Foaling Kit revisited

[ShowjumpersUSA]

I have learned so much about foaling out mares from all of you. Since it's getting close to that time of year again, how about a recap of the foaling kit and the various precautionary measures you all have recommended. I would never have known about the "pink paste" that seems to work so well, had it not been for this bulletin board. :-) Someone mentioned a shot given to the mare either right before or right after (?) the birth to prevent foal scours... Can't remember exactly what that was... Having colostrum in the freezer... where to get it... all of those good things we need to know or have on hand before the big day.

I have to be proactive when it comes to my mare's well being and this seems to be the place to learn new tricks. We have six mares due to foal this spring and I'm really anxious!

What do you have in your foaling kit?

[nsm]

I would second that! I have foaled out about a dozen babies, but still have alot to learn, so a re-cap would be nice.

NSM

[ShowjumpersUSA]

NSM, After twelve foals, you must have an interesting foaling kit. Care to share what's in there? Is it the usual stuff you can google up or do you have something special in there? :-)

B

[Equilibrium]

Here's what I put in my foaling kit:

Gauze bandages for tails
Total Foal Care Paste for newborns
towels
working flashlight
thermometer
baling twine for tying up placenta
plastic pail with lid for placenta
baby bottle
plastic measuring cup for milking into and then put milk in bottle
(it's wider and easier than milking into a bottle!)
camera
disposable gloves
iodine (I use spray kind, but most people dip so have a film container for this)
Also some people use nolvasan instead, but don't have that here and I've had no problems with iodine.
Sheet cotton or cotton wool
Also make sure you have your cell phone with vets numbers!
Another plastic pail for warm water
Packed into a plastic box which sits outside mares stall


I am just getting ready to do mine so I may have forgotten some things and haven't realized yet!

Terri

[Foxtrot's]

This is my favorite time of the year on COTH - the foaling/breeding time. I agree on a needing an annual re-cap since many of us are
not horse breeders, per se.

Here's what I learned last year and have seen nothing written on it:
A friend of mine (first time breeder) had a TB and was expecting an ISH foal. She lives in the toolies. She read and googled everything she could, asked her friends, set up her camper, set up the foaling area ... did everything right. Foal was born - a perfect little colt. Had an enema. He was fine for a while, pooped his meconium, the first normal poop came out, Perfect.

Then he went downhill, straining etc. She called two vets, both were too busy to come. She finally had to put him and the mare in a trailer and take him 3 hours away to a clinic. A neighbour drove and she stayed in the back with the baby and mom. They operated and watched him all night when he died.

This heartbreaking story happened because the little man had not passed all his meconium. A couple of bullets had stayed behind. It seems this is more common in colts because of their waterworks.

Lesson to be learned? I don't know, really. Give two enemas? Was told by the person who told us that she has a bottle of warm water with a few drops of dishwasher and pumps lots into him (don't know how). I live in a horsey neighbourhood and have several vets I can call upon to give my babies a check - but I had never heard of the above scenario before. Live and learn.

[ponymoves]

Had the same thing happen 2 years ago with a filly. Gave 2nd enema about 4 hrs after 1st and cleared her right up.. Last year after 30 days had a filly develop what we and local vets thought was a stangulated Hernia at about 30 days.. It came up suddenly.. Vets said allways watch for that closely.. Ended up being a embiblical absess, They had to do emergency surgery and take out the vein from the blatter all the way to her liver then 3 months on antibiotics Now she is fine..Was in the middle of breeding at another barn told them about it and they had never heard of checking 1 week later they had the same thing happen and was able to save the foal..

[Hillside H Ranch]

Let's see, off the top of my head:
Flashlight
gloves; regular latex and long plastic palpation sleeves
Iodine-I dip the stumps and I use an empty syringe case for this; works great
enemas
Probiotic paste and biosponge paste (only use if needed, usually not at foaling)
Ivermectin dewormer for mare
thermometer
foal blanket
towels
Udderly EZ milker-so much easier than using your hands or a syringe. Comes with great bottles to store extra colostrum, which I always save.
Various syringes and needles
Banamine
We also keep sedatives on hand for grouchy/confused maiden mares that might be a little agressive with their foals
Something to put the placenta in (i usually just tie it back on itself, no string)
A foal resuscitator-similiar to this one http://www.valleyvet.com/pregnancy-foaling-aides/Foal-Resuscitator
That is all I can think of off the top of my head right now.

ETA: See, I knew there were things I was forgetting... Add Vetwrap to my list, for wrapping mare's tail.Will add more as I remember!

