# Expecting mare is eating her straw bedding ?? Is this real bad ?



## Never2Mini (Mar 30, 2013)

My Mini Mare Dolly is expecting not sure date. I bought her pasture breed. There is another thread on here about her already. I thought since I don't know the due date I would go ahead and put down her straw bedding. That way I have one less worry. Well she is eating her straw like it is hay ? I worry this could impact her and cause colic. Should I do away with the straw and buy the large flake wood shavings from TSC ? I can't bed her in hay as I had to buy non-fescue hay for her to eat and don't have access to enough to be using it for bedding. Another opition I could buy a rubber stall mat and use it with no bedding and clean in everyday but would have nothing to absorb urine or birthing fluids. What do you all think ???


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## Eagle (Mar 30, 2013)

No worries, many of us bed down on straw and most of them will try and eat it if they have finished their hay. What straw is it?


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## Never2Mini (Mar 30, 2013)

I am not sure what type of straw it is just some the feed store had on hand. She has pretty much ate all her straw has very little left in the stall. I think hubby said he put 1 flake in her stall which I know is not enough in the first place to bed her stall down but I have been sick with the flu is why he done her stall for me. I worry she will colic herself. With are weather being so rainy lately she is being stalled more then I like. I sure will be glad when she delivers then I have one more to go after her but I do have an idea on due date for the other mare. Thank goodness.


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## AnnaC (Mar 30, 2013)

I really wouldn't worry too much, one flake of straw is not a lot even if she ate all of it. Just make sure she gets plenty of outside time (exercise will keep her system working properly), dont worry about the rain unless it is a real torrent or very cold with a driving wind. I'm hoping that the hay that you have purchased specially for her is soft and leafy, in which case make sure she has plenty of it while she is stabled and you will find that she will eat the hay rather then the straw! When they are not used to a straw bed, they often tuck into it at first, but she will soon stop except for the odd pick when the novalty wears off. Please dont change to any sort of shavings and just mats would be so uncomfortable for her - heavily pregnant mares need big comfy deep beds to lay on.


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## Gone_Riding (Mar 30, 2013)

I had a pregnant QH mare that had two acres of gorgeous grass to eat. I gave her a flake of straw morning and night just because she wanted to eat it. She was on alfalfa hay and grain. The straw never affect the foal, 'cause he was a monster!


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## Never2Mini (Mar 31, 2013)

Made a few changes yesterday.



Hopefully it will help to get her to stop snacking on the straw. I had a big rubber tub I bought for my goats water but hadn't started using it for them yet. I cleaned out her stall added much more straw then dear hubby used. Then put the rubber tub in her stall for her hay. That way its not thrown in and getting mixed in with her straw.



Sorry to say AnnaC her hay is not to my liking but all I could find in this area that was non-fescue.

Sad to say Diane I can't open her stall for her to have free access to the inside or outside. In the barn I store my hay for all my critters in the backend with no way to keep Dolly out of it and her hay is the only non-fescue. Plus I have a riding horse stalled in the same barn. He can stick his head out his window and bite at her in the alley way. My pastures have fescue. I can only turn her out in my ring. It is dirt with no shelter of any kind not even a tree. It gets pretty muddy and slick with all the rain as it is newly made and dozed. When the ring is to nasty for turn out and not raining I do take her on walks back and forth my paved driveway. She seems to enjoy her walks more then her turn out in the ring. Usually when out in the ring she just stands around even with her turn out buddy Miss Ida. I sure hope she foals soon.



My trainer/farrier feels she has no more then a month tops to go but he is not real familiar with Mini's. He deals with riding horses.


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