Watching Star Bright...SB 4/19,La La 4/20, Red 5/23, FILLY!

[Charlotte]

Is this going to be a loooong watch? Good grief. She started bagging up March 12 at 289 days. Today she is 314 days with a SHRINKING udder! Good grief. 2 days ago she went from thin watery milk to thick sticky milk so I thought 'we are on GO'.

Stall is all bedded, tail braided, watching constantly.

Udder is shirinking!!! I have to check but I think her first foal she carried in the 340s. We are a LONG way from there!

Reflections Star Bright. This is a MUCH anticipated foal. Star Bright is a multiple World Champion Star Skipper daughter in foal to a Billy Idol son. A never before cross and SO exciting! So why doesn't she get on with it???????

Are we having fun yet?

this picture was made 3 days ago

 

[Eagle]

Hi and welcome to the nutty nursery

Is your mare on cam? If so we can help with the night shift if not just post plenty of pics of the future mum and dad and we will be happy

Any chance we could have pics of tummy (a but closer though) udder and from behind so we can see where baby is sitting, oh and hooha pics help too. Yes we are quite demanding

 

[targetsmom]

Are we having fun yet?

I keep asking myself the same question!!! Glad you found this place - Welcome!!! I think it helps maintain sanity, but I am not really sure, because I think I am over the edge already. (And I have suspicions about some of the others on here too LOL!).

In case you haven't heard, not only are the mares not going by the book this year, I think they are trying to re-write it! Two people on here already had mares US to be sure they were still pregnant and both were... actually, one still is, as of yesterday anyway (Lyric).

 

[Eagle]

I think it helps maintain sanity, but I am not really sure, because I think I am over the edge already. (And I have suspicions about some of the others on here too LOL!).

Some are certified!

 

[Eagle]

I want some happy pills

 

[Becky]

Can't wait to see this foal! I hope she doesn't keep you waiting for WEEKS!

 

[Sandy B]

Charlotte- welcome to the club! Our mare started bagging 5 weeks ago and was coming along nicely and then 2 weeks ago had her milk in, still with a relatively small udder and I thought she would go early, and then a day later the milk is gone and udder shrunk and now acts like she will make 340 days. She is 320 today. Only changes have been the tummy shaping in to a nice "V".

 

[bannerminis]

Very pretty mare and she has a lovely bump too. Hope she foals for you soon.

 

[AnnaC]

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the Maternity Ward. You have a really lovely mare there and she is going to have a beautiful baby for you very soon (I hope it will be soon for your sake!!)

I do hope some of the other posters haven't put you off (not all of us are ready for the nuthouse - on second thoughts, yes, most of us probably are!). It is the long long hours that we spend glued to various cams willing these naughty mares to have their foals that causes 'quirky' behaviour in a lot of us.

Please join in the fun while keeping us up to date with lots of pictures of your beautiful girl - and any other animals that make up your tribe!

 

[Charlotte]

(not all of us are ready for the nuthouse - on second thoughts, yes, most of us probably are!)

thank you for the welcome. And I feel perfectly at home in the 'mare watch nut house'

After all, don't you think a person would have to be nuts for doing this year after year for....something close to 40 years?????

I just don't know what to think about Star Bright. Frank says he remembers when we foaled her out as a maiden for her then owner and that she foaled with a soft floppy bag. I didn't keep much in the way of records for that foaling since she didn't belong to me at that time. Now I wish I had.

I'll try to get more pictures of SB tomorrow if it's not raining. Surely a group of minds can come up with a predicted foaling date.

 

[Charlotte]

• Well, this is just TOO wierd! Star Bright's udder has regressed a lot! Milk is thick and creamy and amber colored....easy to access from that tiny floppy little udder.
  

NOW La La has made dramatic changes! Overnight her udder went to almost nothing...like it was when she first showed signs of bagging up about 3 weeks ago. I couldn't believe it this morning at first check. Her milk is thin & watery. Not what I think of as 'foaling ready' at all (but I have had some mares foal with milk like that before) Now I put her up at noon. She has a pretty fulish, tightish bag! Way more udder than she has had since she started bagging up.

Paradigm, who just foaled Tuesday, Star Bright and now Oooh La La have all been up and down with the udders. I'm starting to think the annual rye they are grazing in the paddocks is causing some wierd issues. Does anyone have experience with late term mares grazing ANNUAL RYE?

