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a little help with feed for broodmare with may 13th filly

2K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  daisy3 
#1 ·
-12 year old friesian mare. second foal. first with me
-not in work just walks around and eats
- no pasture-dry lot
-6-7 pounds of Triple crown senior(bag lasts 7 days but her filly does eat some)
-5 qt container of alfalfa pellets(i just use a qt container to scoop alfalfa pellets since she doesnt get alfalfa hay)
-1 heaping scoop of a horse mineral/vit
-1 scoop of trio-amino- the vit-mineral was a bit low in this area-
-1 scoop of msm (hoping it will help with bugs, using it for my goats figured wouldnt hurt)
use to have Himalayan salt blocks but she would eat them in less then two weeks(50 pound)
-all the hay she can eat 24/7-mostly pasture mix-

She is thin and I was wondering if i should be feeding her more as her pelvis by her lumbar is very prominent. not sure due to lack of enough feed or lack of work(muscle loss).
- i was feeding beet pulp but since it was the same price as alfalfa pellets i stopped. I considered adding rice bran ?
any suggestions.

foal is fat so she is producing really good milk. I choose senior as its a bit less sugar then the other feeds i found. I did consider feeding growth. I do not have much experience in this area as she is a easy keeper without nursing

her feet are still great no crazy growth issues from the added grain.
 

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#3 ·
I agree with needing more pictures. I'm seeing a horse that has no extra fat and only the lightest covering along with no muscle. That says she doesn't have the stores to feed baby and is converting all she gets into milk production from looks of the foal. Adding protein won't help if there isn't enough of the limiting proteins, if there isn't enough space for her to adequately exercise and if there aren't enough high quality, usable calories in her diet to keep her in good health. If you can't get weight back on her and muscle to build then time to pull baby off.

I'd look at the quality of hay and make changes there if possible, up her feed and divide it into several small feedings (I've known many that lose weight on less 5 lb feedings and gain on more three pound feedings even though you are feeding the same amount over the course of the day. I'd also start a very light exercise program of walking her. Could be used to start training baby to lead.
 
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#4 ·
What is that she's eating? Looks like weed stems.
Get some better quality hay and feed. She's obviously not getting what she needs from what you've got there.
She's just one of those mares that puts everything into her milk. Not a bad thing, you just have to provide better feed for her. I would also wean the foal at 4 months. That gives the mare time to put some weight back on before winter.
For what it's worth, I always weaned between 4 and 5 months.
 
#5 · (Edited)
thank you- there is alot of space, she is just not a high energy mare in general. im going to guess its 120x 150 ish plus if she wanted to go up in the woods. she hasnt walked up there since she foaled.

the hay is pasture mix(orchard, fescue, bent )no weeds but it rained really late here so first cutting was very late to get cut. This is all the hay i could get and it was 2 hours away. I used to feed her in slow nets because she was always chubby and they were placed at different loctions, but since i bought the huge bales, i cant move them so i think she stays preety much there or to the water then back again.

so increase the triple crown? should i add anything else? I can give three servings on my days off, but i work 13-14 hour days so i can only feed the triple crown 2x a day on those days. should i stop the ration balancer since she is getting enough feed supposedly that she doesnt need it or feed it to the filly.
should i aim for 8 pounds a day? i was thinking of making into mush so it takes her a bit longer to eat. and see how that does for a few weeks? The alfalfa pellets are at the next town over but i can increase that too if you think it would help?
Her filly is finally starting to do things on her own and not super glued to mom.

- i feed hay stack special blend to my goats. do youthink i should add to mares feed?
Special Blend Pellets
Haystack Naturals Premium Horse Feeds has formulated Special Blend Pellets is intended for horses of all ages that would benefit from a lower carbohydrate, high fat diet.
Ingredients: Sun Cured Timothy Hay, Sun Cured Alfalfa Hay, Plain Dried Beet Pulp, Flax Seed Meal, Canola Meal, Canola Oil, Heat Stabilized Rice Bran
 
#15 ·
thank you- there is alot of space, she is just not a high energy mare in general. im going to guess its 120x 150 ish plus if she wanted to go up in the woods. she hasnt walked up there since she foaled.

the hay is pasture mix(orchard, fescue, bent )no weeds but it rained really late here so first cutting was very late to get cut. This is all the hay i could get and it was 2 hours away. I used to feed her in slow nets because she was always chubby and they were placed at different loctions, but since i bought the huge bales, i cant move them so i think she stays preety much there or to the water then back again.

so increase the triple crown? should i add anything else? I can give three servings on my days off, but i work 13-14 hour days so i can only feed the triple crown 2x a day on those days. should i stop the ration balancer since she is getting enough feed supposedly that she doesnt need it or feed it to the filly.
should i aim for 8 pounds a day? i was thinking of making into mush so it takes her a bit longer to eat. and see how that does for a few weeks? The alfalfa pellets are at the next town over but i can increase that too if you think it would help?
Her filly is finally starting to do things on her own and not super glued to mom.

