How to Feed a 5-Day-Old Foal

Install a "foal feeder" in an advantageous place on a fence where the foal can easily access it at all times. Foal feeders typically have bars on them that prevent adult horses from feeding. The foal has a small enough head to eat from the feeder with ease.

Fill the foal feeder with equine creep feed, available at most feed stores. The foal should not be given access to the adult feed. A diet that is low in minerals and high in energy can be harmful for a young horse. The mother's milk, however, does not contain substantial minerals needed for the foal's growth after a few weeks of lactation. As a result, supplemental feed is needed. The sooner the foal gets used to other methods of feeding, the better.

Place a small amount of grain in the foal feeder at a time. Fill the feeder at the same time as you feed the mother horse. Once the foal learns how to eat properly, you can increase the amount of food in the feeder, always following the instructions on the feed bag. The supplement will specify on the bag the age appropriate for use. Carefully follow these specifications. A foal that is only a few days old should almost completely rely on its mother's milk. You do not want to overfeed the foal, so when in doubt, wait a few days before beginning to supplement the natural diet of a mother's milk.