Nutrition is one of the major influential factors in the Brood Mares reproductive cycle. Nutrition can have a major influence in ever stage of your mares pregnancy, from conception all the way through pregnancy, early and late lactation, recovery from foaling and the health of the growing foal.
Its important to make sure your mare is neither underweight or overweight as these can both have implications on conception, pregnancy, birth and raising a foal, and finding a balance is crucial to overall health of both mare and foal.
During the last 3 months of pregnancy, a mares energy nutrient requirements change dramatically. When she reaches this stage, space for large meals is often short, so providing your mare with small, frequent meals is more ideal. This is what makes the Original Feed Balancer ideal as it is highly nutrient dense and can be fed in small portions. At this stage of the mares pregnancy, the fetus can increase in weight by up to 1lb per day, this accounts for 60% of overall growth.
At this stage, Mares need more calories, protein, calcium, Vitamin A and Phosphorus - a lack of this may compromise fetal development. It has been proven that Blue Chip Original, when fed through pregnancy, will enhance the nutritional content in the mares milk the Balancer is also safe for foals to eat, when they are ready to start sharing with their mother.
Mares over 16 need extra protein and calcium during gestation and lactation as older horses are less efficient at absorbing these nutrients. The inclusion of a probiotic digestive aid in Blue Chip Original Balancer helps to boost nutrient absorption levels by up to 100% in a study conducted by Hartpury College.