Behaviour of thoroughbred foals during nursing.
Abstract: Thoroughbred foals were found to nurse in bouts of nursing activity delimited by intervals of non-nursing activity lasting 27 secs or longer. Nursing activity included nosing, sucking and interval behaviour. During the first week after birth, foals nursed, on average, seven times an hour with a mean bout duration of 147 secs but were not successful at sucking during all nursing bouts. Time spent nursing decreased as the foals grew older until before weaning, at 24 weeks of age, the foals were nursing once an hour with a mean bout duration of 74 secs. The dams hindered their foals' nursing activity in several ways during Weeks 2 and 3 post partum and it was suggested that at this time nursing was painful for the dams.
Publication Date: 1983-07-01 PubMed ID: 6884316DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01785.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research study investigates the nursing behavior of thoroughbred foals, finding that patterns of nursing change as the foals grow older and that dams can sometimes interfere with their foals’ nursing.
Nursing Behavior of Foals
- The researchers observed that thoroughbred foals showed nursing activity in bouts, separated by non-nursing activity that lasted at least 27 seconds.
- The nursing activity of the foals included nosing and sucking behaviors, along with intervals of non-nursing behavior.
- During the first week after birth, the foals were found to nurse an average of seven times per hour, with each nursing bout lasting an average of 147 seconds.
- However, not all nursing bouts involved successful sucking activity.
Changes with Age
- The study found that as the foals grew older, the time they spent in nursing activity decreased.
- By the time the foals reached 24 weeks of age, just before weaning, they were nursing only once every hour, and each bout of nursing lasted a mean time of 74 seconds.
Dams’ Influence on Nursing
- The research also suggested that dams affected their foals’ nursing activity in various ways.
- Particularly in the second and third weeks after birth, dams were observed to interfere with their foals’ nursing behavior.
- The researchers proposed that nursing might have been painful for the dams during this period, leading to their interference.
Cite This Article
APA
Carson K, Wood-Gush DG.
(1983).
Behaviour of thoroughbred foals during nursing.
Equine Vet J, 15(3), 257-262.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01785.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / physiology
- Behavior, Animal
- Horses / physiology
- Maternal Behavior
- Sucking Behavior
- Time Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Zanker A, Wöhr AC, Reese S, Erhard M. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of polysomnographic measurements in foals. Sci Rep 2021 Aug 11;11(1):16288.
- Cymbaluk NF, Smart ME, Bristol FM, Pouteaux VA. Importance of milk replacer intake and composition in rearing orphan foals. Can Vet J 1993 Aug;34(8):479-86.
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