Bedding For Your Mares

[minih]

QUOTE (Becky @ Feb 8 2010, 07:00 PM) I bed deeply with shavings until I think foaling is imminent, then add a layer of hay over that. The mare can eat at her leisure without risk of impaction as she might if eating straw. I continue with the hay until the foal is 1 - 2 weeks of age then gradually start eliminating that. I do use the largest flake shavings I can get as they are less likely to cause eye irritations in newborn foals.

I do the same as Becky.

Same here.

 

[Charlotte]

I have really liked the cardboard bedding for foaling. Has anyone else tried that? It's really clean. Horses don't eat it. It doesn't stick to the foal like wood products can.

I think in this kind of cold weather though I would put a layer of hay down over it for added warmth. When I use the cardboard I bed really deep with it as it will push to the sides if there isn't enough in there. We are on stall mats.

Charlotte

 

[Shortpig]

I no longer breed but didn't take me long to realize that in our area it was actually cheaper to buy quality grass hay and bed with that than to buy any kind of straw. Go Figure! It was soft clean and the mare could just lay down, relax and eat. And she did.

 

[Tenltraining]

We do the same as Terri H., bed with a good layer of shavings and then some soft hay on top of that for about a week or two when the foal is stronger! I feel like there is less chance of straw colic that way. For years previously I had used a good clean straw on on top of shavings and while I personally didnt have any trouble, as I always fed a lot of hay to discourage the mares from eating the straw, but my vet told me some minis at the clinic really had some bad colics and one had died, due to ingesting so much straw. So last year I decided to try the shaving with clean soft hay on top, and it worked just fine, the mares munched on the hay, which was a soft timonthy orchardgrass mix, after they finished up their normaly alfalfa orchardgrass mix, but all did well on it.

 

[LaVern]

We bed all winter with big round bales of straw. Belly deep. But, when it comes to foaling, I guess you could say we bed with hay - green clean fresh grass in the pasture.