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Topic: Weaning??? (Read 2675 times)
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Beckie
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Just curious if anyone has experience with reducing grain for a few days prior to weaning a foal off of a mare. I have heard that this helps the mare reduce milk production, however, my experience has been nonconclusive with regard to this issue. I think that is because the mares I have weaned babies off of in the last few years have been "cows" or very good milk producers that just take a long time to dry up anyway. And their foals have been good sized so they produce well for them.
Any experiences to share? I am about to wean my big strapping Summertime colt off of his mother who is a "cow."
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.....
Beckie
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Joy
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Beckie, I've heard the same thing, but I haven't noticed that it makes a great deal of difference. All my mares have taken a long time to dry up, with or without withholding grain.
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helloagain
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When my TB mare foaled a Schonfeld filly she never had a big bag, but her filly always seemed to have plenty of milk and thrived. I boarded and this was my first experience with a mare and foal so when it came time to wean, I relied on the BO who had a lot of experience in this area. She took my mare completely off grain for a week. Of course, my mare was none too happy about it, but she did dry up quickly.
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Elfe
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It's worked well for my mares. I do, however, start at least a month before the actual weaning by decreasing the mare's grain and increasing the foal's. By the time I actually wean, the mare is only getting a vitamin/mineral supplement and hay.
The mare does loose some weight this way but her bag dries up quickly.
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Beckie
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Thanks all. I would like to do this, but the mare has dropped weight as the colt is large. They currently share a large ration of grain in the morning, but I have cut her evening grain all together. I will decrease her grain over the next week and then wean the colt. Hope it works. I would like to put the mare back in work in a month or so and do not want to shock her system too much and have her loose any more weight. I will just see how it goes and adjust. Since the colt will be kept whole (for a while), they will not be put back in pasture together so I guess that it does not matter how long it takes for her to dry up!! But it does matter to me how long it takes her to gain some conditioning back.
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Eileen
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I have had more success with drying up the mare by weaning slowly. We separate mare and foal overnight in neighboring stalls where they can touch noses for at least a couple of weeks both have their own feed buckets am & pm -- a month works even better if you have the time and facilities. Put together during the days.
Then finish the weaning and is much easier on both mare and foal. We have done it this way several years now -- works far better for my mare who is a very heavy milker and has huge foals -- no loss of weight for either foal or mare and usually no fuss. One colt was more distressed than others, but didn't last long -- a couple hours on the first day of total separation -- and that was only when he thought about it -- by no means was he fussing constantly for those two hours.
Good luck.
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Beckie
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Thanks Eileen. I have separated the mare and foal overnight in the past with some success. Frankly, the stress on the foal is less but it appears to have no impact on the mare drying up. I like to make sure that the foal has strong relationships to other herd members before I wean them, then separate intermittently for a few days and then just move the mare out of range but not necessarily out of sight. That way the foal feels safe both because it can still see mom and because it has friends it trusts. Likewise, the mares seem to like this as they can keep an eye on the kid and have already learned to trust the herd buddies before the weaning process. As for eating, this colt has not needed mom for nutrition for probably two months..... but he did need her emotionally. He is more independant now, as he should be.
Actually, I am just looking for a way to expedite reconditioning the mare without stressing her. She has been off for a few years and I have dearly missed riding her!! Now that she is open for next year, I am looking forward to time with her.  
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fuzzy
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I was wondering of anyone out there has used a grazing muzzle to help break a youngster from nursing. I'm not really set up to separate the mare and 8 month filly other than locking the filly up at night. My only other option is to board the mare, but driving to the barn would take a large bite out of my riding/carriage driving time.
The mare and filly are both pretty bold and independant, so I have not had a any trouble separating them for short periods to work with one or the other.
thanks
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SteveSamples
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I once worked on a farm where they would use a halter with DULL (nothing harmful) studs across the noseband on the foal. It only took a couple of times and the mare had the foal weaned. Of course the foal was pretty puzzled those couple of times.
SRS+
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fuzzy
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Steve - THANKS - that sounds like a very promising idea! I suppose a spiked dog collar attached to the nose of Ruby's halter would do the trick. I'll let you know how it goes! 
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SteveSamples
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Just to be clear...the brads are on top of the noseband so that the mare stops the foal from nursing. Don't want anyone to think the foal gets dinged. I'm glad no one has thought this is cruel, I really don't think it is but I can see how some people might not like it.
Blessings,
Steve +
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EclypseSporthorses
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They sell foal halters with hard rubber 'studs' on them, though, both our Karino's Fire fillies are too smart and
figured out how to nurse with them on. We just gradually separated our horses with short times. Reducing grain didn't cause them to reduce milk, and our Paint mare, God Bless her,
would dry up and the minute her babe was with her again produced milk and filled up right away. We even had her "dry" for two solid weeks, though she produced asap as soon as her babe asked for it. We had two dogs (at separate times) that produced milk for other dogs puppies. One dog was older, over 11 for sure and a pug had puppies (maiden dog) and wouldn't nurse them, Tasha produced milk overnight and nursed the puppies and adopted them.
Ella dried up a little more normally, though it took sometime and I think it wasn't really until she was re bred that she was totally done, she seemed to keep producing just a little for Faith.
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