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Equine stud management > Management of foals - Weaning > Flashcards

Management of foals - Weaning Flashcards

1
Q

What is abrupt weaning?

A
  • Mare and foal are separated completely.
  • ideally mare and foal will both be
    in split herds
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2
Q

What are the short term effects of abrupt weaning?

A
  • depressed immunity
  • inappetence
  • increased cortisol and adrenal responses
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3
Q

What are the long term effects of abrupt weaning?

A
  • locomotory stereotypes
  • oral stereotypies
  • reduced sociability and trainability
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4
Q

How is abrupt weaning associated with stress?

A
  • higher cortisol levels
  • due to artificial/isolated weaning processes used
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5
Q

How can you reduce stress during abrupt weaning?

A
  • 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
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6
Q

When does weaning take place in a domestic environment?

A

4-6 months of age

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7
Q

How does weaning occur in the natural environment?

A

gradual process in which milk consumption is reduced as their intake
of solid foods increases.

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8
Q

Why do people use gradual weaning methods?

A
  • less behavioural responses than abrupt
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9
Q

How is gradual weaning done?

A
  • One by one, removing dams from a group of mares and foals
  • Short-term separations
  • Fence line weaning
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10
Q

What is the two-stage weaning method and what is its benefit?

A

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

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11
Q

what must you ensure before weaning?

A
  • foal is not showing signs of illness
  • do not castrate, vaccinate or worm during weaning (1 month prior or post is preferable)
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12
Q

What are the behavioural effects of weaning on the foal?

A
  • stereotypy
  • excess locomotion
  • vocalisation
  • aggression
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13
Q

what are the physiological effects of weaning on the foal?

A
  • increased heart rate
  • increased cortisol
  • sweating
  • weight loss
  • reduced immune system
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14
Q

How is interval weaning done?

A

-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)

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15
Q

what are the advantages of interval weaning?

A

-Allows for physical contact and psychological support.
-Gradually eliminates suckling.
-Independence and milk reliance are reduced over time, reducing
stress and potential mastitis.

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16
Q

what are the disadvantages of interval weaning?

A

-Can not be done if individual foal.
-Requires space
-Foals must born within 2 weeks of each other

17
Q

what are the limitations of interval weaning?

A

-Requires planning
-Determining social hierarchy within the herd can be open to individual
interpretation.

18
Q

What is the concept of natural weaning?

A

-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.

19
Q

How does the mare influence natural weaning?

A

By 8 months old, the mare will gradually stop the foal from suckling by moving away, and/or showing threatening behaviour

20
Q

what effects the age of natural weaning?

A
  • mares breeding status
  • maternal parity
  • weather condition
  • body condition
  • nutritional availability
21
Q

What is the method of pairs/group weaning?

A

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.

22
Q

Discuss group weaning stress

A
  • 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
23
Q

What are the implications of group housing weanlings?

A
  • deep littering
  • nutritional aggression
  • disease spread increase
  • risk of injury
  • stress increase
  • difficult to track food and water intake
24
Q

what are the advantages of group housing weanlings?

A
  • cost effective
  • socialisation
  • low maintenance

Equine stud management (6 decks)

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