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Congratulations Anna! She's lovely and doesn't look at all early
I agree - she is fully "cooked" and not early at all!
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She was born at exactly the right time. How many days gestation?

Our two colts this year were born at 318 and 319 days...
 
I would be very interested in anyone's opinions on how this filly of ours managed to get born so early, and not only surived, but seems quite 'normal?

Chapella is 19 this year and has had a good many foals (we purchased her in 2004 and she has had 5 fillies and 1 colt for us - including this filly). She always foals near to her due dates, and this year had no V to her tummy and just an tiny possibility of a bag starting (not easy to tell after all those past foals), I had not bothered to check under her tail!

We have gone over and over her covering dates, but August 20th - 24th is correct, still that would make her due around July 20th, so I suppose to foal 23rd June is only a month/5 weeks early, so 290 - 300 days does give us a viable foal! From what I understand a lot do foal and survive earlier. I'm useless with working out 'dates' - we just work on covering dates and start watching closely some 4 to 6 weeks before due dates as we dont do any testing here, but so far, in 20 odd years, we have only missed 4 actual foalings (ooops 5 now! LOL!)

The picture I posted of the foal actually made her look better (condition wise) than she actually was. She is simply tiny (will get some measurements tomorrow) and quite thin and frail and her front legs bow at the knee - she looked just like a premmie foal.

But luckily Chapella's milk came flooding in and baby had no problem drinking and this morning has really filled out and is enjoying some field and grass time with her very special Momma!

We shall be watching our other mares with interest - one is due BEFORE Chapella should have foaled and one a few weeks after. If they both go to their expected dates, then we can say that we didn't make any mistakes and Chapella simply foaled extra early for some reason. She will have a rest now as she has had two babies on the trot. But we might be tempted to try for one more covering in 2012, before retiring her as her babies are just so special!
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We have given thanks for how lucky we have been with Chapella and her little daughter.
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Thanks for all your congratulations! Maria, it would be lovely to see you sometime this summer if you can make the time.

Anna
 
Mares ovulate at the end of their heat. So if she foaled on June 23 (?) then that was 302 days. I've had tons of foals born then! That's not early! Watch for her to foal around then next time too. (If you breed her back)
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Once I had bought an older bred mare & was told she would foal at 330. She DID! (age 18) So the next year I wasn't at all ready when I saw her coming for breakfast with a colt at only 302 days! (age 19) Then after she foaled around 292-302 days until I retired her. Maybe it's age?
 
A very big congratulations to you AnnaC, your filly is just lovely.
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On a side note, I find your posts to be so sincere and enjoy reading them.
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Good gracious, why all the panic?? She was up and going- the scary part was over!
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I do love your stories, they always make me smile and transport me to your wonderful stone barns.

mrsj said:
Oh Anna congratulations she is a little beauty! So very pleased for you. Sometime I will carry through my threat to visit you, you know . . .
XXX
I've visited!
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Anna and Cathy are wonderful hostesses and we SO enjoyed our time with them. It was supposed to be just a stop-in for lunch, but they took pity on my increasingly-ill travel partner and put us up for the night. Such a lovely farm!

AnnaC said:
I would be very interested in anyone's opinions on how this filly of ours managed to get born so early, and not only surived, but seems quite 'normal?
Just a thought, but there's not a chance she stole another mare's filly, is there?

Leia
 
I would be very interested in anyone's opinions on how this filly of ours managed to get born so early, and not only surived, but seems quite 'normal?
She was not "early", though - she was born when she was ready, We have had healthy, bouncy "normal" foals born at 296 days - so 302/303 days would be fine, depending on the mare & foal.
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I think I just got in a bit of a panic as I was simply not expecting any foals for quite a while! I know that foals can be born at 290 days + (some even earlier and they survive)But Chapella's previous foals have all been chunky, tubby little girls, never born unfolded and are usually the strongest of all the foals from the moment of birth. I wish I had got a better picture of this little girl (when I checked the picture, I thought 'that will do coz she looks ok in it'!) I should have taken one that showed just how frail she was, hunched up and wobbly legged. I agree now that she was not particularly early as her eyes were clear and the colour of her mouth/gums quite normal, also everything funtioned properly within a couple of hours. But Chapella herself only had a tiny showing of a start of a bag and was still carrying this baby high up in her tummy when she 'moved house' two days before. I felt really guilty thinking that the short stress free journey (for her) might have caused the 'early' foaling. Plus I was also worried that Chapella who had been on just grass for the past year, had to suddenly spend 24 hours in a stable eating dry hay, slowly introduced feed and hastily sliced up apples (to give her something sweet and the only thing we had to hand!) while we waiting for baby to seem strong enough for a spell out in the field.

However my fears seem to have been groundless. Chapella is fine (she's such a pro!) and the filly is coming on in leaps and bounds, her little front legs have already straighten a lot.

Ah well, all's well for now, again I thank you all for your congratulations and your infomation about dates and days. At least I have one happy Momma mare and a new little filly who is going to be ok.
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Anna
 
Congratulations on your little "early bird" Anna!!! So glad that all is well!! New baby looks alot like Dragon!!! How lovely! Kisses for Dragon!!!

Hugs,

Robin
 

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