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Re: [RC] New filly with diarrhea - heidiGlad 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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