix as follows, 100 grams of dry milk replacer and 1 litre of warm water. Studies at KER have shown that foals fed 2 litres of milk replacer, 6 times a day, gained less weight than control foals in the first 30 days, height gains were similar. After 30 days, both weight and height gains were similar to control foals. To mirror normal growth rates in the first month, the foal would need 17.6 litres split into 8 feeds per day. To feed this amount of milk in less than 8 feeds a day is likely to result in problems. An interesting observation from this study was that every foal fed the milk replacer developed diarrhoea at 7 to 14 days old. The same period that suckling foals normally develop “foal heat” scours. As these foals were not with their dams the scours were not caused by foal heat. Perhaps an indication that scours at this age are related to changes in the gut pH and microflora.
Treating the foals with probiotics (lactic acid bacteria) reduced the severity of scours. Foals recovered within 2 or 3 days, without losing appetite or developing a fever. If a scouring foal maintains appetite without developing a fever, it is best not to use antibiotics, as this may further disrupt the gut microflora and prolong the problem. Foals raised on milk replacer should be offered small amounts of high quality creep feed from 2 weeks old ie NRM Prepare. Intake should increase by 100g a week up to 1.5kg of feed a day, at 90 days. Then reduce milk replacer by 1 litre a day until weaned. Choose a feed with a high level of protein (14%), lysine (0.8%), energy and minerals, designed for foals and weanlings. Feeds that contain processed ingredients, steam flaked, micronised, pelleted or extruded, have enhanced digestion. Mix the feed with lucerne chaff and free choice of lucerne hay. Raising a healthy orphan foal, requires more attention to ensure changing nutritional requirements are met.
Too much milk can cause growth problems, as can milk with inappropriate levels of nutrients. Matching a nurse mare’s size and stage of lactation to the foal’s dam would be the ideal situation. Foals raised on milk replacer need to be carefully monitored. Particularly, the amount and timing of feeds and provision of a balanced diet through weaning. Dr Joe Pagan KER
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