Feeding a nursing mare

[hrselady]

Do you up your nursing mare's feed or add anything new to it? I make to make sure she's making enough milk and she doesnt drop any. She's currently on 1 1/2 cup mare and foal and all the hay she can eat.

Thanks,

Mendy

 

[Becky]

I double what I feed my nursing mares. There are now 2 horses instead of one. Some may require more calories than that, but a general rule of thumb is that they are going to need enough calories to maintain their body weight plus feed their growing foal. I increase their feed with their first meal after foaling.

 

[Joanne]

I do the same as Becky.

Their first few feedings they get a warm beet pulp mash that has corn oil and cob in it. We also feed Nutrena Senior pellets and all the grass/alfalfa hay they can eat.

Starting in 2007 we are not weaning the foals until they are 5-6 months old. We found this made a BIG difference in the foals.

 

[Miniv]

We also double our nursing mares' feed........ Depending on the mare's need. It can vary from 3.5 cups, up to as much as 6 cups of grain per meal, twice a day.

We use a locally manufactured senior complete feed as our primary grain. Our hay is Orchard Grass or Pasture Grass mixed with Orchard......either our own or locally grown. The grass hay grown in this area is high protein, sometimes as high as 18%.

 

[hrselady]

Thanks sooo much... I get on changing that right away!!!

 

[disneyhorse]

I usually add a mare-specific vitamin supplement (usually use Farnam's Mare Plus) the last three months they are in foal, and then all through weaning. Generally their grain (all my horses are grained) is doubled when they are lactating. The foal eats a lot of milk as soon as it's born, and although it does get bigger it does start transitioning to hay and grain itself to supplement so as long as the mare is nursing I give her the double grain. All grain then ceases when the foal is weaned for her to dry up.

Usually I like to feed Purina Strategy or Junior Horse for mares as their foals share their grain. For a mini I think I was feeding a pound or two per day of that along with beet pulp and vitamin supplement.

Andrea