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Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 09/18/2004 6:56:23 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the last thread we had a great time and were a great help to each other working through lessons and training, horse lamenesses and illnesses, questions and challenges and always just our stories we like to tell.
I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
So... like the last thread, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
I agree with you Becky, my first child was demand feeding because that wsa the thing, and the advice I was given......she didnt sleep through till 2 years old! My second and third, ate and slept when i felt like they needed it, on a schedule as best could be. My boys, 5 and nearly 3 are always in bed by 7pm and asleep by 7:30. It gives me some adult time and they benefit by being alert and ready for school and preschool. I know some 5 year olds that go to sleep when they want too, even if its 11/12 at night!
As for the foal, he is doing good and panic is over, I just got scared!~ LOL He seems to be feeding often then laying down, sometimes with his Mom and sleeping. I have managed to touch him all over and make a fuss and MOm came right up and nuzzled me softly whilst i did it.
OK, hope I didn't scare everyone off:) The hooligan incident this morning just was eating at me and had me thinking of undisciplined children. Scares me, how easy it seems that kids can get out of control. I think I over react and over compensate. Remember, I'm an ole grandma:) I always wish my children were around when we see things like that to see for themselves that it's better to be tough when their young to avoid things like that.
Becky
We were feeding Mom sweetfeed and oats and coastal hay. We have special vitamins and minerals to add in too.
Do you have any suggestions?
Sounds like mom is going to be a tolerant mom. That's good:)
Becky
Yes she appears to be really good with him and also with us. When I am stroking the dogs and the cats, I always notice that she watches me closly.
She was just nuzzling me in the neck, really soft and gentle like, Not aggrevated at all.
All he needs is a black mane to be Adge!
I would feed all the hay she wants and a specific mare and foal complete feed... a fair amount according to the label.
As soon as the baby is trying to nibble food, he can be given the same mare and foal pellet.
We are going to the feed store in the morning. When does the foal start on the feed? He seemed interested in Moms earlier but she wasnt having any of that! LOL
What I meant by demand was I was not locked in to a specific time. I didn't see any need to let a baby cry for an hour if they were hungry but if they were hungry I expected them to eat. Say 4 hours up at midnight and I'm tired and the baby starting to act hungry at 11. I would feed them but the key was to encourage them to take the full feeding because if you just give them enough to knock off the urge to eat you have problems because they are going to want to eat all the time . If I had to go somewhere instead of listening to a screaming baby in the car I would feed them first if they would eat so they would be good for another 4 hours. Sometimes they would go past 4 hours and there was no way I was going to wake a sleeping baby up to eat if nothing going on:'). Different things work for different people I guess. Things that were (and still are) important to me though were stop, don't touch and be still. I keep nothing down that is materially valuable for me but I don't tolerate destroying stuff , marking on walls or fighting. My kids got popped on their rear ends if they raised there hands. It didn't matter if they didn't actually hit me, the rebellious thought was there. I expected them to lay still when changing their diaper. I had no patient with pleading and chasing a baby all over the bed. I also expected them to go to bed and stay in bed at a decent time. I needed my quiet time too. If they aren't taught to respond immediately to stop or don't touch what happens if they run towards the street or reach for a burner. Oh well, I'll get off my soap box and get back to horses,ok?. How did I get here from nursing?:')
Sounds OK to me. I fed the same thing I always fed, just added Calf Manna for the month before foaling and about 3 months after to make her milk good.
The thing about feeding is a lactating mare will need alot more then even just a pregnant mare. Mares can go down fast while lactating. I wouldn't just suddenly increase her feed, but she will need to be increased or she will go down and start to look bad.
Alot of people will just let the mare go down, then build her back up after they wean. The mare will go down rather then baby suffer. I just don't like for my horses to look like that.
I feed complete pellets, which means the hay is in the pellets. Normally and while pregnant my mare got about 1 1/2 cans 3X a day, (3lb coffee can). Over the first month while lactating she was increased to 2 cans 3x a day. Plus the calf manna. She never looked bad.
So depending on what you are feeding now, I would start increasing her some for the next month.
ONe more thing. I don't mean to nag about this, but it is very very important to spray the navel with iodine. You haven't said if you have done that, so that is why I'm repeating. They can really get some nasty illnesses/death if you don't do that. I have a friend who didn't do it and it cost her several thousand in vet bills. And I have a feeling this horse could have problems with soundness once she starts to ride him. He got joint ill.
Becky
Stock up on 'mare and foal' feed. :~D Any of the commercial feeds labels as such would be about the same. Your other mare could begin getting it now also. It'll be a week to a couple weeks before baby is substantially eating anything, but they will start to try to nibble. Your mare will and should get more than she's probably been getting. Start out at about the same quantity as the grain she's been getting (probably) and build up over time. Let us know how you've been measuring and we can help.
Down the road you may want to build a separate area called a foal feeder where he can get all the foal feed he needs without mom stealing it. Be that's a while from the immediate need.
I should have read the rest of the posts before posting mine. I was busy editing. I don't think we are talking about that much in differences:')
LOL cause we are all mothers thinking of little ones!
I am told how well behaved my kids are, and like you its because they were told no and expected to understand it from an early age. You have too for their own safety.
Its a bit like training horses i guess, let them know that they are safe etc but also , that this is what you are doing and its ok to do it.
I've sprayed.sorry, should have told you!
LOL...After I posted mine and re-read it I thought I sounded a bit heartless:). Just hard to explain.
Becky
Heh.... well, by reading Becky and my feeding instructions, you can see that there's a lot of options. Most important thing is to make sure mom is getting enough to feed both herself and baby, either through oats and calf manna supplement which is good, or through a feed designed and all measured for nursing mares, which is also good.
we are friends with the people that own the feed store, they raise horses and gave us a lot of advice, I'll go there in the morning and get what she suggests.
Mom already has had extra, I know how it feels to be starving after giving birth! Also she needs the extra because of producing milk.
We have been gradually upping their feed for the past month as we were told by friends to do this.
Oh, good:), just making sure.
It's one of those things that can slip your mind.
The friend of mine who didn't do it, knew to do it, just didn't think it was that important. EVen teased me for being so routine about it. TILL she got caught. She also didn't worry about fescue grass for pregnant mare, and teased me for being so picky about that too:). She got caught there too and had to bottle feed a foal, who landed up dying anyway probably because he didn't get enough colsturm.
Becky
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