5 Tips for Feeding Weanlings

Young horses are considered weanlings from the time they're separated from their mothers until one year of age. This is a critical time in the young horse's life, and nutrition plays an important part. Here are five important points to consider when feeding a weanling:

 

1. Nutritional Needs: From the time foals are weaned to the time they turn 1, the young horse is considered to be on the highest nutritional plane of its life. Weanlings consume approximately 3% of their body weight in dry matter per day. Key components in the weanling's diet include:

 

Energy—Weanlings need energy to support their growth and development. Weanlings that consume too much energy will grow too fast, while too little energy will slow their growth. Both scenarios can put weanlings at risk for developmental orthopedic disorders. Consult a veterinarian or equine nutritionist if questions arise on determining the ideal amount of energy for each weanling. 

Protein—High-quality protein is essential for muscle, ligament, and tissue development, so ensuring your weanling consumes adequate amounts of protein each day is crucial. The following equation can be used to determine a growing horse's protein requirement: Crude protein (or CP) requirement in grams = (body weight in kilograms x 1.44) + ((average daily gain x 0.2) / E) / 0.79. In the equation, 1.44 stands for the number of grams per kilogram of body weight needed, and E (the efficiency of use of dietary protein) is estimated as 50%, so plug .5 in for that. Most young horses that should mature to around 1,100 pounds will need about 675g of protein per day when they're around 6 months old.

 

Research has shown that diets low in two essential amino acids, lysine and threonine, will slow growth rate and decrease feed efficiency in young, growing horses. Lysine should account for a just over 4% of the weanlings total protein requirement, and although evidence seems to point to threonine possibly being important for growth, the National Research Council hasn't set a dietary requirement. Still, it's important to ensure weanlings' feed contains a quality source protein, including adequate amounts of lysine and threonine.