10 lb buckets
$40.10
50 lb bags
$139.60
FOALS FIRST® - Milk Replacer Powder
Orphan or rejected foals.
1-30 days of age
PACKAGING: 50 lb paper bags and 10 lb Buckets
Highly digestible all milk foal milk replacer for orphan or rejected foals. Contains the highest quality milk products, vitamins and minerals for optimal growth and development. FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder is formulated to be mixed with water and fed free-choice. Free-choice feeding allows the foal to drink milk as often as desired. The continual intake of milk is a natural and healthy way of consumption for the foal. FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder may be introduced to orphan foals at day 1 - and should be fed to foals up to 4 weeks of age.
FEATURES:
- Nutritionally balanced and formulated to meet the demands of the young, rapidly growing foal.
- Advanced nutritional philosophy for optimum growth and development.
- Contains a combination of milk products, essential amino acids, fats, vitamins and minerals.
- Slightly acidified to limit over-consumption.
- Mix one lb per gallon of water; 50 lb makes 50 gallons
- Feed free-choice to foals from day 1 – up to 4 weeks of age.
- To be fed at air temperature for convenience.
- Very soluble for easy mixing and stays in solution.
- Researched and proven.
Daily Feeding Directions:
Mix FOALS FIRST® - Milk Replacer Powder at the rate of 1 cup (which is enclosed and holds 8 oz of dry powder) per 2 quarts of water - or mix two cups per gallon of water. The foal should be introduced to liquid milk by using a shallow plastic bowl. Slight warming of the first milk will encourage consumption. Once the foal learns to drink from the bowl, put the milk into a small bucket and hang it securely on the wall at shoulder height of the foal.
A foal with an expected mature weight between 1100 - 1300 lb, should receive a maximum of 2 gallons of FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder the first day. For best results, divide the day's supply of milk into two feedings.
If the foal is still hungry, provide FOALS FIRST - Milk Pellets and
clean water free-choice. Increase the amount of FOALS FIRST - Milk
Replacer Powder ½ gallon per day until the foal is drinking
a maximum of 5 gallons daily. It is recommended that the total daily
consumption be split into at least 2 feedings in order to keep the
milk clean and fresh. FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder may be fed
at the rate of 5 gallons per day until the foal is 4 weeks of age maturing
to this size. The foal is then weaned and fed FOALS FIRST - Milk Pellets.
Approximate Daily Consumption
Mare's Body Weight |
FOALS FIRST - Liquid Mixture Per Day |
||
| 250 lb | 113 Kg | 1 gal | 4.5 liter |
| 500 lb | 227 Kg | 2 gal | 9.0 liter |
| 1,000 lb | 454 Kg | 4 gal | 18.0 liter |
| 1,500 lb | 681 Kg | 6 gal | 27.0 liter |
| 2,000 lb | 909 Kg | 8 gal | 36.0 liter |
Feeding the Orphan or Rejected Foal (Click here to download instructions)
Decision Making: FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer vs. nurse mare
Orphaned or rejected foals can be raised either on a Nurse Mare or on a mare’s milk replacer. Evaluating several factors will help you make the correct decision:
- Pro Nurse Mare: You can turn a nurse mare with grafted foal out with the other mares and foals in the pasture and spend less time managing the orphan or rejected foal.
- Con Nurse Mare: Current cost for nurse mare rental is $1,500.00, plus transportation to and from your farm, plus returning the mare back in foal. Nurse mares must be in the same stage of lactation as the mare she is replacing because of the natural mineral density decline in her milk. The longer the mare has been lactating the more difficult it is to "switch" foals onto her. The possibility of infectious disease transmission is greater to the privately-owned broodmare stock.
- Pro Milk Replacer: Currently, approximately $100.00/50 lb. bag of powered FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer with an average of 4 to 5 bags are needed to weaning, which means the cost will average $400.00 to $500.00. The nurse mare’s milk mineral density question is ruled out because of the guaranteed analysis in the FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer. Foals can be turned out with a quiet gelding or mare until weaning.
- Con Milk Replacer: Management must oversee feeding and clean the bucket every 12 hours, must teach the foal to drink from a bucket in its stall, must teach acceptable behavior and get the orphan to interact with other foals or horses as soon as possible. The management must follow prescribed feeding directions on each bag, so one company’s feeding directions cannot be used with another company’s milk replacer.
Other Milk Replacers Available
Several milk replacers are currently available in today’s market. However, the calf, lamb and kid milk replacers are not nutritionally adequate or balanced for foals. Whole cow's milk and goat's milk have been advocated, but poor weight gains and metabolic acidosis were recently reported in neonatal foals consuming the required amount per day. Milk replacers containing maltodextrins, corn syrups and glucose polymers are not recommended for foals less than 3 weeks old. Also, milk replacers with a Crude Fiber of over 0.15% is an indication that the formula is not all milk. Therefore, is not recommended for foals less than 30 days old.
