Professional paper
FEEDING OF LACTATING MARES
Mirjana Baban
; Poljoprivredni fakultet, Osijek, Hrvatska
Maja Gregić
; Poljoprivredni fakultet, Osijek, Hrvatska
Ante Ivanković
; Agronomski fakultet, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Jelena Ramljak
; Poljoprivredni fakultet, Osijek, Hrvatska
Matija Domaćinović
; Poljoprivredni fakultet, Osijek, Hrvatska
Vesna Gantner
; Poljoprivredni fakultet, Osijek, Hrvatska
Abstract
Properly balanced mare’s diet after foaling will reflect positively on the mare’s recovery, following sexual cycle, restoring the body condition, foal’s progress, as well as on the composition and quantity of mare's milk. The period in which the mare should be returned to her original body condition, and also settled maintenance and productive needs for nutrients, is extremely challenging. Mares during the first three months of lactation produce milk in quantity about 3% of their body weight per day, hence in that time they have significantly greater needs for nutrients. Later in lactation milk production levels decrease to 2% of mare’s body weight per day. Daily needs for digestible protein of lactating warm-blooded mares weighing of 600 kg are 1275 g in the first month of lactation, after which the weight gradually decreases by 30.6% until the fifth month of lactation. Daily diet in the first month of lactation should meet the 135 MJ of metabolic energy. The highest needs for metabolic energy are in the third month of lactation (142 MJ), while reduction in the amount of 11.8% occurs in the fifth month of lactation. Also, it is important to satisfy the needs for macro-elements: calcium (61 g), phosphorus (46 g), sodium (16 g), chlorine (54 g), and elements in trace (iron, 1250 mg, copper 125 mg, zinc 625 mg and magnesium 500 mg). The lactating mare’s diet should contain fat-soluble vitamins in the amount as follows: vitamin A (90,000 IU), D (12,000 IU) and E (600 mg). Diet composition that would satisfy the daily needs of lactating mares for nutrients depends on the keeping system, the season, the available fodder and health status of individual animal. Individual approach to the mare’s diet after the foaling taking into account the maintenance and the productive needs, applying properly balanced diet will result in mare’s fast return to initial body condition, long life and breeding use.
Keywords
mare; lactation; nutrition; nutrition needs; body condition
Hrčak ID:
139639
URI
Publication date:
13.5.2015.
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