Horse Protein Natural Supplements, Foal Milk Replacers, Feeding Horses, Orphan Foals

Meadowlands Animal Supplies proudly announces the online launch of our free ePro® Equine Professional Product Training Guide.

This guide is packed with essential information on the whole ePro® product range, and is the first step in choosing the right ePro® supplement plan for your equestrian or race training objectives, or orphaned foal rearing program.

The ePro® Equine Professional Product Training Guide provides detailed information on:

• Recommended feeding rates for the whole ePro® Equine Professional range.
• The ePro® Whey Protein Power that give ePro® horses the performance edge in muscle development and body conditioning.
  
• The all natural ingredients that assist liver function and reduce the effect of free radicals which can breakdown muscle after exercise.
•  ePro® product protein profiles, there are 20 different types of protein building blocks and ePro® makes sure your horse gets the right ones for optimum muscle health and growth.
• Recommended retail prices for ePro® products which can now be bought from Horseland stores nationwide!

The period between birth and 8 weeks of age is a critical time in the life of a foal. It is vital that the foal receives the balanced nutrition and energy necessary to properly develop. When a foal is orphaned or the mare's milk dries up, choosing a suitable foal milk supplement or foal milk replacer can assist with providing an effective replacement for mare's milk.

• Choose a carefully formulated blend that can be used as a replacement for mare's milk that has the high nutritional value required by foals in for protein, lactose, fat, vitamins and minerals.  Ensure it is carefully formulated with highly digestible ingredients,  a naturally good tasting supplement stimulates appetite and promotes steady growth, proper muscle and bone development.
• Make sure the blend is palatable for the foal. Foals can be fussy!
• Choose a foal milk replacer that can be supplemented with mare's milk.
• Choose a blend that easy to mix.  Nothing worse than a lumpy mix!
• Can you get a trial sized pack before committing to a full sized product?

View our  foal milk replacer  product recommendations
Learn more about supplementing your foal with milk replacers

Successfully rearing a foal requires lots of time, patience, and work. Immediate attention to the newborn will increase its chance for survival and development into a healthy foal.

•  Colostrum is essential to the health of the newborn foal. The immunoglobulins found in colostrum provide early protection from many diseases. Foals should consume at least 10-12 feedings of colostrum from the mare during the first 48  hours of life. Immunoglobulins are taken up by special cells in the epithelium of the small intestine of the foal. The first hours post-partum the uptake is most effective and declines in efficiency after 12hrs and after 48 there is no uptake of most  immunoglobulins.  Although the uptake of some immunoglobulins are not effective anymore after 48hrs you can  feed colostrum during the first 3 days to provide some protection from pathogens in the intestinal tract.
• Follow feeding instructions carefully and feed at regular hours each day.
• Clean, fresh water should be available at all times, starting immediately after birth.
• Foals must be protected from the weather. Make sure the stable stays clean and the mare and foal have dry bedding and plenty of fresh air, free from drafts.
• At two week of age the foal will try to nibble grass or feedstuffs from his dam. From this moment on foals can be offered some soft hay and creep feed to complement the milk diet of the foal. Provide  your foal  with a high quality creep feed (15-20% protein) and feed small amounts twice a day.  Offer your foal good quality forage free of dust and moulds.
• Exercise is important for new foals. After the first week, the mare and foal should have access to good, clean pasture ground.
• Establish a health program with your veterinarian regarding all vaccinations and deworming as well as any antibiotic treatment.

Tips for bottle and bucket feeding

Strong, healthy foals will usually accept bottle feeding readily.Some foals will drink from a bucket once their muzzle has been introduced into the milk/milk replacer. Gradually start the foal on milk replacer to avoid digestive upsets. Patience is essential during this process.

Feeding Suggestions

• Place a small amount of milk/milk replacer on the foal’s nose and into its mouth to help get the foal started. With clean hands, insert your index finger into the foal’s mouth to help stimulate suckling. For bottle feeding, immediately place the nipple into the foal’s mouth. For bucket feeding, introduce the foal’s muzzle into the milk/milk replacer.
• Baby bottles with nipples or other bottles with lamb nipples may be used to feed the very young foal. Calf nipples are usually too hard and stiff for foals to use.
• Older foals may be trained to drink from shallow pans or buckets. Foals generally do not like to put their heads into deep buckets. Shallow bucket-feeders should be tilted at a slight angle and placed toward the centre of the stable.
• Bottles and buckets should be positioned at the shoulder height of the foal.
• Wash the feeding equipment after every feeding in hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly with hot water and allow to drain and dry before the next feeding.
• There may be some hair loss around the foal’s muzzle during milk replacer feeding. The hair will return normally after weaning.
•  Older foals will not usually accept bottle or bucket feeding as readily as younger foals.