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Post by sarah00000 on Feb 13, 2010 10:45:09 GMT
Lovepink now working herself up into a frenzy of excitement........nearly time to put the lovely (and large) Violet onto Stud Mix ;D ;D ;D She is now nearly 7 months gone. You good knowledgeable folks tell me to only feed stud mix for the last 3 months - right? She is currently on Hi Fi light, allen and page fibre and low cal balancer, plus hay and haylage. Was thinking of changing her from Hi Fi Light, onto a more beneficial source of chop? Ponies are now on their own "safe and sound" chaff, so dont need to feed hi fi light any more. Any recommendations  |
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Post by oberchis on Feb 13, 2010 11:57:15 GMT
I feed my broodmares alpha a, stud mix, stud balancer and sugar beet until it gets warmer.
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Post by brindlerainbow on Feb 13, 2010 12:33:39 GMT
LP my mare is due begining of June and she is now on Hi fi light,Sure Grow and a bit of Top Spec conditioning flakes and a bit of sugar beet, she is quite fussy and dosent like her food too wet and dosent like big nuts which is why i've put her on sure grow.
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Post by oakstead on Feb 13, 2010 15:49:27 GMT
last year my mare had Alfa A Lite with a small amount of Top Spec Cond Flakes, and Blood Salts, 3 months before foaling and until foal was weaned
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Post by mister on Feb 15, 2010 22:56:52 GMT
I'm feeding a pony broodmare on happy hoof which has a few small nuts already added to it, speedibeet and surelimb suppliment, will only add a stud mix if she loses condition but thankfully she never does  |
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Post by sparkle on Feb 16, 2010 16:18:24 GMT
My mares got ... 7 weeks 5 days!!eeekkkkkk! LOL She's on Alfa A, Fast Fibre and baileys stud balancer and she's looking awesome!  |
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Post by sarah00000 on Feb 16, 2010 18:11:53 GMT
Is that the Allen and Page Fast Fibre? Thats what my mare is on too and although she is on Baileys low cal at the moment, will change her onto baileys stud balancer, when the bag runs out. I thougth Alfa A - prob very good idea, but for some reason - its in my head that I tried it on her before and she didnt like it.
I plumped for the HiFi "good-doer" instead.
Only 7 weeks to go .............OMG this posting area is going to start getting exciting!
Violet still has months and months to go, but still getting excited !!!!!
Mind you, did you see in the RIP section, that one of my friends had a still born foal at the weekend. So so sad and very worrying for us "mums of horsey mums to be".............
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Post by tigger on Feb 17, 2010 7:22:29 GMT
The best advice I was given for feeding broodmares was feed according to what that mare needs. Each mare is still an individual and for some feeding any additional/changed feed can be too much!
It is very easily possible to do more harm than good - I have a mare due in 5 weeks time, she has only been on hay throughout most of her pregnancy as she is a very good-doer and has a big cresty neck already. For about the last month she has been getting a handful of chaff and a handful of hi fibre nuts. If I dared to add or change that she would probably instantly get laminitis. She is looking exceedingly well and very large.
A few years ago I had a mare in foal for a livery, that mare too was a very good do-er who's weight we had to constantly manage carefully. Again with her we kept her diet very simple yet despite that she had 'overdone' the foal too well - to the point where the foal had very large shoulders/hips and was stuck during delivery. We very sadly lost the foal but managed to save the mare. The stallion the mare was in foal to was only 2 inches bigger (and TB) so that should not have been a problem. The vet confirmed that she had just done the foal too well and it had grown too large for her to deliver.
Not trying to scare you LP but I think it is very easy to get carried away with feeding more than they need just because they are pregnant sometimes.
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Post by boothsdale on Feb 17, 2010 9:57:26 GMT
We've been on Top Spec stud balancer and Alfa-A oil since the new year and just in 6 weeks can see a real difference. Mine are generally all fairly good dooers (section A's) so its nice to know they're getting all they need without getting too much fattening stud mix!
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Post by sarah00000 on Feb 17, 2010 10:32:08 GMT
Violet is 16 hh and a big framed girl. The stallion is the same size as her, so that shouldnt be a problem.
She is a naturally good - doer, hence the hifi light and lowcal balancer.
However, she doesnt have a cresty neck and I have been careful not to let her get too fat.
I will stick to baileys stud balancer, so that she gets all the nutrients, but without the weight gain.
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Post by sparkle on Feb 17, 2010 10:41:28 GMT
;D Is that the Allen and Page Fast Fibre? Thats what my mare is on too and although she is on Baileys low cal at the moment, will change her onto baileys stud balancer, when the bag runs out. I thougth Alfa A - prob very good idea, but for some reason - its in my head that I tried it on her before and she didnt like it. I plumped for the HiFi "good-doer" instead. Only 7 weeks to go .............OMG this posting area is going to start getting exciting! Violet still has months and months to go, but still getting excited !!!!! Mind you, did you see in the RIP section, that one of my friends had a still born foal at the weekend. So so sad and very worrying for us "mums of horsey mums to be"............. Yes thats allen and page. Having a TB I've tried EVERYTHING to keep her weight on but without the fizz etc etc and I must say this is her best winter and she's not dropped any weight at all even with the foalie taking a lot out of her  Once the foal is weaned she will stay on that and I will just replace the balancer with A&P quiet cubes The Hi-Fi Good Doer is good and it can also be a hay replacer (if I remember rightly?) I know - 7 weeks and I'm absolutely cacking myself  Oh god - that's awful, poor baby  it's very worrying and I'm worrying like mad at the moment that she's gonna be ok - I've got everything ready though and have two mates on hand when she's ready! |
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Feb 19, 2010 8:52:08 GMT
If she is on a decent stud balancer that will supply the required micronutrients, so it's a matter of keeping an eye on her condition and altering the rest of the diet, in my case fibre feed as I don't like feeding any cereals so no mixes etc, accordingly to make sure she doesn't get too fat. I must admit that balancer is fed in such small quantities anyway that I've never bothered about using a lo cal version - only exception would be choosing one for laminitics, in my case TS AntiLam - but would alter other parts of the diet for good doers. If she's not too sure about the taste of alfalfa you could try the Top Spec ones, they have added mint for palatability and seem to me to be softer and less stalky than other makes. There is a lo cal version and a lightly oiled one for those that need more calories.
