|
Rescue
Formula for Foals!
From Baileys
The loss of a horse at any time is upsetting
but when it is a mare lost at, or shortly after,
foaling the situation can be even more stressful.
There is, hopefully, the joy of at least having
her foal as a lasting legacy but then the anguish
of having to nurture the orphan through difficult
times without its natural mother. Once the foal
has received colostrum, vital in the first few
hours of life to ensure it's body is able to
fight disease, there is then the dilemma of
|
|
finding
a suitable alternative to the dam's milk, on which the
foal will thrive. Locating a foster mare can be difficult
and there is no guarantee that she will take to the
orphan foal, so hand rearing with a milk replacer, such
as Buckeye Mare's Milk Plus from Baileys Horse Feeds,
becomes the only option.
Mare's
Milk Plus contains the highest quality milk proteins,
vitamins and minerals for optimal growth and is simply
mixed with tap water. What Buckeye and Baileys have
discovered though, is that better results have been
achieved by allowing the foal 24 hour ad lib access
to the milk rather than following a rigorous bottle
feeding programme.
Although
bottle feeding may be necessary in the first day or
so, foals can easily be taught to drink from a bucket
which can then be hung at a safe height to allow the
foal easy access. This allows the foal to drink as
often as if the mare was present so that there is
a natural, even flow of milk through the digestive
system.
When
made up, Mare's Milk Plus has a slightly tart taste
to discourage the foal from drinking too much milk
at any one time. It is also slightly acidic (pH5.3
+ .01) to help maintain the normal pH level in the
foal's digestive system and to aid in the preservation
of the milk after mixing with water. All these factors
result in the foal being fed as naturally as possible
with fewer digestive upsets, improved milk digestibility
and progressive growth. There is also the added advantage
of not having to hand feed the foal every few hours,
day and night!
Baileys
have put together a "Rescue Package" to include a
6kg tub of Buckeye Mare's Milk Plus with comprehensive
guidelines on managing an orphan foal plus follow
up from a qualified nutritionist. Larger studs can
keep a tub on hand to help them cope should they lose
a mare but the Rescue Package is also to be just a
phone call away with 6kg tubs being kept by each of
Baileys Regional Sales Managers and at Head Office.
"A
tub will last, on average, four days," says Liz Bulbrook,
Senior Nutritionist at Baileys, "as these tragedies
invariably happen at the most inconvenient times,
this gives the breeder a chance to organise longer
term supplies in the form of 20kg sacks. Trained nutritionists
are then on hand to work with both breeder and vet
to ensure that, nutritionally, the foal is given the
best possible start in life."
For
more information contact Baileys Horse Feeds
Four Elms Mills, Bardfield Saling, Braintree, Essex,
CM7 5EJ.
Tel: 01371 850247
Fax: 01371 851269
email:click
here
Website: www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk
|
