I’m looking for alternatives to feed to her the last 3 months. I’m in the midwest where everyone feeds either grass hay or grass/alfalfa mix. Not sure if Timothy or Orchard are available out here.
I can probably get Brome hay. I’m pretty sure Brome is not a fescue but can anyone confirm that?
My vet recommends Orchard or Timothy. In lieu of that (we are having trouble finding it, too), she says we can use alfalfa but have to supplement by giving her Calcium Phosphorus (I believe that is the the right thing - alfalfa does not have enough calcium for optimum bone growth in the fetus).
Don’t know about Brome.
What do you think is the “grass” part of the grass hay??? Usually it is either timothy or orchard grass.
Brome is not fescue.
Alfalfa is very high in calcium. It’s one of the best hays (as part of the overall forage, not necessarily all of it) you can feed a broodmare for not just calories, but protein and calcium.
[QUOTE=2enduraceriders;7904167]
What do you think is the “grass” part of the grass hay??? Usually it is either timothy or orchard grass.[/QUOTE]
Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed…
Where I live “grass” is very likely fescue or whatever happens to be growing in the fields so don’t assume, its not worth a stillborn…
I’m pretty sure brome is OK but it doesn’t grow here so I haven’t really looked into it.
My vet in Colorado when I lived there was Jill Thayer of Royal Vista. She feeds all her broodmares free choice alfalfa. I don’t think she even gives grain.
I have always fed alfalfa to broodmares with the exception of pony broodmares, who have gotten timothy or occasionally bermuda.
Personally, I would be wary of feeding any of the non-legume “grass” hay types (orchard, timothy, bermuda, etc.) unless I really trusted the supplier. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard suppliers describe their hay as “orchard grass” when it doesn’t even have any Dactylis species of grass in it. Rather, they’re really pushing a mix of whatever-is-growing-in-the-field, which usually includes fescue.
[QUOTE=Texarkana;7904398]
I have always fed alfalfa to broodmares with the exception of pony broodmares, who have gotten timothy or occasionally bermuda.
Personally, I would be wary of feeding any of the non-legume “grass” hay types (orchard, timothy, bermuda, etc.) unless I really trusted the supplier. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard suppliers describe their hay as “orchard grass” when it doesn’t even have any Dactylis species of grass in it. Rather, they’re really pushing a mix of whatever-is-growing-in-the-field, which usually includes fescue.[/QUOTE]
If you buy in large quantities, get a hay analysis done before purchase.
I can get alfalfa here pretty easily. I’ve never fed it before and she’s never had it. I don’t think free choice would be good for this girl, she’s a hoover!
So here’s another question, she’s 7 months in now and she’s FAT. Her structure is quite big boned “old school” looking WB but I’m concerned about giving her too many calories. I just read another thread here yesterday about overweight broodmares and limb deformaties 
At her last check up, vet said she’s definately large but not to worry about it. I’ll try and figure out how to post a photo here.
My mare was fed alfalfa and beet pulp during her last 3-4 months of pregnancy, with no other forage. She also got a commercial feed formulated for broodmares. We did blood and urine sample analysis when her urine became cloudy, thinking she had some kind of urinary tract infection. She had a ca/phos imbalance (too much calcium) and excess protein in her urine. She was boarded during her pregnancy at a facility where the BM had an equine degree with nutrition classes and bred/raised a few foals per year.
My suggestion would be to talk with a equine nutritionist and/or your vet to make sure her diet is properly balanced.
Wow, she is pretty, ummm, “fluffy” LOL
No alfalfa for her. You can get the protein/lysine/calcium into her without calories.
If you would be buying a large batch of hay, you can have it tested, not just for its nutritional content, but for the endophyte in question. If there’s no endophyte present, it doesn’t matter at that point if it’s fescue or not, since it’s the endophyte that’s the problem, not simply being fescue.
If there is simply no way to guarantee an endophyte-free hay, then you can look at doing Equidone starting 3-ish weeks out from her expected delivery date. That’s not without its own consequences: You’d want to have tested quality colostrum on hand, since domperidone is known to decrease colostrum quality.
