NEWARK, Del. - Foals are
usually weaned when they’re about
six months old. “By now, most of
this year’s foals are mature
enough to thrive on a normal diet
and no longer require their
mother’s milk,” says University of
Delaware extension horse
specialist Dr. C. M. Reitnour. “A
weak or sick foal should not be
weaned, however, until it has
completely recovered. Weaning
almost always places a stress on a
foal’s system, causing a tem
porary setback in growth.”
By the time a foal is six months
old, the mare has probably already
begun to wean it herself, the
specialist says. She shows less
interest in suckling and walks
away from it. A producer with only
one or two mares may find it easier
to wait until this happens.
“On the other hand, if you have a
late foal (bom in June or July) and
want to breed the mare again, you
may need to wean it early, since a
nursing mare sometimes has
trouble settling or becoming
pregnant again,” Reitnour says. It
also may be advisable to com
pletely wean a foal somewhat
early if its dam isn’t producing
much milk.
There are two generally ac-
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Weaning foals requires patience, care
cepted methods of weaning. A foal
may be kept in a stall of its own for
a day or two after removing the
mare to a distant part of the farm.
Once accustomed to the
separation, it can be moved to a
pasture with other weanlings.
When a large herd of mares and
foals is involved, individual mares
may be removed one by one until
only the foals are left. “This ap
proach has been very successful in
large operations and appears to
cause the least disturbance to the
foal,” Reitnour says. “The new
weanling usually remains quiet
and content with its herd mates.”
Ideally, he says, a mare and foal
that are separated should be out of
sight and hearing of each other to
minimize their distress. However,
the older the foal, the less this will
be a problem.
In the pasture or corral it’s very
important to have a good, solid
fence between mare and foal,
Reitnour says. He recommends
either SO-inch-high woven steel
wire, board, or post-and-rail
fencing. Be sure there are no
broken rails or boards, and NO
BARBED WIRE on which the
animals could injure themselves
as they try to reach each other.
If a foal is confined in a stall,
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check for sharp objects, such as an hour to kee it f rom bec omin g
protruding nails or hooks which jumpy . ms wiU reduce the 6
coidd injure it Remove buckets chance that the animal wiU run
and feed tubs until the animal has wild and hurt itself when finaU
settles down so it can t catch a leg turned out
m one,” the specialist says. “But A young horse needs adequate
feed and water it as soon as it protein for proper growth, Reit
becomes quiet-probably witlun nour stresses. A weanling should
half a day. receive approximately 16 percent
In the pasture, a foal will protem in a highly digestible grain
exercise. But if it is confined in r ration plus good quality f f the
staU for a few days, lead it out once pasture is in condition . A foal
~ h'lr. ,1F
USDA gives country ham producers
extension on trichina regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
U.S. Department of Agriculture
will allow some producers of dry
cured and country ham to continue
using traditional, but not
specifically approved, methods for
trichina destruction while
research determines effective new
methods, according to Donald L.
Houston, administrator of USDA’s
Food Safety and Health Inspection
Service.
“USDA has learned that many
small firms producing dry-cured
or country hams use traditional
procedures that are believed to
Lancaster Farming Saturday, July 13,1985-D5
destroy trichina parasites but will
not meet USDA requirements,”
Houston said. “Firms wishing to
continue using such procedures
past August 6, when revised
regulations become effective,
must submit a description of their
processes to USDA by that date.
The entension does not apply to
firms already using procedures
that will comply with the
regulations as revised.”
USDA has received no reports of
trichinosis occurring from
ingestion of any dry-cured or
country hams, Houston said. But
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wm eat approximately 2.25 to 3
percent of its body weight per day
in hay and grain. This means a 600-
pound weanling will need between
13 and 18 pounds of total feed per
day.
“Observe the foal after
weaning,” Reitnour advises.
“Watch closely for signs of illness.
And worm it every six to eight
weeks to control internal
parasites.”
because these and other ready-to
eat pork products are not always
well-cooked before they are eaten,
USDA required meat plants to
heat, freeze or cure and dry these
products under time, temperature
and other specified conditions
known to be effective in destroying
trichina parasites that may be
present. One method is now ap
proved for dry-cured or country
hams, and a second will be added
by the updated rules for processing
pork that become effective in
August.
Research will be conducted
between now and December 31,
1986.
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