help needed re foal not eating..

[brt]

i bought a foal at a sale on wednesday, she is at the most 4 mths old.

I can't get her to touch hard feed and have tried allsorts to entice her to eat.

I have tried just stud mix, tried it dry, hot and all soft, just wet, with chop, with chaff, normal pellets, sprinkling milk powder on it and she's not interested.

It's now sunday morning and although she nibbles on hay and haylage i'm worried.

She also is a little snotty but vets don't seem to be overly worried as he said they can become snotty when they come off milk.

Please can anyone advise what to do, i've allways had good grubbers and not been in this situation before.....

[tudormanorstables]

She is young and would assume she has only just come off her mother. They get upset especially with what she has been through and not only that but she has possibly not been introduced to hard feed. I wouldnt panic just yet and maybe getting her onto the hay first and giving her some Alfa a or something forage and not to adventurous. I had trouble with a colt last year, he was wild and he has really only just started looking forward to his dinner nearly a year on

[sarahp]

I'd suggest a probiotic for the stomach, and hay/haylage to start with as tms said, but I've found foals normally seem to dislike alfalfa in my experience. Next priority would be a small pelleted balancer designed for foals and in another bucket a bit of soaked sugarbeet - this might be one time where I'd use normal as opposed to unmolassed to tempt her. Small amounts (the balancer would be anyway), and changed if not eaten say overnight and fresh presented. Balancer would provide all necessary vits, mins and protein without bulk.

Do ring and ask advice from the feed company helplines though, that's what they're there for! If you ring one or two you should get consistent advice in general terms and not feel beholden to use their products although I'm a Top Spec fan, both feeds and helpline.

[Cobbler]

I would get some Equivite - these are like cream pellets and we fed from hand to get my orphaned foal onto hard feed, Baileys also do a good foal creep - I would recommend ringing baileys as they gave me some brilliant support and advice when I was left with an Orphan - slightly different to your case but they are worth a call

Also I would feed from a white bucket if you can as this will help build confidence of eating from a bucket as it isnt like putting their head into a dark space - might sound daft but it worked for us.

[jade15]

May sound silly but someone once told me to sprinkle sugar on top of her feed, she may be interested then. I had a filly foal last year and i had the same problem, soon worked!!!

[harrythepig]

She is probably in shock due to her new surroundings and probably quick weaning poor thing. I would give her some time to settle and not worry too much.
Might be a good idea to use some milk pellets until she settles down?

[secretlady]

they do take a while if she quiet enough try feeding from your hand or flatish bucket u could try mollassis mixed with feed i wouldnt worry yet as long as shes nibbling hay good luck sounds like shes found caring home

[welshmare]

Try pouring a little molasses on her hay, not alot just though as she nibbles her hay she gets the tast of the molasses. Once she is eating this then you can try putting some on a small amount of feed. It has worked with one ot two fussy eaters we have had.
She will needs lots of attention as she is quite young and if she has only just come off mum then taken to a sale then brought home with you she will be in turmoil. It may take some time to get her eating as well as you would like but it will come.
Good luck

[katefourgates]

I always pick lots of fresh grass and mix it with small amounts of whatever you want them to eat, then each time less grass more feed. That usually does the trick with foals that won't eat, it's the one thing they will have definately have had before.
(Just remember to not store picked grass as it ferments and is then bad news!!)

[brindlerainbow]

I had this with a foal, she just didnt know what food was, so I let her eat from the same bucket as my old section A, she saw what he was doing and that was it she never looked back!!! If the mare hasnt been fed hard feed when the foal is still on it then the foal has no one to teach it how to eat hard feed!! Good luck

[kayjayem]

Echo BR if she hasn't had hard fed she wont know what it is, if you have a quiet older pony to put her in with it would teach her the ropes otherwise I would just make sure she has plenty of good hay/haylage and just leave a bit of feed in with her that wont go off(dry coarse mix or balancer pellets) and when curiosity gets the better of her she will try it. I wouldn't worry too much, she wont starve herself and once she gets going you can gradually introduce more feed.

[brt]

Thanks for all your replies, i took her to am old section D mares stable and fed the mare some soft chaff. She watch and i rubbed some on her gums, after a while she started to nibble at the chaff!

Tonight she ate a good scoop of Happy Hoof in her bucket with warm water so i will introduce her to some mix over the next few days.

Thanks again for all your help xx

[secretlady]

good news well done

[Millthorn]

If she is drinking water you can put 10 drops of Rescue Remedy( the Bachs Flower stuff) in her bucket,this helps with the stress she has been through. Also 4 drops on a slice of apple if she will eat it. Sounds mad I know but it is brilliant stuff and I use it when weaning,with colic,any injury when they are stressed about anything really!
Good luck and just give her loads of love.