How to Teach a Premature Foal to Nurse???

AFab · 04-03-2006, 05:34 AM

Can anyone advise me or give me any references for information on teaching a foal how to nurse from its mama?
We had a premature foal born 5 days ago! The little filly was under developed and has been getting its milk from us for the last five days. She is just now able to stand and move about the stall but she has no interest in looking to its mother for nourishment. There is a suckling response but it is still kinda weak. I have put the foal under the mare and started the milk but the foal will not latch on and nurse.

imacowgirl2 · 04-03-2006, 05:44 AM

The only thing I know to do is keep trying. We had a foal born with contracted tendons in both front legs, so severe that he couldn't stand up for the first week or two of life, so we had to bottle feed him. When he finally stood, it took us a couple days to get him to nurse off of mom...we just kept with it, and eventually he caught on that we weren't going to feed him anymore, that mom was the nutrition source. However, he had a pretty strong suckling reflex. I think it also helped that he was curious...as soon as he was up and about, he was always checking what we were doing, so he watched us milking out the mare every time we got ready to feed him.

Mujiir · 04-03-2006, 09:28 AM

We had that problem with one of our foals last year. We milked a little on to our fingers and gave the little guy a taste. He liked that pretty well so we did it again and held him in a nursing position with his mom. We got him to see where the good stuff was in about 10 minutes. The mare didn't want to nurse after we had him on the teat, so we just milked some of the preasure off so her bag wasn't so tight. After that she seemed OK with the little guy.

AFab · 04-03-2006, 11:22 AM

Thanks imacowgirl2 & Mujiir for your responces.
I think my problem is that we have been feeding her with a syringe and a bottle/lambs nipple for so long that she prefers that to her mother. I have pointer her in the right direction and got her to the nipple but she refuses to suckle. Guess she has gotten to use to ROOM SERVICE.

imacowgirl2 · 04-03-2006, 11:36 AM

Also, reading Mujir's response reminded me of something else we tried...when we bottle fed him when he was standing, we would stand on the opposite side of the mare and hold the bottle up by her teats, so he had to be in a proper (or at least almost proper) nursing position, and it seemed like the milk was coming from mom...that might help him to start associating her as the food bar instead of you.

04-03-2006, 05:34 AM	#1
AFab Full Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Brighton Ont. Canada Posts: 196	How to Teach a Premature Foal to Nurse??? Can anyone advise me or give me any references for information on teaching a foal how to nurse from its mama? We had a premature foal born 5 days ago! The little filly was under developed and has been getting its milk from us for the last five days. She is just now able to stand and move about the stall but she has no interest in looking to its mother for nourishment. There is a suckling response but it is still kinda weak. I have put the foal under the mare and started the milk but the foal will not latch on and nurse. __________________ El Samar Arabians Brighton Ontario Canada WWW3.sympatico.ca/andy.hope

04-03-2006, 11:22 AM	#4
AFab Full Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Brighton Ont. Canada Posts: 196	Thanks imacowgirl2 & Mujiir for your responces. I think my problem is that we have been feeding her with a syringe and a bottle/lambs nipple for so long that she prefers that to her mother. I have pointer her in the right direction and got her to the nipple but she refuses to suckle. Guess she has gotten to use to ROOM SERVICE. __________________ El Samar Arabians Brighton Ontario Canada WWW3.sympatico.ca/andy.hope

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04-03-2006, 05:44 AM	#2
imacowgirl2 Senior Member+ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: here, there, and everywhere! Posts: 2,798 Images: 233 Blog Entries: 17	The only thing I know to do is keep trying. We had a foal born with contracted tendons in both front legs, so severe that he couldn't stand up for the first week or two of life, so we had to bottle feed him. When he finally stood, it took us a couple days to get him to nurse off of mom...we just kept with it, and eventually he caught on that we weren't going to feed him anymore, that mom was the nutrition source. However, he had a pretty strong suckling reflex. I think it also helped that he was curious...as soon as he was up and about, he was always checking what we were doing, so he watched us milking out the mare every time we got ready to feed him.

04-03-2006, 09:28 AM	#3
Mujiir Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Acme, WA Posts: 3	We had that problem with one of our foals last year. We milked a little on to our fingers and gave the little guy a taste. He liked that pretty well so we did it again and held him in a nursing position with his mom. We got him to see where the good stuff was in about 10 minutes. The mare didn't want to nurse after we had him on the teat, so we just milked some of the preasure off so her bag wasn't so tight. After that she seemed OK with the little guy.

04-03-2006, 11:36 AM	#5
imacowgirl2 Senior Member+ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: here, there, and everywhere! Posts: 2,798 Images: 233 Blog Entries: 17	Also, reading Mujir's response reminded me of something else we tried...when we bottle fed him when he was standing, we would stand on the opposite side of the mare and hold the bottle up by her teats, so he had to be in a proper (or at least almost proper) nursing position, and it seemed like the milk was coming from mom...that might help him to start associating her as the food bar instead of you.