FEEDING THE FOAL

In the first few months of its life, the foal will get the nutrients it needs from the mare’s milk. The mare only produces colostrum milk for a very short time after giving birth. So, if the mare leaks during pregnancy, there is a risk of losing, if not all, then some of the highly nutritious colostrum milk. The foal should drink as much of the colostrum milk as possible in the first 4-8 hours. Because of its high content of essential antibodies, the colostrum milk is hugely important for the protection of the foal against infections, etc. A foal that loses its mother will be in urgent need of mare’s milk replacer in order to survive. However, as a horse owner, it is worth knowing that a mare’s milk replacer can never replace the important antibodies present in the colostrum naturally produced by the mare.

Salt can cause diarrhoea in foals and all salt blocks should therefore be kept out of reach of the foal. Once it has been weaned and separated from the mare, the foal may be given access to a salt block but keep an eye on how much salt is consumed.

Foals grow very quickly and in order to avoid nutritional slumps, the foal should start getting accustomed to concentrate feed even before it is fully weaned. KRAFFT Foal is specifically developed for foals with a smaller sized pellet and a high proportion of easily digestible crude protein. Protein is the parent material in all body tissues and a foal has the same need for energy as a high-performing competition horse.