- i feed hay stack special blend to my goats. do youthink i should add to mares feed?
Special Blend Pellets
Haystack Naturals Premium Horse Feeds has formulated Special Blend Pellets is intended for horses of all ages that would benefit from a lower carbohydrate, high fat diet.
Ingredients: Sun Cured Timothy Hay, Sun Cured Alfalfa Hay, Plain Dried Beet Pulp, Flax Seed Meal, Canola Meal, Canola Oil, Heat Stabilized Rice Bran
thank you- there is alot of space, she is just not a high energy mare in general. im going to guess its 120x 150 ish plus if she wanted to go up in the woods. she hasnt walked up there since she foaled.

the hay is pasture mix(orchard, fescue, bent )no weeds but it rained really late here so first cutting was very late to get cut. This is all the hay i could get and it was 2 hours away. I used to feed her in slow nets because she was always chubby and they were placed at different loctions, but since i bought the huge bales, i cant move them so i think she stays preety much there or to the water then back again.

so increase the triple crown? should i add anything else? I can give three servings on my days off, but i work 13-14 hour days so i can only feed the triple crown 2x a day on those days. should i stop the ration balancer since she is getting enough feed supposedly that she doesnt need it or feed it to the filly.
should i aim for 8 pounds a day? i was thinking of making into mush so it takes her a bit longer to eat. and see how that does for a few weeks? The alfalfa pellets are at the next town over but i can increase that too if you think it would help?
Her filly is finally starting to do things on her own and not super glued to mom.

- i feed hay stack special blend to my goats. do youthink i should add to mares feed?
Special Blend Pellets
Haystack Naturals Premium Horse Feeds has formulated Special Blend Pellets is intended for horses of all ages that would benefit from a lower carbohydrate, high fat diet.
Ingredients: Sun Cured Timothy Hay, Sun Cured Alfalfa Hay, Plain Dried Beet Pulp, Flax Seed Meal, Canola Meal, Canola Oil, Heat Stabilized Rice Bran
Your hay still looks to be very low quality. Invest in some alfalfa. She needs more from her forage than she is getting.
 
#7 ·
You want as many calories going in as there are going out in the feed PLUS what she needs to maintain her normal weight. So if she should weigh 1400 pounds you feed for 1400 pounds and not at what you think she weighs. She's quite a bit under. A growth feed can be one way to get that into her and provide nutrition for both. It isn't so much about slowing her down as it is overloading a stomach meant to trickle feed and not be fed so much at one time. I'd say from what you're feeding above it probably is between 12 and 15 lbs so really does need to be 3 feedings a day. They can be 3 to 4 to hours apart if you can manage that on the days you work. I'd personally put the hay as far away from the water as possible even if it meant on the other side of the wooded area. 120 by 150 is good sized but if she isn't moving around then it doesn't mean much. If you can't get the hay further away and I am assuming the pen does not include the wooded area then she needs walked every day or as many days as you can manage.
 
#8 ·
-ok her healthy weight is 1100-1200.
-she has a run in with a pen attached, but only closed in the winter as it gets really muddy.
-yes the water is as far as the hose would reach. (they drink the 100 gal container every 2.5 days)
-she is fed at 5;45-6am and then when i get home around 9-10 pm.
- temp here is mild -right now its in the mid 50s at night and high of 70 i think during the day. winter might get a few freezing days but that is about it.

i will for sure get to three-four feedings on my days off or when im home.
 
#9 ·
First thing you need to do is get those hay strings out of the hay before one of them eats them and you have a colic surgery to deal with. That's just not ok.

If the hay is the best you can do, then you have to make up with the other stuff. If you can get Triple Crown where you are, then I'd switch to their growth formula and feed the max amount to bring her back up to weight plus allow extra for the foal. I would also pull that baby at 4 mos. and not allow the foal to pull her down any further. If you can get a high fat supplement like Purina's Amplify Nuggets, I'd add a pound or 2 a day to her diet, that stuff will really help her pack it on. She does need exercise to put on muscle but she also needs to put on some weight. Rather than their growth formula, I prefer to feed my broodmares a lactating mare and foal formula, but it depends on what brands you have available what you feed.

