Can foals have probiotics? What happens if a foal doesn’t get colostrum? Both colostrum and probiotics are helpful to support a foal’s immune system and gut health in the first days of life.

Colostrum for Foals

The first milk from the mare’s udder after giving birth is a special milk called colostrum. Colostrum is nutrient dense and high in protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The main job of colostrum is to provide quick immunity in the first days of life in a newborn foal. This helps the foals immune system to battle bacteria/virus exposure in first days of life. Colostrum also helps to physically coat the lining of the gastrointestinal tract to reduce entryways to bacteria or viruses.

 Colostrum for horses is beneficial because it is:

1. High in antibodies, white blood cells and growth factors – there is no transfer of antibodies or immune mediators to the foal from the placenta inside the mare during pregnancy.
2. Low in fat and carbohydrates but high in protein. This makes it easier to digest in the first one to two days of the foal’s life.
3. Has a laxative effect to help the foal pass manure after being born.

How Soon Does a Foal Need Colostrum?

Ideally, the foal will stand in one hour and begin to suckle two hours after being born. Colostrum ideally is to be in the foal 6 to 24 hours after birth.

How Much Colostrum Does a Foal Need?

The volume of colostrum the foal will drink is only 2 liters (about 2 quarts) in total, during the first two days of life. This colostrum helps the foal develop its own internal gastrointestinal tract and helps the foal adapt to digesting and absorbing liquid while also passing large amounts of important antibodies into the foal for passive immunity. These important steps set the foal up to then start to drink higher volumes of milk.

Starting day three, the foal can start to drink 2.5 gallons of milk a day to start to build muscle, bone and weight gain. This volume of milk drinking a day is over nine times more than what the colostrum volume of milk was in the first two days of life.  Colostrum “paves the way” for the foal to start healthy and be able to grow quickly by drinking large volumes of milk for the next several months.

What Happens if a Foal Doesn’t Get Colostrum

There is no passive transfer of any immunity when the foal is inside the mare. Colostrum is the passive transfer (immune factors transferred from one animal to another), and the immune protective shield in early life. As the foal gets older, it will produce its own antibodies and immune building blocks – but in the first days of life, a foal depends on colostrum to ward off harmful bacteria/virus infections. The mare antibodies she gives the foal is a short-term period of time of protection, but without the protection, the foal is in danger of infections due to no immune protection. It is the foal’s initial immune defense system.

If a foal does not get the proper passive transfer of immunity of colostrum the following symptoms can occur:

• Fever
• Weakness
• Colic
• Diarrhea

Are There Colostrum Supplements for Foals?

A smart backup plan is needed in case this passive immunity from colostrum is not happening normally. This happens when:

• The foal is weak and not nursing well in early life.
• The mare is not allowing the foal time to fully suckle enough colostrum. Examples: the mare is weak post birth, or the mare is nervous/inexperience and not standing still enough for the foal to suckle.
• The foal was born late at night and unsure if suckles any colostrum or perhaps only suckled a small amount.

There are colostrum supplements, such as Breeder’s Edge® Nurture Mate for Foals, that help provide similar support for the newborn if mom’s milk isn’t an option. This can help support the immune system but is not a substitute for the real thing – mother’s milk. If the mare’s milk isn’t available, Breeder’s Edge® Nurture Mate for Foals is an easy-to-digest colostrum supplement that delivers the benefits of colostrum to help newborn foals get off to a healthy start and have a strong immune system while also encouraging a normal appetite in a foal’s the first days of life. Nurture Mate is a colostrum supplement for horses that is high in protein, vitamins and minerals. The easy-to-use oral tube makes it easy to squirt in a foal’s mouth. Be ready to help the foal right away by having this in the barn.

Probiotics for Foals

To further help a foal’s immunity, probiotics are used. Probiotics are live and are selected special for a foals’ microbes to be beneficial to the body. Friendly microbes fight off enemy, harmful microbes and helps in immunity against infection. Digestive abilities are needed to help a foal grow, walk, stand and thrive.

Benefits of equine probiotics include:

1. Development of cells of GI tract – growth factors for blood vessels
2. Reduce loose stool – the dehydration/loss of electrolytes
3. Increase weight
4. Maintain intestinal integrity and increase nutrient absorption
5. Reduce digestion upset
6. Reduce inflammation, helps in keeping foals GI tract intestines moving
7. Help in breaking down food for better absorption
8. Produce nutritional component directly

How Do Probiotics and Prebiotics Work for Horses?

Probiotics are live microorganisms, also known as beneficial bacteria or “good bugs.” Prebiotics are sources of non-digestible, soluble fiber that serve as food for the probiotics or “good” bugs in the large intestine, keeping them healthy.

Breeder’s Edge® Nurture Flora is a probiotic formulated specifically for foals and is important to use in all foals 12 to 24 hours after birth. Nurture Flora supports improving intestinal microbe balance, improving intestinal health, and enhancing immune response.

Together colostrum and probiotic supplements are a winning team for your foal. When giving both Nurture Mate for Foals and Nurture Flora we recommend giving Nurture Mate first, followed by Nurture Flora.

Get your foals off to a great start in staying healthy early in life. If you have any questions on foal colostrum or probiotics, call us at 800.786.4751.