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Inside the Broodmare’s Belly…

Lactation demands a lot from a broodmare!

Are you anxiously awaiting that first foal of the spring? Do you have the foaling stall ready, the vet on speed dial, and the video camera on the battery charger? While you’ve been busy prepping, here are some of the amazing changes that have taken place (or are about to take place) in your mare:

  • 6 Month Mark: During 2nd half of pregnancy, 60-65% of fetal growth occurs!
    • Energy requirements of the mare go up almost 30% over a normal maintenance horse – from 16.7 Mcal DE per day to 21.4 Mcal DE per day.
    • Her protein requirements will increase 32%, and vitamin and mineral requirements also increase significantly during this time.
    • The mare needs to be receiving adequate calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese and selenium to provide minerals for the development of the foal and to build the foals own trace mineral reserves.  Trace minerals are also critical for immune support.
    • Adequate protein/amino acid intake is essential – lysine, methionine and threonine, the first 3 limiting essential amino acids, need to sufficient in the diet for placental and fetal development.
  • Last Trimester: The average foal fetus will grow by 1 pound per day!
  • Lactation: After the foal has been born the real work for the mare is just beginning.
    • The normal mare will produce around 24 lbs (3 gallons) of milk per day. During an average 150 day lactation, this equals 450 gallons or 1.75 tons of milk!
    • During lactation, a mare’s energy needs are easily doubled over her maintenance needs – from 16.7 Mcal DE per day to 31.7 Mcal DE per day!
    • While a mare is producing milk for her offspring, her water consumption can exceed 50-100% that of a maintenance horse.
    • Around 13-24 weeks after the mare has given birth, her milk production will decrease from 3% of her body weight to around 2%.

With all that effort going into producing a darling new foal for your farm, be sure to give your mare an extra pat on the neck, and of course, make sure you are feeding her properly!