Right now the ration balancer is nice because you know she's getting the vitamins she needs but it's not helping with calories. You could easily discontinue it and switch to something like Moorman's GroStrong Minerals for Horses, that stuff is amazing. Clovite is good too. Maybe feed her up to 10 lbs of Alfalfa pellets, that helps keep a nice topline.
 
#10 · (Edited)
-its a very big bale- if i cut those strings it will come apart more then it is from her munching on it.. - ive never had large bales before, right now this is working since its not raining but nto sure what to do when it starts raining other then try to move one(push) with the tractor and hope she eats enough off the top that it wont get mold?...

i have triple crown, purina, LMF i think (i can get it 2 hours from me). i just liked triple crown since the ingredients dont change and no corn

would you recommend the alfalfa pellets or alfalfa hay. around the same price. i just thought pellets were better and of course easier. the alfalfa gets shipped here.

im thinking since you all said i need to separate soon that i can start putting filly in run in for a few hours right now to start getting used to being away from mom a bit.

copy on growth my local feed store has the growth version. or should i try something else purina related?
 
#11 ·
I am liking Proforce Fuel but you'd want extra vitamins and mins as it isn't specifically a mare and foal formula. Calorie wise it is one of the highest per pound. Purina Ultium Competition formula is another. They do have a growth formula if I remember but I couldn't get it here. They aren't going to waste the alfalfa pellets like they can the hay. I have fed and prefer hay but use peanut as if grows here and price wise isn't a hit if they waste some. As for the strings if the bales are wrapped as tight as they should be then they won't fall apart. You really need a horse hay ring for the bales and ideally a cover of some sort. With just the one you will have waste. When I've had one alone in a pen for whatever reason or even two I'll set the bald on a pallet next to the pen and tarp it. I peel the hay off layer by layer and feed the poundage needed daily. Prevents the waste. Strings are removed. Bales that are tight don't fall apart.
 
#13 ·
I wouldn't carb count as she needs all the calories she can get. This breed isn't prone to metabolic syndromes. 19% during this stage is considered low. You don't want to create more problems for her by shorting her. There's typically anywhere from a 200 to 400 calorie difference per pound between a growth formula meant for lactating mares and young horses and seniors with the growth formulas having more that are needed at that life stage.
 
#16 · (Edited)
found out today-
senior- 32.39---1546 cal
senior -gold- 33.69---1800 cal
grow- 33.69-- 1620 cal
so i should go get senior gold ? right.... looks like gold has beet pulp as the first ingredient and senior has alfalfa meal.

im on my last bag so i need to get another pallet full on my next day off.
-if anyone has suggestions on how to keep mice away im all for it :)
I only can keep two in a metal bin, I keep the rest in my garage and have mouse traps but there is a zillion field mice here plus the rats which luckily are too buisy in the field to come up closer so far.
 
#17 ·
Grow is formulated to supply the necessary vitamins and mins. I'd feed that and add a supplement that adds cool calories as that is the easiest to add without messing with nutritional balance. If you feed the gold then you'll need to look at what you'll need to add and in the right balance so you don't end up shortening mare and baby.
 
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#18 ·
West coast with those temps, you are somewhere near me. I'm on the OR coast and have lived north, middle and south WA coast also.

Round bales will absolutely not work for horses here except for perhaps this month. They will mold within a day or two and people just don't feed them on the coast except to cows. You have to put out the daily amount and under a shelter or you will have lots of waste.

Yes, hay is astronomical right now and a 50 lb bale of quality hay will cost you $25 to $30. Unfortunately, that is what horse hay costs right now. All the feed stores I know of have alfalfa plus some form of horse hay. Worst case you could feed alfalfa cubes and pellets.
 
#19 ·
They are square but probably same thing -on pallets with tarp covering. I figured I get mold in my pole barn in winter and that is the 110 pound bales on two pallets away from the plywood wall, what’s it going to hurt to try these. Yes I’m in oregon.
 
#22 ·
well I bought 6 more bags along with goat feed and minerals. They couldnt find the minerals so i was helping and didnt notice that they put the senior triple crown in my truck until i unloaded them so....its not worth driving back to the feed store until i run out again. She is going thru a 50 pound bag in 5 days now. on my days off i fed 4x. so i lost $6 from not having the correct food but probably cost more to drive back...
 
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