Is this a weird foaling season for any else?

[Firefall]

Hi all, this has been the strangest foaling season for me so far. First off, mares are going way over their due dates. Ok thats normal sometimes but usually not here.

Second, they are starting their bags much later, ok, now some have a nice tight bag filled like is should be and then thats it, no foals. Its like progress stops and here we sit and wait......................

I have had some mares in their stalls for too long under camera and they are bored out of their minds, can't blame them at all. Why are they? Cause their bags are full, I don't dare let them out due to injuries to a new foal.

I was fixing another stall due to a another tight bag, went in the house for a break, heard a commotion and the mare I was getting ready for had foaled, but he got kicked and didn't survive. I had walked past this mare all day and patted her bum every time and would chat with her as I went by, the whole time she was eating, eating and more eating. Obviously I wasn't in a hurry and didn't think she was.........

Anyone else having a strange foaling season? Oh and there is NO fescue in the hay.

 

[Leeana]

I am so so sorry for your loss

I have a mare, who normally foals 3wks early and today is at 345 days...she has had a full tight hot bag for the past month! It is extremely odd for her to go this long and there is no fescue in my hay either. Was really hoping she would foal this weekend. She is U/S in foal too. I just want a healthy foal on the ground, no matter how long she decides to take.

 

[minie812]

Same here. My very experienced broodmare went over (for her) to 334 days. She has never gone that long and now I have a maiden that is at 345 days today....WHERE"S THE BABY!

I am sorry you lost your little guy. My family is a tad unhappy with me because I have missed alot of family functions this last month...birthdays...graduations...birthdays....GAD! They do not understand

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

I have only had one mare foal so far, but she was due the first of April and foaled the 24th. I was concerned I might have some fescue in my hay that I had been getting in the winter..even though they assured me there was none. She had a harder than usual delivery. I just have 2 more in waiting, I didn't bred very many for 2009, for several reasons.

 

[dgrminis]

It has been a little unusual here as well -- and no fescue in our hay either. But we had two mares due end of march and they both waited till the middle of April to foal. The one was a maiden and she surprised me as she got a very full tight bag before foaling.... And the other had her bag full and tight for almost 3 weeks before she finally foaled. She was getting very tired of her stall before she foaled...

My third mare had a full tight bag for a couple days but showed no other signs... My husband felt bad for her and let her out of her stall to eat grass in the pasture - he was leaving but I was only 15 minutes away from home so I said it was ok -- I got home and walked in the front door looked out the back to see her standing -- put down my stuff and looked back out the back door to see her go down and up and down again -- had time to grab a towel and the iodine bottle and by the time I got outside she had her filly out and was breaking the bag and starting to clean her...

My forth mare -- she foaled pretty normal though -- followed the signs and foaled within 2 days of having a full tight bag... But my 5th mare was bred the same time as her and normally she bags up way ahead of time -- well she has a bag that is only about half full and has been that way for almost a month so I am not sure what she is doing -- haha

Has been a strange year to me but at the same time I have learned they never seem to follow the same patterns

Other than I have been lucky and most of mine either foal early morning or early evening (before bed) and they have been nice and kept that same pattern for me

 

[Joanne]

We are normally in the 320 - 330 foaling range. This year we are in the 340-350 range.

Strange....

But I have had a group of 32-34 inches in first.

My next five are 31.50 and less. So maybe they will go in the 320 range like they have before???

We will find out.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Only had one mare foal so far, past two foals for us she went 345 and 350 days, foaled this morning at 320 days with a gorgeous filly!

Have another with a decent bag but think we still have a week, and our last mare has an udder but not very big, so think she may go a little over her due date, course she's not due until May 18th..

 

[Magic]

It's been weird here too. Two of my foals were born awfully early, 298 days (he's fine) and 303 days (the first foal I've ever lost). Right now I have two mares under camera at 362 and 363 days! I've NEVER had a mare go this long, much less TWO of them.

I can feel the foals moving. The mares finally started bagging up just a week ago. Reallly strange.

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

I have two maidens that got hot hard bags and just leveled off. Held them in a holding pattern for a week or more once they got to the stage of " its any time now". Even two weeks for one. Once the milk test strips said RIGHT NOW,, then for one mare it was still three more days and she had a red bag.

One mare was 349 and the other was 353.

 

[Kitty]

I'm in the it's a strange year group.

I have NEVER had a mare go over. I have a line that is always a month early. This year I have not had full bags, going over the due dates and EXTRA crabbiness in the herd.

I had to kick 3 out of the barn with foals a couple of weeks old because they were attempting to kick the tar out of EVERYONE including us. I like to keep the foals in the first month and turn them out in the areana most of the day. WELL not anymore. OUT OUT OUT!!!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Ditto here. It's 3AM, and I'm watching a mare with a pretty full bag and easily expressed liquid SLEEP. (I think I'm jealous) She normally goes at 334 days. I think she's at Day 350 right now. I wanna strangle her. Fortunately, she is the last one for us this year.

Why do we do this?

Lucy

 

[Jill]

It has been wierd here for us.

First mare (maiden) foaled in January slightly earlier than I expected but with such a little bag I thought we had time to go.

March foal was when I expected, mare gave signs I recognized.

Foal born last week, checked mare at feed time and didn't seem read, milk still clear, muscles still felt strong. 2 hours later, there she was in labor. Ended up prolapse uterus and needed several hours of vet attention. Missed the bonding time w/ her colt and I think that + physical discomfort / pain caused her to reject him. We just got him to drink from a bowl yesterday.

At this point, I cannot say I am excited that we have 3 mares bred for next year. I can't say either that I'm going to stay in the breeding business and these mares and my others may be in other people's breeding program as mine may close down. I just don't know if I can take this anymore...

 

[eagles ring farm]

We are having a weird season too

1 mare 354 days bag only maybe half full not testing ready with only a drop or 2 of milk I can express when I'm lucky. Showing some signs tail flicking and her mushy butt is starting to cave on the sides

1 mare at 349 almost no bag to speak of cannot express milk to test at all since 2 weeks ago

bag was a little larger and then got smaller

both these mares went early last time they were in foal

and 2 due in June that have bigger bags then the one at 349 days

we lost our first colt in March due to breech birth so the waiting just seems never to end

 

[Matt73]

My mare is at 331 today and only has a hint of a bag (a puffiness). No change at all for 2 or 3 weeks. Mind you, she's a maiden so

 

[kmh]

The same thing is happening at our farm. Our first mare foaled on day 327...the exact number of days that she foaled last year. That was all well and good.

However we are waiting on mare #2 who is at 337 days....this is her second foal. She has had a very firm, full udder and quite swelled in the back end for almost a week, flanks have been hollowed out and she has had the "V" tummy look for a few days. I thought we would have had a foal long before now. But apparently the mare has different plans.

Steph