Newborn Foal Diet

A foal is a baby horse. Horses are mammals and require the care of their mother when they are newborns. Occasionally, foals may be orphaned due to either the death of its mother or rejection by its mother. When this occurs, the foal's nutritional needs have to be met by its owner.

  1. Newborn Tests

    • Newborn foals require certain blood tests within 12 hours of birth. The immunoglobulin test checks the foal's antibody levels. When a foal is born, it should receive a large amount of antibodies from its mother right before the umbilical cord breaks. A healthy newborn foal will have a level of 400 to 800 mg/dl. Anything lower is cause for concern and an equine vet should be contacted immediately.

    Newborn Nutrition

    • Between four and 12 hours after the foal is born, it begins nursing. The initial substance obtained from its mother is colostrum. Colostrum, which is high in fat and vitamins, provides the newborn with the necessary nutrients for early survival outside of the womb. If the dam (mother horse) is either unable or unwilling to nurse its foal, then a bottle with substitute colostrum can be used. If the foal is too weak to drink from a bottle, a vet can provide the feeding through a nasogastric tube.

      After successfully administering colostrum, the foal is ready for a milk or formula diet. Foals should consume between 15 to 25 percent of its body weight of milk daily. If feeding a foal with formula, it is vital to ensure that it does not overeat as excessive weight gain can lead to problems, including physitis, contracted tendons and defects in bone ossification.

    Nurse Mares

    • The ideal solution for an orphaned mare is a nurse mare. A nurse mare is a mare that either lost its own foal and is still lactating or its foal is near weaning and so it can sustain another foal. Nurse mares provide the orphans with the necessary nutrients and correct amount of milk for perfect weight gain and development. If the foal is having difficulty bonding with the nurse mare, commercial nurse mare managers are available to aid in the bonding process.