If Orphaned Over 3 Weeks Old
If the foal is over 3 weeks old when orphaned, disregard the liquid milk replacer and provide only FOALS FIRST® - Starter & Creep Pellets. At this age, foals have developed enough to chew and swallow the Starter & Creep Pellets. Provide the Starter & Creep Pellets free choice until the foal is 4 months of age. At 4 months of age, transition to a weanling diet by mixing equal amounts of FOALS FIRST - Starter and Creep with your selected Progressive Nutrition weanling diet. The transition should take about one week. Your weanling diet should complement the forage they are now eating and be fortified to supply the higher level of nutrients needed to support the young growing weanling.
Our Program from Birth
Each foaling season, a number of foals are orphaned or rejected. The following is a highly successful program for raising orphan foals that has been implemented in several universities and veterinary neonatal hospitals. Foals raised with this method grow just as well as non-orphans and will attain their normal size. In fact, when orphans are raised according to the following recommendations, it is very hard to tell the difference between them and those raised with the mare. The program is also very easy to implement and manage.
Research was completed in 1999 comparing the different growth rates of foals remaining on the mare and provided a milk-based pellet in a creep to foals weaned at three days and raised on the following feeding program. Researchers recorded weekly measurements of their body weight, heart girth, body length, wither height, hip height and cannon bone circumference. Results showed that foals developed similarly in skeletal size. Although the Control Group foals (remaining on the mare) were heavier, the foals in all groups received similar body condition scores and were healthy. Foals were not negatively affected by early weaning and did not develop unacceptable habits.
Raising foals on FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer will be helpful to those who are managing orphaned, rejected or early-weaned foals. It is also a successful alternative if the mare is to be put back into competition, or she is over 20 years old and you want to reduce her stress level and breed her back.
Colostrum First
Colostrum, or the mare’s first milk, contains high levels of antibodies to protect the foal from disease. After foaling, the mare secretes colostrum for 24 to 48 hours. Foals will absorb colostrum for 12 to 24 hours after birth, or until an adequate amount of whole protein antibodies are absorbed through the small intestine. The quicker we can get the colostrum into the foals, the faster the large openings in the small intestine will close. All foals, whether on the mare or orphaned, need colostrum. After birth, preferably within the first hour, the foal should begin to receive colostrum. A 100 lb. foal should receive 250 ml. (approx. 1 cup) of colostrum each hour for the first six hours after birth. This is a total of 1500 ml, or about 3 pints of colostrum per 100 lbs. of body weight. All breeding farms should have a minimum of 3 pints of frozen colostrum in storage. When needed, it should be removed from the freezer and thawed at room temperature or in warm water. Pour the colostrum into a bottle, which has a nipple opening of at least 1/2 inch wide, and let the foal suckle. NEVER microwave the colostrum because that will destroy the whole protein antibodies.
FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Next
After the colostrum has been consumed, introduce the orphan or rejected foal to the FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer. You may start the orphan drinking from a plastic bowl or with a lamb nipple, depending on how aggressive it is. (NOTE: If a nipple is used, make sure the opening is a least 1/2” wide.) However, a nipple is not necessary, and the foal will learn to drink from a shallow bowl or bucket shortly after birth. Foals will learn to drink quite readily if you place your finger in their mouths. Then, while they are sucking, raise the small bowl containing the liquid milk replacer up to their muzzle. Slowly remove your finger from the foal’s mouth while it is drinking. If the foal stops, repeat the above steps until the foal is drinking by itself. Always bring the milk up to the foal; do not force the foal’s head into a bucket. The first day you can warm the liquid milk replacer to encourage consumption. When the foal drinks without assistance, hang a bucket from the stable wall at shoulder height. This will allow the foal to drink whenever it wants. The bucket should be a contrasting color to the wall to make it easy for the foal to find.
The following management program is successful using Progressive Nutrition's FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder. The selected ingredients will also help maintain the natural pH level in the foal’s digestive system. Make sure to follow the mixing directions.
Mixing Amounts
Use the following chart to mix FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer powder and water to ensure the correct amount of milk solids (10%) and a 5.3 pH:
| Water | FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder | |
| Gallons | Enclosed Receptacle | Pounds |
| 1.0 | 02.0 | 1.0 |
| 2.5 | 05.0 | 2.5 |
| 5.0 | 10.0 | 5.0 |
When fed at room temperature, the liquid milk replacer will have a tart taste. This tartness discourages a foal from drinking too much at one time, even when offered free choice. Foals less than 30 days old will average drinking from their dam seven to ten times per hour. Feeding FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder in solution free choice will also allow the foal to drink this natural way seven to ten times per hour. Free choice feeding greatly reduces the chance of digestive upsets in newborn foals.
