Foal Feeding Basics

Feb 25

2/26/20

“It’s getting close to spring which means the foals are coming!!”

Here are 5 facts about late gestation (horse pregnancy) and newborn foal nutrition:

1. During the last 90 days of gestation, the fetus will grow at a rate of about 1 lb. per day. This increases the mare's energy requirement by ~20% for months 9 & 10, then by 30% for month 11. Almost all mares will need their hay and grain ration increased for this period of time.

2. Protein, vitamin and mineral intake at the appropriate level for the third trimester of gestation is CRITICAL. Poor or unbalanced nutrition in late gestation can affect foal development and may have potential long term negative consequences on foal health.

3. Within a few hours of birth, the foal should stand to nurse and must ingest colostrum. Colostrum represents the first milk produced by the mare which is rich in nutrients and immunoglobulins. These immunoglobulins protect the naive immune system of the foal against bacteria, viruses, and pathogens in the environment. A foal will ideally ingest this within a few hours of birth (hours 1-8 post birth) as past 24 hours of age, their ability to absorb these immunoglobulins is gone. In result, if colostrum is not ingested within the first 24 hours of life, the foal is highly susceptible to infection and life threatening conditions until they are 6-12 weeks of age and have a functioning immune system.

4. The energy demand for lactation is nearly double your horse's maintenance requirements. For example, a 1,000 lb. horse at maintenance (mature horse, not in an exercise program) will require roughly 16 Mcals per day. 16 Mcals = 16,000 calories. (Imagine eating 16,000 calories per day, wow!) That same 1,000 lb. mare that is lactating will require 32 Mcals per day! That's 32,000 calories... Mares will undoubtedly need continuous access to hay or pasture and likely a bump in pounds of grain per day during this time.

5. A foal can receive creep feed past 1 month of age. A good rule of thumb is 1 lb. of concentrate per month of age until the foal is weaned. At weaning, check the feed tag for the recommended feeding rate. If you're unfamiliar with this concept, creep feed is a concentrate/feed in addition to mare's milk that will support smooth and steady growth in the foal. Foal owners must make certain the feed is balanced for a growing horse prior to feeding. Check the tag to find out.

There is a lot more to feeding mares and babies, but there are the basics!