Monthly Newsletter  FEBRUARY 2007
FEEDING AND CARE OF THE ORPHAN FOAL
Foaling and breeding season is here and at some point every breeding farm is faced with having to raise an orphan foal. Foals can become orphaned for a number of reasons. One reason could be that problems occurred during the pregnancy or delivery that make it impossible for a mare to raise her foal naturally. Unfortunately, some foals may be orphaned by the death of their dams during delivery or from complications resulting from it. In other cases, the broodmare simply is not a good mother and many even try to harm the foal.
In each of these instances, the farm manager must decide how to raise the orphan foal. A variety of options are available, and the course taken with an individual foal will depend on a number of factors.
Foals orphaned at a very early age should be either placed on a foster "nurse" mare or receive an artificial milk substitute. In either case, it is imperative that the newborn receives adequate quantities of colostrum. Obviously, if the mare dies at birth, the foal must be given colostrum from another mare. Many breeding farms keep frozen colostrum from other mares for this purpose and stores of frozen colostrum are also kept in banks by veterinary clinics. The orphan foal is going to experience a great deal of stress regardless of how it is raised, and it is important that it receives plenty of antibodies via colostrum during the first hours of its life. If a foal is to be weaned early, it is preferable that it be allowed to suckle from its dam for the first two or three days before weaning to insure that it receives adequate colostrum.
In order to make sure that the newborn foal has received the full benefits of this valuable early milk, many farms draw blood from the foals between 12 and 24 hours after birth to have it analyzed. The results of the blood test can indicate if the foal has received proper immunities from the colostrum.
Nurse Mares
The cost to lease a nurse mare for a season generally is $700 to $1000. Nurse mares have been used to raise orphan foals for as long as horses have been raised domestically and there is no doubt that many fine horses have gotten their start on a nurse mare. There are some considerations that need to be made before this option is chosen to raise a foal.
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Of great concern, is the quality and quantity of milk received by the foal suckling a nurse mare. The amount of milk produced by draft mares may not be suitable for Thoroughbred or Standardbred foals. Milk production in mares is generally proportional to the mare's body weight with mares producing about 3% of their body weight per day as fluid milk. A 1,300 pound Thoroughbred mare would therefore produce about 39 pounds of milk per day and this amount of milk should provide enough energy, protein and minerals to support her foal's growth. If this foal is weaned onto a 1,800 pound Belgian mare that is capable of producing 54 pounds of milk per day, what will the effect be on the growth of the foal?
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Another consideration is the stage of lactation of the nurse mare. Mares produce higher levels of protein, lipids and lactose directly after foaling. Those levels decrease over the following week and months. If the foal is placed on a mare that has been lactating for five months, the mare's milk may not contain the levels of essential nutrients that the adopted foal may need.
Milk Replacer
Another approach in raising an orphan foal is using a milk replacer. This option is usually not taken by breeders because of bad experiences that they have had in the past. Some of the problems like scours or upset stomachs have been resolved by the development of better milk replacer formulas. Dedicated management of the amount and timing of the feedings will help eliminate some of these problems, but is obviously more labor intensive than raising the foal on a nurse mare. This can be a drawback from some breeders.
There are several excellent milk replacer's for foals on the market today. They are formulated to mimic the nutrient composition of mare's milk, and many have additional fortification with trace minerals and vitamins. They are only good, however, if fed properly.
It is certainly possible to raise a healthy orphan foal, but particular care must be given to the changing nutritional needs of the foal. Too much milk can cause growth problems as can milk with inappropriate level of nutrients. Matching a mare's size and stage of lactation to that of the dam of the orphan foal would be an ideal situation for breeders choosing that option. For foals being raised on milk replacer, it is essential to carefully monitor the amount and timing of feedings and to pay close attention to providing a balanced diet as the foal is weaned from the milk replacer.
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