The foals should be willing to be weaned at around 6 months. At this time, the foals should be separated from the mare for around 3 months. It takes some mares longer than that for their milk to dry up, but 3 months is around the average time.
Your veterinarian can provide you with medications (domperidone, oxytocin etc.) that will help the mare lacate. S/He can also give recommendations on how best to proceed with insuring that the foal has adequate IgG levels, whether through the use of colostrum from a donor mare or through a transfusion.
Realize that some first foal mares will not immediately produce milk...
however, the foal is at increased risk of failure of passive transfer which is a
situation that needs to be rapidly addressed.
Yes and no. Mare's milk isn't considered the type of milk that could be distributed to the human population. However, historically, like in the days of the Old West, when a woman couldn't give enough breast milk to feed her newborn and the family owned no milk cow, they would use a mare that they owned that had just recently foaled to milk out and give milk to the baby. In today's world, chances of this happening is just about nil, except in possibly more poorer countries.
Your vet can prescribe domperidon to increase milk production if necessary.
I wont be too much help here, but our with our aged mare, the milk vein sometimes pops out a month in advance. But it does say that it will be sooner than later. :)
Maiden mare: never been bred Open mare: had a foal but not bred back to a stallion Barren mare: bred or bred back to a stallion but not in foal
Oxytocin causes "milk let" down in a mare. NEVER give to a PREGNANT mare as it can cause the foal to be born prematurely or abort it!
It depends on the mare. You may feel milk in the mare's udder when she has a month left to foal, or you may feel milk in the mare's udder right after she has foaled.
Prolactin is the hormone responsible for stimulating and maintaining milk production after childbirth. It is produced by the pituitary gland located in the brain in response to the baby suckling at the breast.
Yes, a mare can lactate without being pregnant or nursing a foal, although this is rare. Usually a mare that is lactating without being pregnant or with a foal by her side, has a hormone imbalance that needs to be corrected.
Yes.
Yes and no. Mare's milk isn't considered the type of milk that could be distributed to the human population. However, historically, like in the days of the Old West, when a woman couldn't give enough breast milk to feed her newborn and the family owned no milk cow, they would use a mare that they owned that had just recently foaled to milk out and give milk to the baby. In today's world, chances of this happening is just about nil, except in possibly more poorer countries.
The mare should begin producing milk shortly before the foal is born. A foal generally stands within an hour or so after birth, and the mare should already have plenty of milk for him.
This means that the mare is getting ready to give birth and her milk bag is producing the first milk for the foal. Look for the milk bag to get way bigger.
Prolactin hormone .
yes!
Without childbirth, the human race could not survive.
In order from best to least: 1) milk from it's mother or a nurse mare 2) good quality milk replacer designed for foals 3) goat's milk 4) cow's milk modified with additional ingredients to make it better match mare's milk
Protien content is highest in the first milk/colostrum of the mare.