Ok, now that I can see it...

[HGFarm]

How do you participate in this program? Do you need a special camera? How does this whole thing work?

Are the phone numbers on the screen the numbers of the owner or mare stare folks? What does it cost to do this?

 

[kaykay]

We use a security camera that you can buy at radio shack or sams for about 99.00. We use wired as we have found wireless to be very un reliable.

We use wefoal hosting and its 20.00 per month and they give you all the software free. If you pay by the year its much cheaper. You also have to buy a dazzle (50.00) which is what the camera plugs into and the dazzle plugs into your computer. That is what puts your picture live and you can also record.

I think its really reasonable to get going give the huge benefits.

The phone numbers are the horse owners phone numbers in case someone sees something go wrong

 

[HGFarm]

OMG, that is a long way to run something from the camera to my computer.... they are at opposite ends of the property.

The price is not bad though and I limit my foaling time to a couple of months in the spring, so they are not spread out all over the year. Is the hosting (you mentioned wefoal) something different than marestare- another program entirely, but like the same thing or is that a program used to get the info to marestare?

 

[targetsmom]

WeFoal and MareStare are different entities offering similar services. I have used both. Google Mare Stare for the website (I don't dare post it). Yes, you will definitely get hooked! Mare Stare has a Barn Alarm that you can have running in the background on your computer and an alarm will go off when a mare (or cow or dog...) is close. Heather at Mare Stare is absolutely wonderful to work with. There is a lot more info on the site about what you need.

ETA: I have received many calls form Mare Stare watchers and know that many others have shared our pain and joy during foaling season. I would not be without it.

 

[HGFarm]

Ah, ok. Different 'tv channel programming' LOL

Oh I have marestare now saved in my favorites... am watching the little paint mare on there do NOTHING, LOL But man is she not happy- keeps snaking her head and just standing there waiting to pop.

I have a breeder alert and camera that plugs into my TV in my room for the monitor, but this mare stare thing is pretty cool and shares with others too.

 

[minie812]

You will become an addict. I just ordered my capture card from Riverwind to plug into my puter and will be starting up with marestare the end of the month. I believe it costs around 24.00 a month for it.

 

[HGFarm]

What is a 'capture card'?

 

[minie812]

It is what marestare needs to capture the video and connect to their system for viewing live streaming video. You can got to Riverwind and see their systems and get a bit more info. You can get cheaper camera systems you do not need theirs. http://www.foalingcamera.com/index.html

 

[HGFarm]

Great, thanks for the info.... sounds like a really cool option for foal watch. Modern technology! Ain't it grand?!!

 

[kimie28]

I absolutely LOVE

Marestare, Heather at Marestare and all the folks that watch my horses while I sleep on Marestare!!!! I will never foal without them. I had a mare foal a couple of weeks ago and our 2 phones must have had 25 or more calls all together just to make sure we were aware of our mare looking like she was going to foal. Nice to know they are there watching since I work full time and can not stay up all night.....just in case

For the $23 per month, Dazzle Digital Capture $15 off Ebay, security camera bought at Radioshack for $89 and the wire to the barn.....totally worth it. The best part is once you have your camera hooked up and ready, Heather will dial in on your computer and take over, download all software you need and set up EVERYTHING then show you how to keep in streaming. It is so simple that non techies can do it very easily.

 

[Connie P]

Ditto what kimie28 said.

LOVE marestare and wouldn't be without out it now. Heather is fantastic to work with and sure helped me (the computer illiterate LOL) I also received numerous calls from all the wonderful folks that watch the cameras and although I am very tentive and never leave my farm when I have a mare close it was wonderful to get the calls and know that someone was watching just in case something happened when I wasn't looking. I also have made MANY friends there and I just love that! Best of luck to you! We will turn our cam back on when our mare gets closer to foaling.

 

[picasso]

We are getting ready to hook our camera up to Marestare. I spoke with Heather yesterday. And yes she was very nice and helpful. I am one of the "Computer Dummies". So I told her she better be ready. She assured me it was no problem and everything would get done. I am going today to get the video capture device. Then I'll contact her again and she will set everything up. We have had the cameras for two years which gave us a lot of peace of mind during foaling, but still lost a whole lot of sleep. This year hopefully I'll have other people watching too.

 

[Joanne]

We recently switched over to Mare Stare so this will be our first year foaling with them.

We have one pregnant mare on cameras now, but by next week this time there will be four in our foaling stalls, and it will be that way for the next few months.

Heather made the transition for us painless. And I am very happy with the picture quality.

We are shutting off our cameras during the day when we clean right now. But once we are very close to foaling they will be on 24/7.

Daytime births are common for us.

 

[Becky]

I guess most of you that use one of the streaming foaling services don't have many thunderstorms in your area? We have so much severe weather here that I just can't risk leaving my computer on during storms. It's shut down and unplugged!

 

[minie812]

Becky, we have three computers 2 laptop and a older desktop. Will hook up to the desktop not our laptops. We do shutdown during severe weather but that is o.k. we can start up after it passes. And if by chance the ole desktop gets burned there is not much on it. We have surge protectors too on everything.