Meconium is produced from the secretions of the intestinal glands and contains some amnionic fluid that is found in the fetal sack. It is dark green or black in appearance and rather thick and sticky. It can become dried out, making elimination from the body difficult. Of course, nature would not allow a faulty system like this to develop without providing some kind of antidote. The antidote, in this case, comes in the form of colostrum or first milk.
Colostrum is an important nutrient for the newborn.
It provides many life-saving factors including immunological protection, twenty times the normal concentration of calcium, and has a high sugar content designed to be used as an instant energy boost. Passage of the colostrum through the GI tract also acts as a natural laxative. The colostrum by-products help to soften the meconium allowing its passage out of the body with a minimum amount of discomfort. When these natural phenomenon do not work in a synergistic fashion an enema may be necessary. Foals experiencing difficulty in passing the meconium have specific symptoms.