[Home Again Farm]

Hillside's list plus:

string for tying up the placenta as it comes out to keep mom from stepping on it
antifreeze tester for testing the colostrum (one of Equine Repro's great hints)
a clock for timing labor, how long the foal takes to nurse, etc
a notebook for jotting down the above
phone with vet's number on speed dial
trailer hooked up and ready to roll in an emergency
Seramune if I don't have frozen colostrum

Items to have on hand when the foal is a little older:

Biosponge
Pepto-paste
Buckeye Foal Aide paste

[Fairview Horse Center]

Camera to watch the stall http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47546
Nursery monitor for listening
Nightlight + good light
Heat lamps if cold weather
flashlight
extra batteries
extension cord & splitter
Kids sweatshirt if cold (I believe boys size med) or http://exodusbreeders.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EBS&Product_Code=429lg&Category_Code=PFSFB
Halter, lead rope and chain shank
diagrams of foaling complications
clean straw or grass hay
betadine surgical scrub (this is soap for hand washing)
sterile OB sleeves and lube
latex gloves
Chemectrics strips
sharp scissors
ace bandages and waterproof tape for tail wrap
pulling straps http://exodusbreeders.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EBS&Product_Code=403&Category_Code=PS
towels
foal several small bottles of 2% iodine & 12 cc syringe case
betadine solution (I use this if I have not been able to be there at birth to use the iodine immediately)
green box enema (this chemical works best, but only once as it is irritating) & an orange box enema (or mineral oil)
sterilized cotton string in a baggie
squeezable baby bottle & human nipple
20 oz soda bottle with lambs nipple
60cc syringe with tip end opened, plunger inserted backwards for milking
(or http://www.udderlyezllc.com/ ) in my dreams...
antifreeze tester (to test colostrum)
thermometer
weight tape
stethoscope
Vaseline
Bio "sponge" for diarrhea http://www.platinumperformance.com/animal/equine/products/productcategories/product.cfm?category_id=458 (or at least Pepto)
VBG gel http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=9f7d0709-7c55-4fa7-a5cc-bdb8511c64ee
"The Pink Stuff" paste (e. coli)
Foal Resuscitator Kit http://exodusbreeders.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EBS&Product_Code=1000F&Category_Code=PS

bucket for placenta
hayrope
oxytocin
small trash bag for water (bread wrapper will do) to tie on to placenta to add weight
Dr Gary Nie's instructions for dealing with a retained placenta http://www.wwvc.net/ern/archives/ern1-5.htm
watch
note pad & pen
banamine
milk replacer or ingredients to make it
cell phone, vets numbers
camera
ivermectin
snap tests for IgG
Frozen colostrum or Equine oral IgG

if remote or weather may make your farm inaccessible:
IV fluids and catheter if foal is dehydrated
distilled water & tubing (fish tank cleaning tubing will work in a pinch) for flushing mare

human to help
list of foal problems and symptoms

supplies to make the igloo cooler http://members.aol.com/fairviewhorsectr/igloo.html

I'm sure I still left a ton of things out.



Tips to remember:
*Some of the "leg or head stuck back, down, or up" foals may very well be able to be repositioned by a mare getting up and down and rolling on her own, BUT, if not, the longer you wait to “see if”, the less likely you will be able to fix it. Those things are usually an EASY fix, if not delayed. I am just not willing to take that chance to wait and see of it gets better, or worse.
*many foals start coming sideways, or even legs up. Most will reposition by themselves as the mare gets up and down in the early stages. I make sure I do have head, and legs, and may get the mare up, so she can go back down again (hopefully on the other side, but not always necessary) to reposition. As long as you DO have 2 legs and a head, and do not have the red placenta being delivered, that IS when you can wait a few minutes to “see if”.
*never pull until you have both legs and the head in position, or you will make it worse
*if you have any placenta (red sack) coming out before the foal, time is very important. Pull with the contractions to deliver the foal as fast as possible - even if that means delivering while she is standing up, and catching/lowering the foal.
*always make sure the legs are staggered 3 or 4". If more, the foal may elbow lock.
*never pull on the placenta, and don't give any banamine until it is delivered
*don’t wait to give that enema. That is the next time to not wait to “see if”
*you may have made sure the placenta is all delivered, but a retained hippomane can be just as toxic. Unfortunately, it may not always be found, so watch the mare very carefully post foaling. Always check the mares temperature 2x daily for the first few days.
*always check the mare’s udder several times thru that first day to make sure you are getting some milk. Occasionally a mare will suddenly stop producing after the colostrum – especially if a difficult delivery. The foal may seem to be getting something, but not really.
*check foal hydration by making sure its gums are moist. A severely dehydrated foal’s eyes will look sunken/funny/different. A dehydrated foal IS an emergency, middle of the night call.

