Horses
Foals are eating machines that rely on their mother’s milk to help them grow and develop. If you’re not mindful, they can drain a mare of her nutrients leaving her in poor body condition. Mares can lose a significant amount of weight during lactation unless they receive adequate dietary support during this nutritionally demanding time.
The day a foal is born and begins nursing, the mare’s daily protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A requirements nearly double from her early gestation needs. These nutritional demands must be met in order for the mare to maintain body condition, recover from foaling and produce adequate milk.
Milk production peaks about 30 days after foaling, at which time nutrient levels begin to decline. Less than 30 percent of the energy a foal needs is provided in the milk by the fourth month. A concentrated feed with added oils and high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals can help improve the nutrient content of a mare’s milk and provide an early growth advantage for the foal.
Adequate body condition is the single biggest factor affecting a mare’s reproductive efficiency. Thin mares have more difficulty becoming pregnant and run a higher risk for losing an early pregnancy than mares carrying more body condition. Investing in quality feed and gradually increasing a mare’s dietary intake during gestation and through lactation is a good economic decision overall.
While foals will begin eating dry feed as early as one week of age, mare’s milk is a foal’s primary nutrition source for the first couple months of growth. Quality nutrition is vital to helping the mare produce quality milk for her foal.
- Feeding Program For Orphan Foals
A mare’s death is a tragedy that will be compounded if her foal isn’t quickly placed on an effective feeding and care program. However, with proper nutrition and veterinary support, orphaned foals can be managed and successfully developed...
- The Newest Purina Research Team Member!
Our first foal arrived early Wednesday morning and he is up, nursing, running around and doing great. He has arrived just in time for a major snow and ice storm, so he has yet to be introduced to the outside world. And since its only 28°F...
- Nine Is Fine!
Number nine out of ten expected foals arrived yesterday, he got to go out and explore the world this morning. (He thought the human with the camera was the most interesting thing apparently) Our foals get 24 hours with mom in a stall before their first...
- New Product Release For Ultium Growth!!!
It is with great pleasure, that we announce the release of two new Ultium Growth products: Ultium Growth- Black Foal and Ultium Growth- Chestnut Foal. Through years of nutritional research, we have finally determined how to feed broodmares to influence...
- Sneaky
When you work with horses surprise is never in short order. At the last check around midnight neither of the mares we suspected yesterday (Patty or Snakey) was looking much different, and this mare (Lucy) was just kind of hanging out. Lucy is actually...
Horses
Nutritional Support for Lactating Mares
Foals are eating machines that rely on their mother’s milk to help them grow and develop. If you’re not mindful, they can drain a mare of her nutrients leaving her in poor body condition. Mares can lose a significant amount of weight during lactation unless they receive adequate dietary support during this nutritionally demanding time.
The day a foal is born and begins nursing, the mare’s daily protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A requirements nearly double from her early gestation needs. These nutritional demands must be met in order for the mare to maintain body condition, recover from foaling and produce adequate milk.
My 20-year-old mare, Do It Stylish (a.k.a. "Dottie"), with her new foal the day he was born.
Milk production peaks about 30 days after foaling, at which time nutrient levels begin to decline. Less than 30 percent of the energy a foal needs is provided in the milk by the fourth month. A concentrated feed with added oils and high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals can help improve the nutrient content of a mare’s milk and provide an early growth advantage for the foal.
Adequate body condition is the single biggest factor affecting a mare’s reproductive efficiency. Thin mares have more difficulty becoming pregnant and run a higher risk for losing an early pregnancy than mares carrying more body condition. Investing in quality feed and gradually increasing a mare’s dietary intake during gestation and through lactation is a good economic decision overall.
While foals will begin eating dry feed as early as one week of age, mare’s milk is a foal’s primary nutrition source for the first couple months of growth. Quality nutrition is vital to helping the mare produce quality milk for her foal.
- Feeding Program For Orphan Foals
A mare’s death is a tragedy that will be compounded if her foal isn’t quickly placed on an effective feeding and care program. However, with proper nutrition and veterinary support, orphaned foals can be managed and successfully developed...
- The Newest Purina Research Team Member!
Our first foal arrived early Wednesday morning and he is up, nursing, running around and doing great. He has arrived just in time for a major snow and ice storm, so he has yet to be introduced to the outside world. And since its only 28°F...
- Nine Is Fine!
Number nine out of ten expected foals arrived yesterday, he got to go out and explore the world this morning. (He thought the human with the camera was the most interesting thing apparently) Our foals get 24 hours with mom in a stall before their first...
- New Product Release For Ultium Growth!!!
It is with great pleasure, that we announce the release of two new Ultium Growth products: Ultium Growth- Black Foal and Ultium Growth- Chestnut Foal. Through years of nutritional research, we have finally determined how to feed broodmares to influence...
- Sneaky
When you work with horses surprise is never in short order. At the last check around midnight neither of the mares we suspected yesterday (Patty or Snakey) was looking much different, and this mare (Lucy) was just kind of hanging out. Lucy is actually...