McCalls Horse World - Weaning Age

Which are you more likely to follow ‑ the latest recommendations released from a major university or traditions developed over the years by horsemen? Proponents from each camp seem to be perplexed when it comes to the question of determining the best time to wean a foal. Tradition dictates that weaning should occur at about six months of age with the actual day being decided by the zodiac signs. Research has concluded that weaning foals at a much earlier age can be a more effective management tool.

Who is right? According to Mother Nature, neither!

For millions of years, mares have been weaning their foals based on their individual situations. In the wild the average weaning age is probably close to nine months. However some mares seem to have a hard time rejecting their yearlings even after the arrival of a new offspring. In fact, occasionally a barren mare can be seen still nursing her two year old.

Yes, that's totally unacceptable by today's standards but it does make a point: There is a large variation between mares in the time that they want to wean their foals. And, perhaps, this fact can lead to a middle ground between research and tradition. Let's examine the research.

Back in the 1960's several studies indicated that early weaned foals being fed a quality diet would grow off just as well or better than foals left on their mammas' side. These results formed the basis of a study that we did comparing foals weaned at two and five months of age. Over a period of five years, weight, height, temperatures, body condition, blood values, feed conversions and parasite loads were monitored weekly.

In the end, we agreed. There was no significant differences in these factors between the early weaned group (weaned at two months of age) and the late weaned foals (weaned at five months).

From a financial viewpoint, the cost of raising the earlier weaned foals was slightly lower than the cost of raising the late weaned foals. This was due to the added cost of feeding the mares for milk production. It was, however, more expensive to care for the earlier weaned foals as they required more facilities and labor. This led to the possibility that these two factors might cancel each other out ‑ making the financial advantages of early weaning nonexistent.

This nice neat research project had one little wrinkle ‑ a filly named Itsasadstory who opened our eyes to a new dimension in the weaning age controversy. Originally, Itsasadstory was not scheduled to participate in this study. Then at nine days of age tragedy struck. Her dam died.

Under the diligent care of a group of college students, the filly was bottle fed till six weeks of age and then placed into the group of early weaned foals for companionship. As might be expected, Itsasadstory thrived on all the care and attention. Out of curiosity, research data was collected on this filly and compared to all the other foals born that year. There were no differences.

At about 18 months of age, the orphaned thoroughbred filly was broke and subsequently sent off to the race track for training. Unfortunately an injury cut short her career and she was returned to the farm as a broodmare prospect. It was then that our education into the effects that early weaning might have on behavior began.

The first time Itsasadstory was turned into the pasture she was lost. For days, she stood by the gate ‑ all day and all night‑neighing at any human that passed within sight. Afraid she would starve to death, we finally brought her back up to the barn and began the slow process of gradually introducing her to the normal life of a horse ‑ grazing, eating, and watering in a field with other horses. After several months she did learn to function out in the pasture but she never completely became comfortable as a member of the herd.

The next spring she delivered a foal ‑ a filly that she had no idea how to care for. She did try but, unlike many first‑time moms, time and experience failed to improve Itsasadstory's mothering skills. We wondered if, being orphaned, had effected her socialization with other horses.

If this was true, we were overlooking an important factor in the weaning study: the effect that weaning age has on the mental attitude of the foal and its socialization. We decided to explore this possibility by seeing if differences existed in the dominance levels of early and late weaned foals.

It has long been accepted that the pecking order of horses is a measure of their dominance within the herd. To calculate the rank of each foal against every other foal, a bucket of feed was placed in a neutral stall. The foal that controlled the bucket was determined to be the higher ranking individual.

The results were significant. The later weaned foals were dominant over every early weaned individual. A closer examination of the behavior showed that the earlier weaned foals made more threatening gestures but still yielded to the more dominant late weaned foals.

The questions raised by this study are endless? Are early weaned foals more insecure? Do they have less confidence in their ability to achieve? Does early weaning rob a foal from learning skills necessary to be dominant within the equine herd? Can early weaning rob a foal of his ability to be a competitive animal in the show ring? Can it effect his dominance attitude toward controlling cows?

We suspect that behaviorists studying other animals such as chimps, dogs and even babies would say yes. Before science can make a definitive statement about the optimum weaning age, these questions need to be answered. Until that time, our experience and gut feeling supports the traditional approach. Wean colts around six months of age and on a day when the temperature and weather do not add to the stress of the situation.