Guess where I went today.......

[kafee]

Thank you very much, maislow and clara81, for your recommendations for feed. Unfortunately the question is not what is the best feed for the foals, but what is the feed that they are most likely will eat.

These are the third batch of NF foals I've had, and each time the biggest problem is getting them to eat hard feed. Until they will eat hard feed, I cannot worm them, and until they are wormed, I'm not going to turn them out into the field.

They have, how can I describe it, an unsophisticated pallete!? They will eat grass and hay, but they don't recognise any hard feeds, or even carrots, as food! Today I offered them grass, hi-fi, speedibeet and apple in a bowl. They ate only the grass from the bowl, which was a good start: I have had foals that won't eat from a bucket/bowl! Today, one ate the apple, the other didn't.

I've mixed hi-fi with the grass on two ocassions today, and they've done their best to eat the grass and not the hi-fi, at which they've been surprisingly successful!

[cookie]

Kafee, do you think they need a hard feed soon or could you continue to work up to it and try some readigrass for the wormer?

I don't know about foals but from your posts and other readings it can take time to establish the feeding?

They are gorgeous, lucky to have you and I so wish I had space and time for a pair myself.

X

Sent from my GT-I9100 using proboards

[varkie]

When we've had young ones in, we've started with fresh grass in a bowl, then after a couple of feeds, put fresh grass mixed with Readigrass, then fresh grass on top too. Once they'll eat that (usually pretty quickly - the readigrass is generally recognised by them as food), and have done for a few feeds, we start to add something a bit more feed like, but in teeny tiny quantities. We usually find that as long as it's well mixed, they go for it, and gradually we can then increase the quantities. We've had similar issues with them not eating apples - carrots seem to be accepted faster.

[kafee]

Many thanks for your replies cookie and varkie. Yes, I'm just looking for anything that they will eat that I can put Panacur Guard in, and from your recommendations, Readigrass sounds like the way to go. I've never fed it so don't know what's it's like, but I'll ringing round the local feed merchants later, in order to find some.

It's time to do worm counts on the big boys, so I thought I'd do a before and after with the foals. I'll be very interested in the results. ?

[kafee]

As everything is going so well with babes, I introduced them to a headcollar this afternoon.

After allowing them to sniff it, I did advance and retreat with it to their withers 3 times: interest but no adverse reaction. So I laid it across their withers 3 times: again, interest but no adverse reaction, then I moved it up their necks in steps and took it off when it reached their ears 3 times: interest etc. So tried reaching my arm over their necks and bringing strap up and over their necks 3 times, Excalibur put his head up slightly, but Sunny was chilled.

So decided to just put the headcollar on: Excalibur was a bit surprised by the feel of the noseband on his face, but accepted it without fuss. Sunny didn't react at all, and just went back to eating his hay!

[varkie]

Well done! Sunny sounds like such a fab little chap! Excalibur sounds just in need of a little more confidence.

The beauty of readigrass is that it's pretty much exactly that - just dry grass.

[laurac]

aww kafee many congrats on the 2 new boys they look smashing ;D

[sophielouise]

How exciting!

I love Excalibur - definitely my favourite, although Sunny is gorgeous!

Can't wait to meet them both - little E especially though

[Lorraine L]

Goodness Kate. I have a couple of weeks away from the DG and look what you've been up to ?! Gorgeous little chaps and sounds like you are making real progress already. Good choice of name btw !! Biased..moi ?
What bloodlines are they ? Did you see anything in the catalogue from Mr plascott at all ?

[kafee]

Thanks for the recommendations of readigrass, I managed to get some yesterday, and have been giving them some in a bowl, morning and evening, under some fresh grass as varkie suggested, everytime I go down the garden. Sunny has eaten some on it's own this evening, but Excalibur won't touch even the grass if there's readigrass in the bowl, so I've gone back to giving him just grass.

I'm gradually reducing the amount of hay I'm giving, from what is obviously too much, to just enough so that they are ready to eat when I go to feed them. Hasn't worked tonight, Excalibur is picking up the dropped hay rather than eating the grass/readigrass mix. (They have a straw bed so they won't starve!)

Hi Laura and Lorraine. I have to say I'm delighted with my two new babes, they're so much more friendly than some of the foals I've had. I had got out my 'hand on a stick', but I've put it away again, and I'm hunting for a second small headcollar much earlier than I expected.

I get the feeling that Sunny has had a headcollar on before as he didn't react to it at all.

I was thinking of shortening Excalibur's name to Scally, or rather Xcali, particularly after his behaviour towards Sunny Friday morning. when Scallywag came to mind! However, my daughter who lives in Leeds has just come home, and said I can't as Scally is a rather derogatory term used in Manchester.

Sorry no photos, haven't seen them in the daylight since Sunday!

[kafee]

ps. Lorraine, I've just had a look through the catalogue that I downloaded from the net, and yes, he had a partbred chestnut welsh colt foal, by a 15hh part bred arab stallion, out of part bred welsh mare. I don't know whether it went through the ring, as I left much earlier. If I hadn't, I would have been in danger of coming home with a shetland foal under each arm as well!

[sophielouise]

How about shortening it to Cal/Kal instead? xxx

[Lorraine L]

Well it's a good job that you didn't take me with you Kate. Mr plascott bred my Sunny all those years ago. Welsh / Arab is his speciality !

[bramblesmum]

They are a lovely pair of boys, I love excalibers head very pretty indeed and sunny seems to be a beautiful example too in temperament and look, best of luck they sound like they are doing really well, I would go with the redigrass, I have to admit mine loved feed if it had mollasses in so not ideal in the longrun but maybe worth a go just for the wormer?

[kafee]

Dec 4, 2012 23:22:55 GMT 1 Lorraine L said:

Well it's a good job that you didn't take me with you Kate. Mr Plascott bred my Sunny all those years ago. Welsh / Arab is his speciality !

Um, yes, I think you're right there: his colt sounds very nice from the catalogue.

Excalibur is Backley Excalibur, and Sunny is Newlands Farm Sunny. I've decided to use their registered name, partly because the names suit them, partly because the names are more likely to stay with them, and partly because I haven't thought of anything better!

I had a half day today so I've spent the afternoon in and around the foals corral. When I arrived they were having a communal munch on the straw bales that I've stored against the partition in the shelter, even though they both had some soaked hay left in their nets: Excalibur now has hay cough!

I've been giving them a bowl with fresh grass and/or readigrass every 20 - 30 minutes all afternoon. Sunny will definitely eat readigrass on it's own. Excalibur will eat some if it's mixed with a lot of fresh grass.

I didn't do any 'work' with them apart from running my hands all over them. Excalibur was uneasy about my hands going down his legs at the weekend, but I did some gradual desensitization with him, and he was fine today. Sunny was brilliant as well. They're both so friendly that they come up to see what I'm doing when I muck out, etc., and I have to be careful not to bump inquisitive noses that get in the way.

The weather forecast for Saturday is cold but sunny, perfect for the IH workshop