Marestare: At what stage to watch 24/7?

[PaintedMeadows]

I am just winding up to foaling season here. My first mare is about 311 days today. She is now under camera and in the foaling area. I am wondering when you all start watching 24/7? Staying up at night watching the camera etc. What signs do you look for first? My girl is a maiden with a bag shaping up nicely but definitely not full. Vulva elongating but she is a very relaxed mare so not sure if she is just relaxed when I check her or stretching. Belly still rounded but dips are starting to form in front of hips. Just looking for opinions.

 

[txminipinto]

On a maiden? NOW! LOL! Very few actually watch 24/7. It's impossible, especially when only they know when they are going to foal! I generally wake up every 2 hours to look at the monitor. Only when I have ALL the signs of foaling (udder, wax, vulva, loose tail, hot/red pink inside, etc) will I actually try to stay awake. But with a maiden, anything can happen at any time!

 

[Jill]

So far, with all our horses except one (7 out of 8, including some maidens), we have known it was time to watch like a hawk based on behavior changes. Each time, except our one that snuck by me... we found her foaling at 5am when we went out to feed... I've told Harvey it would happen within the next 24 hours and it has 7 times! They will act more uncomfortable, the signs you may see in the udder (or not, a maiden's the one that surpised me).

This year, we added a foal halter buzzer which is not expensive ($60). When they lay in the foaling position, it makes a steady buzz which you can hear over your camera system if it carries sound (ours does) or by using a baby monitor. That worked like a charm and let us both sleep. We had taken turns sleeping last year (one would sleep as the other watched). I highly recommend them. I'm a freak about not leaving halters on a horse but we use a breakaway halter with leather I do think really will break for a mini (some "breakaways" have leather as thick as for a big horse and I don't trust that kind of halter to break for a mini).

The basic signs we've seen are more tail swishing, acting more agitated / uncomfortable, peeing and pooing more, getting up and down (that is getting very close usually), changes in the udder and the milk that comes out, elongation of the vulva, and the muscles around the tail head and basically butt getting softer. But, again, that buzzer is just great. We even took naps along with sleeping at night

Good luck!!!!

 

[PaintedMeadows]

We have had 7 foals here so it won't be my first but I have been hearing about alot of horses foaling this year with little to no signs so I am starting to get a little nervous. lol Here are her pictures. Taken yesterday.

Opinions? Should I watch her like a hawk? lol

 

[Jill]

Opinions? Should I watch her like a hawk? lol

Yes!!! I think we'll be reading an announcement from you pretty soon!!!

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Jill, I was putting in my pictures as you were typing your first email so thanks for all of the info and WOW, you think I should start watching nights now? OK, so my daughter gets to start sleeping with her Dad and I'll take her bed. lol. We are supposed to have nice warm weather for the next week and a half so now would be a good time. I have another mare hot on her heals too although that mare went 387 days last year so who knows I guess. Thanks for your help!

 

[Jill]

What makes me say watch her is the udder mostly, but also her vulva. Our maiden mare the snuck up on me in January with "Piper" filly had no where near that size udder pre-foaling (but plenty of milk, etc., right after foaling).

Exciting -- but exhausting -- times!!! Don't we know it

 

[txminipinto]

Your mare is showing more signs than mine at 338 days! Lucky you! LOL. Jill, I thought about getting one of those buzzers, but after watching this mare sleep flat out for hours at a time for 3 nights in a row, I'm glad she's not wearing one.

 

[Jill]

Your mare is showing more signs than mine at 338 days! Lucky you! LOL. Jill, I thought about getting one of those buzzers, but after watching this mare sleep flat out for hours at a time for 3 nights in a row, I'm glad she's not wearing one.

Carin -- Double "tried" to do that, sleep flat out, but the buzzer annoyed her and she didn't. She's not a hard core flat out sleeper, so don't know if she'd have done it anyway if she was but the buzzer kept her from it. We'd see her lay flat out, hear it and then sleep more upright

Not that we want to annoy our mares and have them sleep in a way they don't most enjoy but figured the trade off was well worth it. We knew when it was the steady buzz, it was "show time" and there came our filly Infinity

 

[~Lisa~]

Yes for a maiden now is the time to be watching. I am one who stays home and watches 24/7 when I have a mare who is close I do not rely on all the signs as they can be tricky. Having the breeder alert along with the camera has allowed me to get a bit of sleep though.

I do have to stock up on groceries and we become very friendly with the pizza delivery guy during that time.

Looking at those pics I am with Jill won't be long now!

 

[tagalong]

Painted Meadows - as fuzzy as your mare is... it might be a good idea to clip her around her flanks and belly a bit - think of it as a path for the foal to nurse through!

We had a maiden mare foal at 296 days once... with no preliminary clues... fortunately I did not trust her so had the foal alert on at the time - and the camera as well.

Mares do not always stick to a pattern... we have a mare here who foaled on day 312 for 3 pregnancies in a row - with most of the textbook warning signs... and then decided that 349 with no signs was a better idea...

Thus the final question on our Equine Reproductive Physiology exam back in college was....

For 50 bonus points... what is the rule to live by for equine parturition?

Answer: The most predictable thing about a mare is her unpredictability!!

 

[txminipinto]

For 50 bonus points... what is the rule to live by for equine parturition?
Answer: The most predictable thing about a mare is her unpredictability!!

Boy is that the truth!

 

[backwoodsnanny]

We actually DO watch 24 /7 but there are 4 of us that share the responsibilities My husband myself my daughter and her home schooled son all take turns so everyone gets some sleep. We bring them in at 300 days and put them under camera at night they go out during the day until signs say they should be in. For some they have been constanatly under camera or watched 24/7 at 300 days for others it has been at 320 or so before signs said they were nearing foaling. We have had 8 babies here and have never lost one at birth. We had one mare foal at 256 and we did lose that one the baby didnt even have hair yet. If I owned your maiden I would be watching very closely based on her udder and how loose she looks from behind.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Thank you everyone. Great info. I will get my clippers out there right away. Her bag has gone down slightly this afternoon but whew boy is she grouchy!

She is fine with me but if another horse looks at her she goes berserk. They are on the other side of the panels but she gets some upset! lol. Poor girl.

 

[barnbum]

We actually DO watch 24 /7 but there are 4 of us that share the responsibilities My husband myself my daughter and her home schooled son all take turns so everyone gets some sleep.

Oh my--how lucky is that??!!

I watch all night by myself...ugh.

For my first round of foals-in 2005--I started watching every two hours all night starting at 300 days... but I kept notes on exactly what the mares' signs were and what changes were going on for both 2005 and 2007--so HOPEFULLY I can pinpoint it closer this year... as long as they keep some semblance of normal routine.

Udders/milk color and stickiness/vulva length/restlessness--those are the biggest signs for me. Udders are always hard in the AM and PM before they foal, other wise they are hard in the AM, but soften by noon if it's not the night. The milk gets thicker, more yellow, but mostly stickier. I always put some in my palm and keep tapping my finger tips in it to see how long before the stickness happens. On mares did a neat ritual sort of thing last year... I wrote my interpretation of it--I'm very curious if she'll repeat it this year.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Thanks for the info!! I'm curious. What was last years ritual?

 

[Riverdance]

I'm still watching....

are you?

My mare has had all the signs of being ready for days, still nothing. She is too much of a witch to try and test milk, but has had a hard bag for over a week. Soft rear, mushy vulva that is a dark pink, sunken hips, etc.................................................

 

[PaintedMeadows]

lol I am but I am not as googley eyed as you!

I got some milk out of June Bug last night and it was yellow tinged clear and slightly salty. I think I will pick up some kick butt pool test strips today and see how that goes for me this year. She is grouchy again this morning, tail is more loose but bag hasn't changed and vulva is just pale pink. I am charging my clippers and will do her belly later when the sun comes out. I opened her door for some outside time but she prefers to stay inside for now.

Oh well, all the better to watch her!

How long have you been watching your mare?

 

[PaintedMeadows]

We're getting closer! Lots more milk, less salty more sweet. Red vulva, dips in front of hips, lower belly but no real V, grouchy as all get out!! Hopefully soon!! Daytime would be perfect!