Mares do vary about how they do their foals before birth, it's not always to do with the feeding, just something you have no control over. And they vary in milk production too - I had one D mare who always looked well herself when in foal but produced tiny skinny rabbits - but then went on to milk like a Jersey cow (on just grass) so at weaning I had normal sized, well covered foals and a mare like a hatrack! Conversely, some mares will put it all into the foal when pregnant, some will only milk moderately, they're all different and there's no way of knowing their pattern until they've had a foal or two for you.
Do remember we all hear the horror stories, and of course feel for their owners, but the vast majority of mares foal with no trouble at all, problems are not the norm.
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Post by Cobbler on Feb 21, 2010 8:39:40 GMT
When foaling my mare last year I had her on Alfa A and Baileys Stud Balancer - she was a good doer and I found that this met her nutritional requirements without her getting too porky.
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Post by katewelshcobs on Mar 4, 2010 9:55:03 GMT
Alfa A is good and yes fast fibre is brilliant!
infact anything ive used from their range is!
i really like the calm and condition too and the weight gain-off topic i knowbut they we are!!
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Post by sarah00000 on Mar 4, 2010 10:57:08 GMT
I bought Violet a lovely bag of Dengie Good Doer (alpha/hi fi blend, with mint).
SHE WONT EAT IT..............LOL
I have had to resort to giving Violet my other mares Chaff and giving the "good doer" stuff to my other mare - who isnt a good doer! LOL Thats horses for you!
Perhaps she is getting pregnancy taste buds!
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Mar 4, 2010 11:40:21 GMT
Not for me because of the molasses in it - but I feed the Top Spec Top Chop with mint and they LOVE it! Used to get in feed wormer down one you can't do by mouth, and the D weaned foal, now a yearling, gets it too and wolfs it down. I've had trouble getting foals to eat alfalfa in the past but not this version, it seems softer and less stalky then Dengie too.
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Post by katewelshcobs on Mar 4, 2010 15:31:34 GMT
Not for me because of the molasses in it - but I feed the Top Spec Top Chop with mint and they LOVE it! Used to get in feed wormer down one you can't do by mouth, and the D weaned foal, now a yearling, gets it too and wolfs it down. I've had trouble getting foals to eat alfalfa in the past but not this version, it seems softer and less stalky then Dengie too. ooh i might try that!is it pricey? |
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Mar 4, 2010 17:29:27 GMT
A bit more than Alfa-Oil but not much - it's lightly coated with oil too. No molasses!
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Post by Guestless on Mar 4, 2010 20:02:51 GMT
My lot are loving the TopSpec Top Chop too - it does look MUCH nicer than Alfa-a has lately. I pay about £10.25 a bag (slightly smaller than alfa-a) but it's worth it IMO. I've just started increasing my in-foal mare's feed to 2 feeds a day but she's not getting huge amounts - she is definitely more hungry though....she is doing her best to hog the haylage in the field too |
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Post by mandmfan on Mar 4, 2010 20:53:46 GMT
Just out of interest will Violet foal at home or will you send her to a stud? Just wondering for future reference.
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Post by sarah00000 on Mar 5, 2010 8:21:01 GMT
Violet will foal at home. She gets too stressy is moved anywhere - hence why she wouldnt take with AI, when left at stud.
Vets said "she is too mummyfied" to live anywhere without me!
I will ring vet when she waxes up and me and hubby will deliver, unless problems.
Thats the plan anyway!
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Mar 5, 2010 8:34:15 GMT
Mine are all very mummified too - comes of being a one man band I think - but they just have to lump it if they go away anywhere! If they go away to be produced I have to hide from them at shows until after the class or they look for me and don't concentrate.
Violet is obviously a sensitive soul! My favourite and homebred mare did go to the vets for a few days to be AI'd last year and is in foal OK, but then she's very laid back anyway.
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Post by sarah00000 on Mar 5, 2010 10:24:27 GMT
LOL Violet is incredibly laid back too and didnt show her distress outwardly at stud, just went out of season the minute she was left there 4 times! Despite injections etc
She likes her own palace!
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vjc
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Post by vjc on Mar 5, 2010 13:07:31 GMT
All my brood mares when pregnant have been fed spillers stud nuts with dodson and horrell fiberby and a little kwick beet added along with cod liver oil. I really like fibergy and all my horses enjoy it and look well on it.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Mar 5, 2010 16:21:04 GMT
I've had them come instantly in season when I've taken them to stud and there's been a STALLION about which I didn't have at home at the time! Now I do.
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Once the foal is weaned she will stay on that and I will just replace the balancer with A&P quiet cubes 
it's very worrying and I'm worrying like mad at the moment that she's gonna be ok - I've got everything ready though and have two mates on hand when she's ready! 
