Hurricane season began on June 1st and continues all the way to November 30th. This is a good time to start preparing your facilities and horses for the possibility of storms and storm damage. Forecasters are predicting 11-15 named storms,
with 4-6 becoming hurricanes. Be sure you have en emergency plan to address
power outages, feed capabilities, and flooded pastures. Reviewing your
insurance policies is also a good practice; make sure you are covered for wind,
hail, flood, and catastrophic coverage if necessary.
Move vehicles and livestock trailers to safe
ground, have a first aid kit on hand for anything you may need to treat wounds
quickly in your animals, and having an extra supply of hay, feed and water will
definitely come in handy if the storm hits. Do not check on your animals during
the storm, you are no good to your family or your livestock if you get hurt!!
Make sure your horses are up to date on vaccinations prior to hurricane season. This will give them the best chance to prosper during the season, even if something were to happen.
In North Carolina, horses should be current on vaccinations for influenza, rhinopneumonitis, EEE, tetanus, rabies, strangles, West Nile Virus, and a current (negative) Coggins test for Equine Infectious Anemia.
Another
important thing to remember after a large storm is that forage poisoning is a
possibility. Flying debris may have covered extensive ranges and could bring
harmful leaves or acorns into your pastures that had not previously been present.
Wilted cherry leaves are toxic to most livestock species at high volumes;
double check your pastures that these leaves have not filtered into your
pastures and that your animals do not have access to them! Patrol
your pastures immediately after the storm to check your animals’ exposure to
dangerous feedstuffs.
Stay up to date on all possible storms in your area so that you can protect yourself and your horses!
Monday, May 29, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
Feeding Orphaned Foals
From Dr. Holly Bedford, DVM University of Minnesota
Original Article here https://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/feeding-orphaned-foals/
Mare's colostrum (first milk) is a rich source of antibodies that protect the foal from infection until the foal's immune system is fully developed. Unlike humans, horses do not receive any antibodies through the placenta prior to birth and therefore are dependent on colostrum. Absorption of colostrum from the foal's gastro-intestinal tract peaks within 6 to 12 hours after birth. By 18 to 24 hours of age, absorption is minimal. In general a, 100 pound foal requires a minimum of 2 to 3 quarts of colostrum within the first 6 to 8 hours of age. Foals should have an IgG test performed within 24 hours of age in order to ensure that they have absorbed adequate antibodies. In the event that equine colostrum is unavailable, intra venous administration of hyperimmunized equine plasma by your veterinarian is the best alternative to provide adequate protective antibodies to foals. Other alternatives to mare's milk include milk replacers, goat's milk, and cow's milk.
The best and most economical alternative to mare's milk is equine milk replacers. These replacers are specially formulated to meet a foal's nutritional needs and are the closest in content to mare's milk. Acidified milk replacers are preferable because acidification enhances nutrient digestibility and allows the reconstituted milk to stay fresh longer.
Goat's milk is the next best alternative to mare's milk. While the fat content is higher than mare's milk, it is highly emulsified and easier to digest than the fat found in cow's milk. Disadvantages of feeding goat's milk include the small packaged volume, the expense, and the greater risk of constipation.
While cow's milk can be fed to foals, it is lower in sugar than mares' milk and has twice the fat content, which can lead to diarrhea due to poor digestibility. If cow's milk is fed, it is best to feed 2% milk (lower in fat) and add dextrose (easily digestible type of sugar) to the milk to increase the carbohydrate content to match that of mare's milk. This can be accomplished by adding 40 millimeters of 50% dextrose solution to each quart of milk, or by adding a 2 ounce package of jam/jelly pectin to every 3 quarts of milk. Honey, corn syrup, or table sugar should not be used to increase the sugar content as these types of sweeteners contain sucrose which is poorly utilized by the foal and can cause diarrhea and colic. Non-pasteurized milk should be heated to 160 F for 15 seconds and allowed to cool prior to adding dextrose and feeding.
Calf milk replacers can be used for foals. When choosing a calf milk replacer, carefully read the ingredients list and only opt for products containing all milk proteins (skim milk, buttermilk, whey, casein) and avoid products containing soy protein, fish proteins, meat solubles, yeasts, or flours, and distiller's grain byproducts. Additionally, check the crude fiber, protein, and fat content. Appropriate levels for foals are: crude fiber < 0.2%, crude protein 20%, and fat 15%.