I have always been very careful to keep my first trimester mares off of any rye because of the possibility of high nitrate toxicity causing the enviornmental 'dwarfs'. So are there other issues with Annual Rye besides nitrates? I have much more lush rye this year than is usual here. It's usually very sparse but our winter has been very warm and wet. Any ideas on this strange bagging up?

Now I may have 2 mares on beeper. oh dear. Sure wish our cams were on line. I'm going to try to get some pictures in a few minutes.

 

[Eagle]

I am sorry, I can't help, I just had a quick look on line and it seems that Fescue is dangerous for pregnant mares but I can't find anything about Annual Rye.

 

[Charlotte]

Star Bright, 315 days. Her udder has virtually vanished in the past 24 hours. Her milk is easy to access and thick, sticky and now amber colored.

Star Bright is about 33" and carrying her second foal.

Star Bright, 315 days.

 

[Charlotte]

La La, 306 days. 29" and carrying her second foal. Milk thin and watery not sticky at all.

La La with her first foal

 

[Eagle]

Have you tested their milk on milk strips?

 

[Charlotte]

No I haven't Eagle. Over the years I have found my own fingers to be the best for milk evaluation. The problem has always been that some mares' milk is by the book and some mares' milk is way off the charts. (I've never been able to teach my mares to read the darn books!)

These up and down bags this year is just the strangest thing. I'm becoming suspicious that grazing all day on the rye is when I'm seeing the udders really regressing. Today i'm testing keeping these two in a paddock with mostly bermuda....very little rye.

Paradigm foaled Tuesday night. The weekend before her udder went way down. Monday evening suddenly her udder had substantially increased but was not tight and hot as is usual for her then she foaled Tuesday night. This is a mare who has always had a huge, Jersey cow udder for days before foaling. Her 7th foal...I think.

I think this is all just too wierd and I'm having trouble deciding who to watch the closest.

 

[targetsmom]

I think this is all just too wierd and I'm having trouble deciding who to watch the closest.

There seem to be several of us in that boat!! We THOUGHT our mares breeding dates were nicely spaced over a month's time, but two (21 days apart) are in a neck and neck race and the third one (10 days behind) seems to be catching up fast. We started with one camera and 2 Equipage transmitters and have already added a second camera and quad processor, and have a THIRD camera on order. We just dug out our original Foal Buzzer and tested it today so it is all set to go when the camera arrives. But we really don't mind waiting as long as the outcome is good.

We haven't seen bags regressing - just not PROgressing...

 

[Becky]

Looking at those pictures, LaLa appears to be in the lead bag wise. But, with udders going up and down, it's really hard to predict who is going to foal and when. I'm in the same boat with Just Magic. Her udder isn't going down, but it's not progressing like I thought it would be by now.

 

[Charlotte]

There seem to be several of us in that boat!! We THOUGHT our mares breeding dates were nicely spaced over a month's time, but two (21 days apart) are in a neck and neck race and the third one (10 days behind) seems to be catching up fast. We started with one camera and 2 Equipage transmitters and have already added a second camera and quad processor, and have a THIRD camera on order. We just dug out our original Foal Buzzer and tested it today so it is all set to go when the camera arrives. But we really don't mind waiting as long as the outcome is good.
We haven't seen bags regressing - just not PROgressing...

Targetsmom, I thought my breeding season was all planned too. Paradigm and La La were supposed to be pretty much together with Star Bright about 30 days behind. Then Red, then Dinah. This would give me foals to have a weaning buddy. I don't klnow what the heck is going to happen now.

You have obviously planned ahead to have all the right equipment. Every year I just hope my cameras and Breeder Alert systems don't get a hiccup in them. Wish I had bought one of those baby buzzers as a back up. Is that the one that fastens to the top of a halter?

 

[targetsmom]

Wish I had bought one of those baby buzzers as a back up. Is that the one that fastens to the top of a halter?

Yes, Charlotte, it screws to the top of the halter and needs a baby monitor or intercom to be heard in the house. I bought mine used from another forum member and it was already attached to the halter. They cost around $55, so a lot cheaper than an Equipage and I think even cheaper than getting a third transmitter?? Assuming you have a baby monitor of course. But once the mare lies out flat and it goes off, it keeps buzzing until the mare moves again! So if needed, we will put it on Sox, who rarely lies flat out (famous last words).

We do a lot of planning, but our best laid plans haven't worked out too well in the past. We are trying to stay optimistic for this year though, as this is the most mares we ever bred that got or stayed pregnant this long.

Mary