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Conference noted::equitation

Title:	Equine Notes Conference
Notice:	Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151
Moderator:	MTADMS::COBURNIO

Created:	Tue Feb 11 1986
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2080
Total number of notes:	22383

1499.0. "Foal doesn't eat her hay - Ideas?" by KAHALA::FULTZ (ED FULTZ) Wed Aug 07 1991 13:26

I have a possible problem.  We have a 4 1/2 month old foal.  She has been doing
fine while with her mother.  She seemed to be eating hay and was eating her
grain.  We weaned her from her mother about 1 1/2 weeks ago.  Now, she does not
seem to be eating her hay.  She eats all of her grain.  We have started to
change her over from Strider to Stampede - I have been putting 1/2 scoop of
Strider with 1/2 scoop of Stampede (twice a day - morning and night).  She was
not eating her hay even before I started changing the formulation.

Is it possible that I have been putting too much hay and that she is actually
eatting, but not as much as was being eaten when she was with her mother?  I
am hoping this is it.  I have started feeding her less hay.  The hay is good
quality and there was never a problem with it before.

The other possibility in my mind is that she is lonely and so isn't eating it
for this reason.  I sort of don't think this is it since she is eating her
grain.

Any thoughts?

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1499.1	DON'T WORRY	ASABET::NICKERSON	KATHIE NICKERSON 223-2025	`Wed Aug 07 1991 13:47`	7
	Our foal always ate her grain but picked at the hay...one straw at a time. I just cut it back to what she ate and as she cleaned it up I added more to the quantity. She did that for about a year. I wouldn't worry...they usually work it out for themselves.
1499.2		KAHALA::FULTZ	ED FULTZ	`Wed Aug 07 1991 15:02`	4
	Thanks. I have started cutting back. My wife kept telling me I was underfeeding the hay. I now know I haven't. Ed,..
1499.4	Another Weanie	CSLALL::KROY		`Wed Aug 07 1991 19:06`	9
	I recently weaned my 4 1/2 month old foal too. He seems to really enjoy spreading his hay all over the place and stomping on it and making it look like there were 16 other horses in there the previous day. I just take out whatever is dead and give him some more, he is eating his grain and drinking his water so I'm not concerned. Karen
1499.5		LUDWIG::ROCK		`Thu Aug 08 1991 10:57`	26
	good choice on switching over to the Stampede... the Strider is to low in protein for the foals. I have bred my horses many times and we have always had beautiful foals. One thing is to watch out because some times the higher protein can also cause problems, but I think on the whole if it is slowly converted over she will be fine. The babies do just pick at the hay. They like to spend their time not eating but looking around and watching for MOTHER. It has only been a few weeks for her to be off the mare and it will take her a while maybe a month or two to totally feel like a BIG GIRL and to be happy on her own. Each animal is different. If the foal is in a pasture beside the mare watch out....these two can be sneaky and the mare will place herself so that the foal can reach between the fence and nurse. It is amazing to see it. I laugh so hard when my mare would do this. I thought that the weaning was going slowly and the foal was being awlful quiet!!!!!!!!! You may want to pick up some nice FRESH second cutting hay if you can off the field right now from the farmers. It will be more grassy and tasty for the foal and she will probley eat a little more hay. well good luck... terry