Foal season has started!

17-05-2023

The foal season is in full swing!

We receive a lot of questions lately about nutrition in relation to mare and foal. In general, we always recommend feeding the mare Ferto-LAC 3 gradually from the 6th month of pregnancy onwards. When the foal is born, the mare's energy requirements suddenly increase enormously and she cannot manage without a concentrate feed.

Pregnant and lactating mares not only have to look after themselves, but also bear the responsibility for the foal's initial development.  Normally, foals feed mainly on their mother's milk during the first few weeks. But as time passes, foals become more and more curious and slowly try to eat grass, hay and also concentrates from their mother.

During this period, we often get the following question: 'At what age can I offer my foal a pelleted feed?'
As every horse is different, every foal also has its own development pace. But as soon as the foal eats Ferto-LAC 3 with its mother, you can start offering the foal a foal pellet, like our Opti-GROW. This is usually after the foal is 1 month old. If the mare has enough milk and the foal is healthy and fit, it is not necessary needed to give a foal pellet. But you can start with a few handfuls of Opti-GROW to slowly introduce the foal to these pellets, from where you can slowly increase the quantity later on.

Our Opti-GROW foal feed (5 mm pellet) ensures an excellent energy and protein supply and consists exclusively of high-quality and easily digestible natural ingredients. It optimally supports the foal in the first 18 months of their life.

Product features:

• Enriched with high-quality protein and milk powder
• The multi-calcium complex and the additional amino acids support a balanced development of the foal’s skeleton and muscle mass
• The high palatability and the reduced diameter ensure an easy intake at a young age 

After weaning the foal (after about 6 months), the missing mother's milk should be replaced with sufficient quality feed, where it is important that Opti-GROW is already well incorporated. It is best to start with Opti-GROW before weaning and then slowly build up the ration, so that the foal is already familiar with the concentrate feed at weaning and does not have to get used to it.

When the foal/yearling is about 18 months old, you can switch him or her to our Basis-Sport Cubes or our Draversbrok. More information on these products can be found here: