When to call it a night?

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Just gathering opinions.

When a mare has foaled, when do you head off to leave them to it? I'm the kind of person who likes to see my horses last thing at night and first thing when I wake so that won't be a bother but do most people leave when the foals up and had a feed and passed meconium or do you get up periodically again? How long do you keep up regular checks? Should I just build a bed room in the stables? Lol

 

During the first several days I always let momma's bond with their babies. But I check many times a day, and put them out by themselves for some exercise in a small yard. But the first several days to me are important to check to see if anything looks like it could be going wrong with baby. So, careful checking is just fine. I visit the momma, who is usually happy to let me visit with her and baby by themselves and get a few scratches and snuggles in with the new little one. After all is well with baby, I put momma out with the other mommies and babies.

So, once baby is up and had a drink, let them bond, but certainly checking on baby several times during those first few days is prudent on your part, to be sure everything is going as expected. Good job!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

What about temperatures of the foal? Is it a good idea to get a reading when it's up then again once a day so any infection can be caught or is that too invasive?

Also what do most people use for the umbilical stump?

 

[Mona]

Immediately after foaling, I always wait up until I have made sure the placenta has passed, and that the foal is up and actually nursing well. I get down on my hands and knees and look up under from the opposite side to ensure they are actually nursing strongly, and not just mouthing the teat.

EDITED TO ADD: I also give their Tetanus Antitoxin right after birth and while they are still down. They are so new, they really don't seem to bother fighting it too much. I have never routinely taken temps. Also, they cannot regulate body temps well the first couple of days, so that could also affect their temp. For the umbilical stump, I always used an iodone spray that I got from the vet. It's been so many years now, I don;t recall the name of it, but I prefer that to pouring or dipping as I can adjust the squirt from a mist to a stream so you could heavily apply it as a spray no matter what position the foal was in. I have also dipped them and I will use a little plastic medicine cup like off of a bottle of Nyquil, and put their navel right in there, hold the cup up tight to their body so it gets a good soaking. The old camera film containers worked great too, but those are rare these days! LOL!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Also also (let's just call this my silly qu that new mothers have thread)

I have chickens and cats in the barn. Should I block all access into the stall? Would cat toileting habits harm the foal? Will chickens peck out the eyeballs?

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Mins. The tet jab, do you buy that yourself? I'm not sure what medicines are available here to give without a vet.