Pedigree Query

I have received conflicting information on when to start feeding a foal, in addition to what is best to feed a foal.
What and when do you begin to feed your foal?

Our foals start eating grass as soon as they are able (2 days old or so) and are dipping into mom's feed tub and water bucket whenever they want to start. Ditto hay.

We fed our mare's Land O' Lakes Mare and Foal (this division has since been sold to Purina. Omolene 300 same thing). And like Madelyn, our's ate out of their mama's tub from the get-go.

Mine too

The mares are on Buckeye Growth, Alfa Grow N Win and Trifecta and babies are pushing mom out of the way to get their fair share very early on! Plus nibbling on hay and grass when their little nubs of teeth start coming through ...

Start creep feeding by 2 weeks old.
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/asc111.pdf

The article in the link above recommends creep feeding between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks:

Copy and paste from the article:

Several aspects of creep feeding are very important:
• Start creep feeding when foals are about 8 to 12
weeks old. Make sure the feed is fresh daily and that
foals are consuming it adequately.
• Use a creep feeder designed so that mares cannot gain
access and so that foals will not be hurt. If you do not
want a field type feeder, you can tie the mare in her
stall, allowing the foal to eat.
• Put the creep feeder where mares gather frequently.
• Feed the creep feed at a rate of 1% of the foal’s body weight per day
(1 lb/100 lb of body weight). For most foals of light horse breeds,
this amount of feed is approximately 1 lb of feed per month of
age. Do not provide creep feed free choice because doing so could
increase the incidence of physitis and enterotoxemia among larger,
more rapidly growing foals. Nutrient concentrations needed in a
creep feed are shown in Table 1. See Table 5 for actual creep feed
rations.

Very informative article = thanks for posting.

I had rather grow a horse too slow than grow him too fast.

Hitting that happy balance is an art not science and I believe most weanlings and short yearlings are feed too much and grow too fast and this is probably why we have so many joint problems.

griff

Griff I think you are very accurate with that statement and I agree wholeheartedly.

I've one foal on a mare that is a heavy miler, a little fat girl and she is only mildly interested in the feed tub. Another colt on an old mare that is extremely hard to keep weight on and her foal gobbles up. Seems they are all different.

My week old filly is already in her mom's tub... Luckily mom lets her eat and only nudges her out of the way when she gets too pushy. They are on Triple Crown Growth. She also already wants to eat mom's alfalfa and hay- alas no teeth yet.