Foals should be feed 20 to 25% of their body weight per day (not per feeding). It is important to weigh the foal daily and adjust the daily feeding volume accordingly as the foal grows. Gradually, the volume of milk fed can be increased, while the frequency of feeding may be decreased. The average foal should gain approximately 2 pounds per day. If the foal fails to gain weight, the volume of milk or frequency should be increased. A general guideline for feeding normal healthy foals is to feed every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours through the night for the first 2 weeks (make sure to divide the total amount needed-about 25% of body weight - by the feeding frequency). Once the foal is consuming the calculated milk volume readily, the feedings can be spaced out to every 3 to 4 hours during the day, and 4 hours at night for another 1 to 2 weeks. By 1 month of age, most foals can be fed every 6 hours.
Original Article here https://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/feeding-orphaned-foals/
Mare's colostrum (first milk) is a rich source of antibodies that protect the foal from infection until the foal's immune system is fully developed. Unlike humans, horses do not receive any antibodies through the placenta prior to birth and therefore are dependent on colostrum. Absorption of colostrum from the foal's gastro-intestinal tract peaks within 6 to 12 hours after birth. By 18 to 24 hours of age, absorption is minimal. In general a, 100 pound foal requires a minimum of 2 to 3 quarts of colostrum within the first 6 to 8 hours of age. Foals should have an IgG test performed within 24 hours of age in order to ensure that they have absorbed adequate antibodies. In the event that equine colostrum is unavailable, intra venous administration of hyperimmunized equine plasma by your veterinarian is the best alternative to provide adequate protective antibodies to foals. Other alternatives to mare's milk include milk replacers, goat's milk, and cow's milk.
The best and most economical alternative to mare's milk is equine milk replacers. These replacers are specially formulated to meet a foal's nutritional needs and are the closest in content to mare's milk. Acidified milk replacers are preferable because acidification enhances nutrient digestibility and allows the reconstituted milk to stay fresh longer.
Goat's milk is the next best alternative to mare's milk. While the fat content is higher than mare's milk, it is highly emulsified and easier to digest than the fat found in cow's milk. Disadvantages of feeding goat's milk include the small packaged volume, the expense, and the greater risk of constipation.
While cow's milk can be fed to foals, it is lower in sugar than mares' milk and has twice the fat content, which can lead to diarrhea due to poor digestibility. If cow's milk is fed, it is best to feed 2% milk (lower in fat) and add dextrose (easily digestible type of sugar) to the milk to increase the carbohydrate content to match that of mare's milk. This can be accomplished by adding 40 millimeters of 50% dextrose solution to each quart of milk, or by adding a 2 ounce package of jam/jelly pectin to every 3 quarts of milk. Honey, corn syrup, or table sugar should not be used to increase the sugar content as these types of sweeteners contain sucrose which is poorly utilized by the foal and can cause diarrhea and colic. Non-pasteurized milk should be heated to 160 F for 15 seconds and allowed to cool prior to adding dextrose and feeding.
Calf milk replacers can be used for foals. When choosing a calf milk replacer, carefully read the ingredients list and only opt for products containing all milk proteins (skim milk, buttermilk, whey, casein) and avoid products containing soy protein, fish proteins, meat solubles, yeasts, or flours, and distiller's grain byproducts. Additionally, check the crude fiber, protein, and fat content. Appropriate levels for foals are: crude fiber < 0.2%, crude protein 20%, and fat 15%.
Foals should be feed 20 to 25% of their body weight per day (not per feeding). It is important to weigh the foal daily and adjust the daily feeding volume accordingly as the foal grows. Gradually, the volume of milk fed can be increased, while the frequency of feeding may be decreased. The average foal should gain approximately 2 pounds per day. If the foal fails to gain weight, the volume of milk or frequency should be increased. A general guideline for feeding normal healthy foals is to feed every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours through the night for the first 2 weeks (make sure to divide the total amount needed-about 25% of body weight - by the feeding frequency). Once the foal is consuming the calculated milk volume readily, the feedings can be spaced out to every 3 to 4 hours during the day, and 4 hours at night for another 1 to 2 weeks. By 1 month of age, most foals can be fed every 6 hours.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Nutritional Value of Summer Forages
As has been documented on this blog, summer grazing in the
northern Piedmont of North Carolina can be a challenge. The forage base in this area is cool season
grasses, which go dormant during the summer months. This makes many folks think about something
to use during the summer to provide good nutrition to their horses. Often, the answer is to use a summer annual
grass. There was an article written last
May (Summer
Annuals) that describes which summer annuals are recommended for grazing
horses and lists some that should not be grazed by horses. This article will show a bit more of the
differences between these recommended annual grasses used for summer grazing.
