Does this sound like a good feed regimen?

For a mare in foal?

Before the foal.

Per day
24/7 turn out until showing signs of pending labor then stall at night.
5lbs of purina ultimum growth
2 flakes of hay (on alfalfa and 1 local grass)


After the foal
5lbs soaked beet pulp
5lbs ulitmum growth
4 flakes of hay (very limited to no turn out since she is due somewhere between october and december, 2 local grass and 2 alfalfa)
And a serving of mare plus supplements.


Sound goo, to much, not enough?

This is for a 14.3 hand mare about 950lbs and pretty easy keeper.

You'll be splitting the concentrates into two feedings, yes? You might even consider thee feedings a day if you have time. I don't think you can go wrong with beet pulp. However, she really needs all the good grass hay she can eat, IMHO.

My mare (who's really a pig in disguise) gets fed the following:

Morning and evening:
1-1/2 scoop alfalfa pellets
1-1/2 scoop Paddock (It's a locally milled feed for broodmares and performance horses - it's probably very similar to yout Ultimum Growth)
1 scoop soaked beet pulp

Noon:
1 - 1/2 scoop alfalfa pellets
1/2 scoop Paddock

I've never weighed it, but the scoop is a standard 4 quart scoop. Dancer foaled 06/28/10 and is in a 2-3 acre pen, but the grass is getting pretty sparse because she's shares it with daughter's mare, Mystie. (currently nicknamed Auntie Mystie because she's appointed herself chief babysitter to Dancer's filly, Rain.) We keep a round bale of good prairie hay in there at all times.

It may sound like a lot of feed, but - we had an "incident" while we were on vacation - the person who was paid to feed our horses for the two weeks we were gone...well, didn't. The horses lost a LOT of weight - especially Dancer. Guess the unborn foal pulled her down faster.

At any rate, that's why she's fed that much, but because we are feeding her so much, it's split into smaller feedings. She's gaining weight slowly but steadily.

We also found a source of pelleted beet pulp and are trying it out on our other horses. The jury is still out on that because the pelleted version contains molasses. (The horses love it of course, but we don't know if it will make them hot or not.) The shredded beet pulp we've been feeding has molasses, too, but not very much and we drain the liquid off of after soaking, which removes a lot of the molasses.

It will be split between atleast two feedings. I am a stay at home mom so I could do three without a problem. I have only ever bought pellted form of beet pulp, I soak, rinse, soak and rinse again before feeding it to get rid of alot fo the molasses. I think its a good regimen. I understand I may need to up the portions or down them depending on her of course but the most important thing is I want to make sure her and the foal are getting the nutrients they need in order to stay healthy and grow good.

Blue Seal has a pelleted beet pulp that does not have molasses in it.


TBLover, why so much feed and not so much hay?

Well that is why I am asking for help, to revise her feed. She will be on turn out 24/7 on nice grass pasture. When she is is the stall at night I will throw a extra 2-3 flakes in there. But other then that this is what she would be getting.

You can watch her to see if she's losing any weight on what you are feeding her. If she looks like she is, up her hay first of all - that's what's best for her next to grass. Then increase the beet pulp, the really concentrated stuff like the Ultimum is your last resort.

I am concerned that the amount of Ultium won't provide the needed nutrition for a last trimester or nursing mare I need to read the specs on it since I haven't even really looked at it yet