How Much to Feed/Day?
The average mare will produce 3.0%-3.5% of her body weight in milk per day. This means a 1,000 lb. (454 Kg.) mare will produce 30 pounds (14 Kg) or about 4 gallons (18 liters) of milk per day. Use the following chart to determine the size of the dam and the amount of milk replacer to provide each day.
| Mare's Body Weight | FOALS FIRST - Liquid Mixture Per Day | ||
| 250 lbs. | 113 Kg | 1 gal. | 4.5 liter |
| 500 lbs. | 227 Kg | 2 gal. | 9.0 liter |
| 1,000 lbs. | 454 Kg | 4 gal. | 18.0 liter |
| 1,500 lbs. | 681 Kg | 6 gal. | 27.0 liter |
| 2,000 lbs. | 909 Kg | 8 gal. | 36.0 liter |
Start feeding the foal just like the mare would — slowly. Begin by providing 1/2 of the recommended amount on the above chart on the first day, according to the size of the dam. Then, gradually increase over the next week to 10 days, but no faster than one-half gallon or 2 liters per day, until the recommended amount is being consumed by the suckling. If the stools become loose, slow down. You could be increasing it too fast. But remember, even orphan foals go through “foal heat” scours. Mix the amount a foal should consume in 12 hours (one half of the recommended daily amount), and make it available free choice. Giving a foal access to milk at all times is feeding the natural way, on demand. Allowing a foal to drink a little at a time, as often as it wants, will result in fewer digestive upsets, improved milk digestibility, optimal increases in weight gains and improved overall foal health. Each time new formula is mixed, discard any milk not yet consumed and thoroughly clean the bucket before adding fresh milk replacer.
How Many 50 lb. Bags Are Needed?
From birth to weaning, a foal weighing 100 lbs. at birth would consume up to 4 gallons per day and will need three bags of FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer Powder until weaned at 30 days old. Approximately 12 bags of FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellets will be needed to carry the foal to 60 days of age to 4 months of age.
After the foal is drinking the recommended daily amount of FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer, provide clean water in another bucket free choice, alongside the milk replacer bucket.
When the foal consumes the recommended amount of the liquid milk replacer before the next feeding, add a handful of FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellet into the same bucket. Foals are creatures of habit, so we must teach them to eat dry feed. When it’s time for the next feeding of liquid milk replacer, discard any remaining milk pellets from the bucket and provide fresh FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer liquid. Once the foal is eating FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellets from the empty milk bucket, provide the Starter & Creep Pellets free choice in a separate feed bucket. Since FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep is milk based, it to can be provided free choice. A cereal grain based weanling diet is not recommended for foals at this age since they are unable to digest grain. Feeding grain to young foals can upset the foal’s digestive tract, resulting in acid gut syndrome and leading to loose stools. This digestive upset from too much cereal grain (starch) can decrease the absorption of nutrients fed, predisposing them to nutritional deficiencies that could lead to Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD)
Weaning Time
When the foal is four weeks old, begin weaning by reducing the liquid FOALS FIRST - Milk Replacer one gallon (4.5 liters) the first day and replace it by adding one additional pound of FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellet. Once the foal consumes the added Starter & Creep Pellets, reduce an additional gallon/day of liquid and provide another pound of milk pellets. Continue until the pellets replace all the liquid. This transition should take 7 to 10 days. By slowly reducing the liquid milk, the foal will slowly increase the amount of FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellets consumed per day.
Orphaned at Birth - Foal Feeding Chart
| Feeds to Use: | Age |
| 1) FOALS FIRST – Milk Replacer ‘Powder’ (in Solution) | Day 1 to 2 Months |
| 2) FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep ‘Pellet’ | Day 5 to 4 Months |
| 3) Weanling Diet (Prem. Growth or ProAdvantage) | Over 4 Months |
The FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellets is a milk-based feed, formulated for the young foal with a monogastric digestive system. Let the foal eat as much of the Starter & Creep Pellet as it wants until the foal is 4 months old or their Body Condition Score exceeds 6.
Age to Remove All Milk?
When the foal is 4 months old, select a Progressive Nutrition weanling diet and mix it 50/50 with FOALS FIRST - Starter & Creep Pellet for one week. After a week, remove the Starter & Creep Pellet from the diet since it is not necessary to feed milk to a 4 month old weanling. This feeding program allows the manager to follow the normal changes in the growing foal’s digestive system. It will also promote optimal growth and maximum nutrient absorption, while reducing the chance of digestive upsets.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS |
|||||
Crude Protein |
min |
21.0% |
Copper |
min |
30 ppm |