I live in fescue country and my broodmare is allergic to alfalfa. Stocks up the minute she eats it. What I have done without any problems is 3 months before her due date I put her on a dry lot. She eats progressive grass balancer 3-4lb/ day and for the last 3 months of her pregnancy she gets feed timothy grass that is brought in from PA. I do also feed some beet pulp during that last 3 months.
Im really surprised my repro vet was “ok” with her weight. She gets about a cup or so of purina ultium 2x daily and MarePlus supplement. Our pasture grass lasted well into November this year and she gets quite a bit of grass hay in the stall each night. Havent ridden here since probably August.
I think trying to find Timothy or straight Brome is my best bet.
I would replace the 2c Ultium and the MP, with Enrich 32 at the appropriate amount for her size and gestation. That’s probably in the 2-3lb range.
You might need to start rationing her hay a little - net or double it at night, maybe.
How hard to you have to work to feel ribs?
I don’t think she has any. Have never seen them. 
[QUOTE=Sparky Boy;7905092]
Dimples everywhere. https://flic.kr/p/q6Mwsw[/QUOTE]
Hmm. Maybe air and wheat straw?
Don’t worry, she’ll have a huge baby and at 12 weeks, you’ll be wishing she could eat more.
[QUOTE=Sparky Boy;7905578]
I don’t think she has any. Have never seen them. ;)[/QUOTE]
Oof LOL
I would definitely be reducing her hay intake via slow feeders of whatever sort you can get your hands on.
Do NOT put a pregnant mare on a diet. Do NOT.
Timothy is good. Brome is good. Orchard grass is good.
Out of the 3 choices, timothy has the most balance when it comes to calcium : phosphorous ratio. Timothy must be baled at prime when the flower head is 2 inches or less. Timothy tends to start tasting a little bit like straw if the flower head gets too long. Timothy also has decent protein.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=good+timothy+hay&biw=1152&bih=705&tbm=isch&imgil=ySnaj3-TGQt0PM%3A%3BDYrKrCS8OA3alM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.barr-ag.com%252Fblog%252Ftimothy-hay-exports-japan%252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=ySnaj3-TGQt0PM%3A%2CDYrKrCS8OA3alM%2C_&usg=__I2rvV0viA3e6QrP_M7RG7R-bzPE%3D&ved=0CDQQyjc&ei=vmiLVKufHZG3yQTU9oCoCA#facrc=&imgdii=&imgrc=lKzK7f-Y5fBFKM%253A%3B6rM389rt6Vjv9M%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fpristinefarmexperience.files.wordpress.com%252F2010%252F07%252Ftimothy2008.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgalleryhip.com%252Ftimothy-hay.html%3B2816%3B2112
Brome is fine too. I feed brome, timothy, and alfalfa to my mares. Sometimes some crested wheatgrass goes in too.
For your mare, you need a balancer ration that will fit whatever hay you get her so that it can add the necessary calcium and whatnot.
The nice thing about adding some alfalfa is there is lysine in the alfalfa and protein. It’s not so much the calcium because you can get calcium from other sources. What baby needs in the last 3 months is calcium, phosphorous, copper, and protein and if the protein doesn’t come from her diet, then baby pulls it out of her muscles. The other 3 elements plus other vitamin/mineral necessities can be had in a good pregger ration balancer.
Momma is fluffy. Better fluffy than too skinny by a long shot. Still, you can afford to feed her judicious amounts of a variety of hays to maintain her current level of fluffiness until she is lactating. Once she is lactating you can just keep status quo to allow lactation pull down her fluffiness, but still maintain her on a vitamin/mineral balancer so baby doesn’t end up pulling calcium out of mommy’s skeleton. Lactation requires protein, so inevitably Madame Fluffy is going to need some alfalfa too.
Really fluffy mares do much better feeding them small meals very frequently. 3-4 times a day, if you can swing it, plus a bedtime snack. Their blood sugars level out and they become less voracious.
I very much agree with your post. I think the OP’s mare is an acceptable weight for a broodmare. Generally you want to see mares in foal with a BCS of 5-7, sometimes they even recommend going above a BCS of 7 if she will be lactating during the winter/early spring months.
It can be hard to tell without getting your hands on them, but it doesn’t look like the OP’s mare is above 7. I would probably score her at 6, although it’s hard to say for sure without palpating the fat and seeing how much it squishes in all the key locations. :lol:
She’s super cute, Sparky Boy!
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