I have a problem with a yearling that keeps sucking from her mother. I've "weaned" her twice now, and recently had to pasture them together after this second 3 month weaning period and the mom is allowing baby to suck. Can this cause a problem with the mother? Will nature take its course and mom start communicating to baby that she's done nursing. This is my first baby so I'm new to this part. Thanks for your help! Natalee
Posted 2007-08-24 2:51 PM (#66412 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
I don't raise foals but we raise (miniature Hereford)cattle. This happens every once in a long while, one that never stops sucking. The only solution to this problem is to never allow this yearling to be near another mare, her dam or others. In cattle when they won't wean they will nurse other cows dry(stealing milk from hungry calves) and they'll never stop, NEVER.
Your only hope is to get this animal sold and soon, ideally to a lovely home without other horses.
Posted 2007-08-24 10:21 PM (#66432 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Location: KY
When we take a foal off its mother, we put hemroid (sp?) ointment on the mother's udder to help it dry up. Maybe if your baby got a mouthful of prep h ....... it might stop?
Posted 2007-08-25 5:09 PM (#66460 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Elite Veteran
Posts: 781 Location: La Cygne, KS
As long as your mare is of good weight and condition and receiving good nutrition, the foal nursing is not going to hurt her. As far as your yearling being runined that is not likely. Mares and foals in the wild nurse 1-2 years depending on if the mare has been rebred for the next year foal. Your yearling is not nursing becuase it is hungry, but because it is a security bond with it's mother. Some mares will not dry up if they can hear their baby. Have you moved your yearling several miles away to a another farm? It may take longer than a couple months to wean the foal. I had a mare and foal that took 6 months to wean. The mare would let any foal suckle. I had to move my filly to a friends farm 15 miles away for 2 months and then 4 months in a seperate pasture from her mom.
The yearling may do best with other youngsters during this stressful time in its life. 3 or more horses is best for pasture mates, because if just using one other horse the seperation anxiety is never really solved since the bonding occurs with the other horse. Don't worry, you will get these two weaned. Also, when you do seperate the two, stop the grain to your mare for awhile. The extra protein will lenghten her milk production instead of helping dry her up. Enjoy your new yearling! You have a lot of work ahead of you, but it is worth it to see them learn and grow.
Posted 2007-08-25 7:49 PM (#66462 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Location: Brighton, Colorado
A somewhat more abrasive approach if you don't want to get rid of the little one.
Buy a choke colar for a dog, the kind that has the fingers and turn it inside out so that the fingers are facing out. Next affix this to the nose band of the halter of you new born with zip ties (make sure you don't have any sharp edges). Your mare will get the point a couple of times and she will do everything to avoid that little one to get back under there.
I had to do this myself due to no other pasture to keep my kids in at the time and it worked. I don't like leaving a halters on horses but in this instance I just kept a closer eye on everything.
Posted 2007-08-28 11:14 AM (#66629 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Veteran
Posts: 114
I know your trouble. We got our baby weaned when she was four years old. It was our third attempt. She was at the trainers and her mom's milk dried up. Her mom let her try to nurse, but she didn't get any milk and she did not try anymore.
Posted 2007-09-16 3:31 PM (#67990 - in reply to #66407) Subject: RE: weaning troubles
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391 Location: Columbia, KY
you can wean some foals in 1 month and some take 6 months. Just depends on the horse. As Ponytammy said it's not unusual in the wild for 2 yr olds to still be nursing as long as the mares will let them.
We tried weaning our last foal at 6 months- he was fine (after 1 day!) but his mother was a basket case. We took her off the property and she ran and screamed and would hardly eat for about 3 weeks. I couldn't stand seeing her like that so got her back and he went happily back to nursing for another couple months. I moved her again for 4 months, had him gelded during that time. now she's back and they still hang out together sometimes but he also spends equal time with the other horses and has shown no interest in nursing, thank goodness!
weaning troubles
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