Question about Foal due date....

[RockinSMiniature]

Hi,

I am curious and it will be my first foal coming up in 5-6 more weeks.

I was reading this message board and I really love to read and learn from you all.

I am very glad this message board is up and I was worried that didn't have any message board and I looked and looked and I happened come cross this message board in almost a year ago.

My question is...

What is normal days for the mares to carry the foal?

As for first maiden mare?

Do the first timer mare will have bag of milk of like signs about having the foal soon?

What kind of bedding that you prefer as straw, hay or bedding in the stall for a having a foal?

I heard that the shaving bedding that might cause colic because when the momma lick the foal and swallow the chip and causing colic...

I order two blankets for the foal because in Oklahoma does go up and down with the temps.

Will have heat lamp out there when we have a foal (depend on the weather, of course).

Also my vet is only 1/2 mile away from us.

Our barn is right next to our bedroom and does have light shine to the barn and I can check every one hour at nighttime.. hehe!.. I know it is not fun part!..

If you have any advice for me and that's will be great!...

What is the best sign of labor?...

 

[Skittlebittie]

Hi,

I would HIGHLY recommend you buy the book; The Complete Book of Foaling, by Karen Hayes, DVM. It is my bible. I wouldn't want to do without it. I think it will answer all your questions for you and then some. It also has pictures of what to look for as far as the signs of foaling, and how to check the milk, which is a very good indicator of when a mare will foal. I would also reommend a foaling monitor of some sort. They range from 50.00 to 700.00, depending on what you get. But, my foal alert monitor has alerted me several times while I was asleep, that one of my mares was foaling, and I was able to be there for the births. Some of these babies would not have made it without some assistance, so my monitor is invaluable to me. I also have cameras in the stalls and a monitor in my bedroom, so if my monitor goes off, I can see what is what.

Maidens dont always follow the rules, as far as foaling. Some get nice, big bags, some have small bags, and some have no bags when they foal, but get them in quickly afterwards. I had a maiden foal at day 303 2 years in a row. Well, the second time, she wasn't a maiden, LOL! Most all of my mares foal between day 324 and 326, but I have heard some people say their mares had gone longer than 340 days also. I will say that 80 % of horses foal between 11pm and 3am, and that usually runs true with my mares. As far as my stalls, I just use shavings, and then spread out a bale of hay on top of that in the stall.

Good luck!

Lori

 

[Jill]

Our mares have carried right around 330 days.

For timing, if I remember right, we've had 3pm, 9pm, 1am (not a happy ending), 8pm, midnight, 3am, and 5am

It's good to have the foal on straw vs. shavings for the first week or so, but if the mare chows down on the straw, it's good to bed down with hay. We do shavings down under the straw or hay.

Some signs to watch are loose stools, udder progression, dropped belly, loose tail head, elongated vulva, red interior of private area, butt rubbbing, pooping more and around the perimeter of the stall, going off feed...

We have an inexpensive wireless camera system (Swann Nighthawk) and that has saved us a lot of hassle. We just watch the monitor vs. getting up to physically check the mares periodically. We have 5 cameras set up in various stalls but the system can only show 4 at one time (rotates between the four or fewer we have on at the time). It has sound (you can mute the monitor which is just a spare tv if you choose). It "sees" just as good at night as it does during the day which amazes me especially given the low cost of the system... it is awesome! This year we got a simple halter buzzer so instead of sleeping in shifts taking turns watching, we can hopefully both sleep and when we hear the buzzer, look at the monitor to see if our mare is in labor, or only just sleeping on her side.

Another book worth recommending for foaling info as well as other good info is Miniature Horses: A Veterinary Guide for Owners and Breeders. It's a very good book and I think now in paperback and fairly inexpensive (look at Amazon.com).

Good luck!!! A new foal is so exciting, and especially the mini version (that is just my unbiased opinion!)

 

[Skittlebittie]

Oh Jill, I hadn't heard of that book. I will definitely pick it up! I just LOVE this board

Lori

Ha, I just bought it online. Thanks again Jill!

 

[Joanne]

The best advise I can give you is to watch the mare and not the calendar. Mares go when they want to. We have a mare in the barn right now that has had many babies for us. She has foaled anywhere from 308 days to 363 days and everything in between.

Our average foaling day here is around 320 days. They are normal foals and are just ready to come out.

The most common mistake I see in first time owners is that they say the mare is not due to foal yet and then they walk out and find a foal on the ground.

Only sometimes do these have happy endings.

I love teh Karen Hays book too. I think the first chapter's title is "Being There".

 

[kaykay]

Ours foal right at 330 days even our bigger Shetland ponies. Maiden mares are trickier as they tend to give false signals longer. Last year we had an almost even split between foals born during the day and foals born during the night. I had one born at Noon, one at 9 am, one at 2 am, etc.

We use grass hay if possible to bed foaling stalls when foaling is near. I have a lot of trouble of mares eating straw so would rather use grass hay so I dont worry if they eat it. I do put a layer of shavings under the hay or it gets very hard to clean. Once the foal is about 3 days old I go back to shavings.

Remember to put together a foaling kit and keep it nearby. I also always have a phone on me during mare stare.

I think whats hard for new people is that it isnt always easy to get a mini foal nursing. You do have to watch and be sure that they are truly nursing and getting milk. Sometimes you have to step in and help them find the nipple and this can be the most frustrating thing you will ever do.

Read as much as you can so you know what to do in the case of a red bag or dystocia. Unfortunately you cannot rely on a vet as many times by the time they get there you can have lost your mare and/or foal. Foaling is very fast and there are only minutes to get a foal out.

Kay

 

[wildoak]

I'm waiting on a maiden now who is at 354 days.......waiting and waiting and......

Most of mine tend to foal on the early side of 330 days, but I've had a few go this long. Watching the mare and not the calendar as Joanne said is probably the best advice! One more excellent book is The Complete Foaling Manual by Theresa Jones. Not sure it's still in print, but mine is a treasured possession! It comes out and is reread every spring.

Jan