The grasses that were recommended were Pearl Millet, Crabgrass, and Teff. Note that most of the quality reports are based on cutting these grasses for hay. Let’s look at some test results for these forages.
Pearl Millet – according to researchers at the University of Georgia, protein levels range from 8 to 11%, depending on plant maturity at harvest. The Total Digestible Nutrient (TDN) levels ranged from 52% to 58%, so this can be a pretty good forage during the summer months. Consider that the 2016 yield data from Tifton Georgia shows an average of 15,500 pounds of dry matter produced, horses should not go hungry using Pearl Millet for their summer grazing. Pearl Millet does not produce prussic acid, so that should not be a worry in the fall after frost, but be careful and check for nitrates, especially after the plant has fast growth following a drought situation.
Crabgrass is a summer annual that not many people think of for use in grazing, but it is a solid performer during the summer months. Crabgrass is an annual, and there are two named varieties that have been developed for use in pastures. One of these is Red River Crabgrass and the other is Quick–N–Big. There are some others generally classified as “common” crabgrass. Researchers at the University of Arkansas found protein levels of crabgrass hay that was cut at the early heading stage averaged 14.3%, and the TDN of that hay averaged 59.1%. Crabgrass cut at the late heading stage still averaged 11% protein and 54.8% TDN. Those numbers translate to some pretty high quality forage to graze horses on during the summer. The folks at Arkansas found that crabgrass can produce over 8,000 pounds of dry matter per acre. Crabgrass is usually planted in the fall with small grains, or in April mixed with fertilizer. Crabgrass seed is small and light and does not flow well in a planter by itself.
The grasses that were recommended were Pearl Millet, Crabgrass, and Teff. Note that most of the quality reports are based on cutting these grasses for hay. Let’s look at some test results for these forages.
Pearl Millet – according to researchers at the University of Georgia, protein levels range from 8 to 11%, depending on plant maturity at harvest. The Total Digestible Nutrient (TDN) levels ranged from 52% to 58%, so this can be a pretty good forage during the summer months. Consider that the 2016 yield data from Tifton Georgia shows an average of 15,500 pounds of dry matter produced, horses should not go hungry using Pearl Millet for their summer grazing. Pearl Millet does not produce prussic acid, so that should not be a worry in the fall after frost, but be careful and check for nitrates, especially after the plant has fast growth following a drought situation.
Crabgrass is a summer annual that not many people think of for use in grazing, but it is a solid performer during the summer months. Crabgrass is an annual, and there are two named varieties that have been developed for use in pastures. One of these is Red River Crabgrass and the other is Quick–N–Big. There are some others generally classified as “common” crabgrass. Researchers at the University of Arkansas found protein levels of crabgrass hay that was cut at the early heading stage averaged 14.3%, and the TDN of that hay averaged 59.1%. Crabgrass cut at the late heading stage still averaged 11% protein and 54.8% TDN. Those numbers translate to some pretty high quality forage to graze horses on during the summer. The folks at Arkansas found that crabgrass can produce over 8,000 pounds of dry matter per acre. Crabgrass is usually planted in the fall with small grains, or in April mixed with fertilizer. Crabgrass seed is small and light and does not flow well in a planter by itself.
Teff – This warm-season
annual grass has received a lot of attention in different parts of the country
over the last decade. It also has pretty
good protein (9 – 14%) and digestibility (55 - 64% TDN) depending on maturity
at harvest/grazing. The quality data is
from New
Mexico State University. Production
is between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds of dry matter per acre. It is a very small seed that requires a good,
firm seedbed and good seed placement. It is very easy to plant the seed too
deep, so be careful. Garry
Lacefield, Extension Forages Specialist with the University of Kentucky,
recommends that Teff not be grazed until the root system is fully established. It
is a shallow-rooted grass that can be pulled up by grazing, especially if it is
grazed too early. Still, that’s not bad
for a grass originally used as a grain crop in Ethiopia and other countries
around the world.
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