Management of foals - Weaning Flashcards
What is abrupt weaning?
- Mare and foal are separated completely.
- ideally mare and foal will both be
in split herds
What are the short term effects of abrupt weaning?
- depressed immunity
- inappetence
- increased cortisol and adrenal responses
What are the long term effects of abrupt weaning?
- locomotory stereotypes
- oral stereotypies
- reduced sociability and trainability
How is abrupt weaning associated with stress?
- higher cortisol levels
- due to artificial/isolated weaning processes used
How can you reduce stress during abrupt weaning?
- foal is housed with other foals
- foal is introduced to a hard/creep feed diet to aid nutritional weaning (suckling), leaving physical (social bond) weaning to the abrupt change
When does weaning take place in a domestic environment?
4-6 months of age
How does weaning occur in the natural environment?
gradual process in which milk consumption is reduced as their intake
of solid foods increases.
Why do people use gradual weaning methods?
- less behavioural responses than abrupt
How is gradual weaning done?
- One by one, removing dams from a group of mares and foals
- Short-term separations
- Fence line weaning
What is the two-stage weaning method and what is its benefit?
Divided into 2 stages:
- Nutritional separation
- Physical Separation
found to reduce behavioural stress in both foals and mares
Merkies et.al., (2016) - may be minimal benefit
what must you ensure before weaning?
- foal is not showing signs of illness
- do not castrate, vaccinate or worm during weaning (1 month prior or post is preferable)
What are the behavioural effects of weaning on the foal?
- stereotypy
- excess locomotion
- vocalisation
- aggression
what are the physiological effects of weaning on the foal?
- increased heart rate
- increased cortisol
- sweating
- weight loss
- reduced immune system
How is interval weaning done?
-Dominant mare or mare with the most independent foal is removed
from the group.
-Each day a mare is removed until no more dams are left
-Can add/ leave a companion (gelding or barren mare)
what are the advantages of interval weaning?
-Allows for physical contact and psychological support.
-Gradually eliminates suckling.
-Independence and milk reliance are reduced over time, reducing
stress and potential mastitis.
what are the disadvantages of interval weaning?
-Can not be done if individual foal.
-Requires space
-Foals must born within 2 weeks of each other
what are the limitations of interval weaning?
-Requires planning
-Determining social hierarchy within the herd can be open to individual
interpretation.
What is the concept of natural weaning?
-The foal gradually weans itself
-Foals have been weaned, on averaged by 10 months old (before the next foal) but can be weaned up to 16 months with dry periods
-Weaning naturally only has a nutritional aspect as psychologically, the bond between the mare and foal gradually changes over time.
-No major physiological effect on foal as completely independent when weaned.
How does the mare influence natural weaning?
By 8 months old, the mare will gradually stop the foal from suckling by moving away, and/or showing threatening behaviour
what effects the age of natural weaning?
- mares breeding status
- maternal parity
- weather condition
- body condition
- nutritional availability
What is the method of pairs/group weaning?
o Simultaneous separation of weanlings and mares.
o Weanlings are paired/ grouped together.
o Stabled/ turned out together.
o Often used in conjunction with abrupt weaning.
Discuss group weaning stress
- Weanlings are unacquainted when
paired together. - Lowered vocalisation from
weanlings when housed together. - Aggressive behaviours displayed
towards one another. - Although herd animals this
method + abrupt weaning can
increase individual stress. - Weaning is already a physically
and psychologically stressful
What are the implications of group housing weanlings?
- deep littering
- nutritional aggression
- disease spread increase
- risk of injury
- stress increase
- difficult to track food and water intake
what are the advantages of group housing weanlings?
- cost effective
- socialisation
- low maintenance
