A lactating mare usually requires between 2 and 3 percent of her body weight in total feed (hay + grain) daily. Requirements can be met using the rations described in Tables 4 and 5. Including fat in the diet can increase the fat content of the milk, which may help nursing foals grow.

If the newborn foal does not stand and nurse by two hours after birth, you should consider it abnormal, and you should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible. It is important to remember that a high-risk newborn foal may look relatively normal for several hours after birth.

Lactation can often be stimulated in mares with poor milk production by administration of domperidone twice daily for 2 to 4 days and then once daily for the next 6 to 8 days. Domperidone therapy may be initiated prior to foaling if limited mammary development is noted as a mare approaches her due date.

Mares produce an average of 24lbs (10kg) or approximately 13.5 litres of milk daily during a five-month lactation period. This equates to more than 2,000 litres of milk over 150 days. Some mares can produce as much as 32lbs (15kg) of milk a day.

A majority of normal foals will nurse within 1–2 hours after foaling. Those that are the most vigorous will nurse within 30–45 minutes. The first milk, or colostrum, is very important for the newborn foal. Colostrum is secreted before, during, and for a short time after foaling.

Some horse owners milk their mares if the baby isn’t able to nurse on its own, storing the colostrum in case it’s needed for future foals. “But most of those mares are going to be used to a foal nursing on them so once you actually start the process of milking them, are just fine.”

Pig milk is not considered suitable for human consumption or commercial production for a number of reasons. Pigs are considered difficult to milk. The sow herself is reluctant to be milked, may be uncooperative or become spooked by human presence, and lactating pigs may be quite aggressive.

It is high in vitamin C and iron but low in fat, with levels of lactose and casein that are closer to human breast milk than cow. There was no milk for me to taste yet when I visited, but fans say it has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor, like almond milk.

While a mother may benefit marginally from the nutrients found in breast milk, according to several lactation experts, a mother who drinks her own breast milk is exceedingly rare.

The answer is: Yes. Breastfeeding an adopted baby through induced lactation is possible, but it takes plenty of planning, introspection, and support. Building a breast milk supply when you haven’t given birth involves “tricking” your body with cues that tell it to produce milk.

Yes, in theory, men can breastfeed. Male breasts have milk ducts, and some mammary tissue. They also have oxytocin and prolactin, the hormones responsible for milk production.