|
Henderson County Horse Committee |
|
BROODMARES NEED GOOD GROCERIES WHILE NURSING FOALS Pete G. Gibbs At foaling, a mare's daily nutrient requirements increase significantly. The lactating mare requires more protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus in a larger amount of feed in order to recover from foaling stress, to produce milk and to rebreed. Research has shown that stock-type mares produce an average of 24 pounds (3 gallons) of milk daily during a 5-month lactation. This represents 450 gallons or 1 3/4 tons of milk over a 150-day period. High producing mares give as much as 32 pounds (4 gallons) of milk daily, while even the lowest milkers often produce 21 pounds (2.5 gallons) of milk daily. Research indicates that mares produce an average of 26.5 pounds of milk during the first 22 days of lactation. Underfeeding of mares during early lactation will surely lower milk production and cause weight loss. While certain mares may lose weight during peak milk production, this does not normally pose a problem if the mare is in fleshy to fat condition. However, early lactation weight loss in mares that foal in thin condition will often lengthen rebreeding time, lower conception rates and threaten the subsequent pregnancy. A lactating mare usually requires between 2 and 3 percent of her body weight in total feed (hay + grain) daily. Including fat in the diet can increase the fat content of the milk, which may help nursing foals grow. Furthermore, fat-added diets can be helpful in maintaining mares that are hard keepers and prone to significant weight loss during lactation. Regardless of the concentrate being fed, the increase in daily feed intake compared to that needed during pregnancy should be made gradually in order to prevent founder. Allow I week to 10 days for mares to adjust to intake changes. Providing the total daily feed in two or three equally spaced feedings allows mares to safely consume the amounts needed during lactation. Heavy milkers may require as much as 1.75 to 2.0 percent of body weight in concentrate feed each day, in addition to hay or grazing. When possible, group-fed mares should be grouped according to feed intake so as to carefully control the amounts they consume. Individual feed troughs are very helpful in managing feed intake by mares fed in groups. Free choice spring grazing will meet some of the mare's nutrient requirements, but considerable amounts of supplemental feed will sometimes be needed. Less supplemental feed will be needed for mares on small grain pastures. In most cases, body condition of mares on high quality pasture can be maintained with concentrate provided at .75 to 1.25 percent of body weight daily. In the fourth, fifth and sixth months of lactation, daily requirements begin to decline. Although milk volume decreases little over a 5-month period, "strength" (as measured by energy content of the milk) decreases significantly. In the fourth month of lactation, a mare's milk provides less than 30 percent of the total energy needed by her foal. By this time, many horsemen will have foals on a good creep feed to prepare them for weaning. Once the foal is weaned, the dry, pregnant mare can be managed as an early gestating mare once again. |