Question

We recently lost our 20-year-old mare to a twisted colon. She had a month-old colt by her side. We are bucket-feeding every four hours. I have been feeding him 6 times a day with 3 quarts (2.8 liters) of goat’s milk mixed with 2% milk and warm water for the last two weeks. He also gets a handful of growth concentrate a few times each day , along with fresh water and alfalfa hay. He has a field buddy for companionship, and he seems to be healthy and happy. I don’t know if I am feeding him too much or not enough.

Answer

You seem to be on the right track with your colt’s nutrition. Based on six feedings each day, it appears he is consuming about 4.5 gallons (17 liters) of milk per day. Some experts advise feeding no more than 2 quarts (1.9 liters) per meal but, if he is doing well on the current amount and eats it readily, I wouldn’t worry.

Given his age and the average recommendations for growing horses, he shouldn’t be consuming more than 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) of concentrate daily. Be sure to follow the feeding directions outlined on the feed.

Over the next few weeks, you can gradually reduce the frequency and amount of milk replacer and slowly increase the amount of concentrate fed. Orphan foals are generally weaned off of milk replacers between 3 and 4 months of age. At that time, the colt would be fed just like the other weanlings.

Moving forward, it is important to monitor his growth and body condition. We recommend using a weight tape to track these changes. You may be interested in Gro-Trac, innovative growth-tracking software from Kentucky Equine Research.