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Re: [RC] New filly with diarrhea - heidi

Glad you said that about foals needing to be on forage, Heidi--- I was
feeling a little nervous because this is the first time I haven't
supplemented my foals with alfalfa-- but the forage is just sooo good!
With only 2 rainy days all season---- yes 2!!!--- the forage mix only
yielded one-third what it did last year and is shorter but much more
grain. The farmer warned me not to overfeed-- I don't and still my herd
all looks pregnant--- and only 2 out of 15 are! Sooo I stuck with the
forage this year which is a mixture of wheat, beardless barley and 2
kinds of oat-- and my horses lick it up--- no stems are left behind
because he cut when the sugar was at the top of the stalk-- just prior
to its descent.
Now with all this in mind-- do I need to supplement with the alfalfa to
make sure the foals and lactating mares have enough calcium in their
diet? My vets had always recommended that in the past, but would this
rich forage mix provide enough? I have hesitated on Mare and Foal
pellets, worried that their diet would be too rich.
Advice from anyone's past experience or current trends is greatly
appreciated.

Well, first off, alfalfa IS forage...

That said--GOOD grass is sufficient, but it isn't first-rate, the alfalfa
adds a bit of calcium and protein.  That's the situation I'm in here--our
irrigation water came on late, and now that we have it, our pasture is
good-but-not-great.  My mares and foals just get one flake of alfalfa per
day per pair, but they do come right up and scarf it up.  And of course,
it also gives me the opportunity to do a once-a-day close-up baby check
when they come up to eat--I might spot major stuff eyeballing the pasture
from the barnyard, but if there is anything that needs attention that
can't be seen from afar, that is one guaranteed time each day that
everyone is up within arm's length and can be caught up easily if
necessary.

I do have a mineral mix available free choice to cover any deficits there.

Every time I've used some form of concentrate supplementation, I've
regretted it.

Heidi



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Replies
[RC] New filly with diarrhea, Lindak
Re: [RC] New filly with diarrhea, heidi
Re: [RC] New filly with diarrhea, Bette Lamore