[Hillside H Ranch]

Thanks HAF and FHC; I knew I was forgetting stuff! I ditto the baby bottles and nipples; we bottle feed colostrum right off the bat to every foal. Also keep Seramune on hand in case we are running low on colostrum. Great lists you guys!

[Texarkana]

This may be a bit fatalist of me, but I have a precautionary measure regarding bottle feeding.

Every year in the NICU we would see many aspiration pneumonias from people meaning well and trying to bottle feed colostrum. We even admitted aspiration pneumonias from vets and breeders who were supposedly experienced with bottle feeding.

If you do have to bottle feed your foal, due to lack of colostrum, mare bonding problems, etc., just remember a few things:

-NEVER bottle feed a foal lying down laterally. Always feed when standing or in sternal position.

-Keep the foal's head in a natural nursing position. You want the foal's neck and head extended slightly, keeping the foal's nose pointing outward (NOT straight upward).

-Keep the bottle at a slight angle. Just enough so the nipple won't fill with air, but not so much that the foal is getting more milk than it can swallow.

-Do not try to force feed a foal that has no suckle. Call the vet and have him/her pass a nasogastric tube.

-If you see milk coming out the foal's nose, STOP bottle feeding immediately and call the vet.

When in doubt, call your vet and have him/her pass a nasogastric tube to administer the colostrum.

:)

[ShowjumpersUSA]

Thank you all sooooo much!!! I'm a Holsteiner breeder, but all my foals have been born at a foaling facility. This year, we are going to do it at our own farm. I'm losing sleep just thinking about it, but we're determined to do it.

I'm sure this information will save a life or two this foaling season. Maybe one of my foals, maybe someone else's will benefit from this thread. Anything anyone else can think of, please jump in and share!

[holsteinersrock]

Most of the time all will go well, and nature takes it's course.

The bad news is that for the worst case scenarios it will be too late before the vet gets there.

We lost a foal once b/c of fescue sack, he was premature and I missed his birth by half an hour... he was not able to break the thickened sack and suffocated. Had another fescue foal, I did save her... her dam was on a dry lot but later we found out there was fescue in our hay... cut her out of the sack with a big knife.

We have had, over the years, two foals where the vet coming out at small hours was a blessing, they had to be stomach tubed to receive the colostrum in time.

Don't panic, just be there.

We dip the foals navels with diluted betadine, imprint them, give them an enema, and that's pretty much it for most of them, they just thrive!

Anna

[Foxtrot's]

What is fescue sack?

[raffey1]

If a mare ingests fescue grass that is infected with an endophyte, the placenta of the mare can become extremely thickened. Then the foal can't "punch" his way through the sack-- it would have to be cut for him.

[Foxtrot's]

Is that a regional phenomenon? Never heard of it.

[Daydream Believer]

Don't forget sharp scissors in your foaling kit and some string. The scissors for cutting a thick placenta, umbilical cord or in the case of a red bag delivery when you MUST get the foal out as fast as possible. The string is for tying off the umbilical stump before cutting if you have a foal where the umbilical cord has not broken normally.

Both have happened to me so far.

I also do enemas, use diluted chlorhexidine on the stump and am pretty good at "reading" a placenta now after 14 last year and a good vet discussing the merits/shortcomings of each placenta!

[Oldenburg Mom]

Fairview ...

You ARE going to come down when my mare foals, right? And you will bring your kit down with you ... Right? RIGHT? :lol:

Question: can someone explain the antifreeze test? Oh, and the snap test for colostrum. That's to test for baby, right? The IgG. Right?

[Hillside H Ranch]

Fairview ...

You ARE going to come down when my mare foals, right? And you will bring your kit down with you ... Right? RIGHT? :lol:

Question: can someone explain the antifreeze test? Oh, and the snap test for colostrum. That's to test for baby, right? The IgG. Right?

I don't use the anti-freeze tester, so someone else can chime in with that, but I use the snap test all the time. You have to draw a little blood from the baby (we do this around 12-24 hrs of age, usually); you mix it with a little reagent per the kit instruction. Then there is a little device that it runs through in a few minutes and based upon the results you will know if the foal has ingested adequate IgG. It doesn't give an exact value, like the lab test does, but it does give you a range (>800, etc.) and you don't have to wait a long time for the results, like with the lab test.

[Oldenburg Mom]

You have to draw a little blood from the baby (we do this around 12-24 hrs of age, usually);

Is this like a "finger prick" with humans, or do you go into the vein?

[Hillside H Ranch]

Is this like a "finger prick" with humans, or do you go into the vein?

Vein. We draw from the jugular.

[ShowjumpersUSA]

Is the pink paste the same thing as bio-sponge? At how many hours old do you give these things?

[ShowjumpersUSA]

HHR... where do you get the reserve of colostrum? Are you saying you give them extra colostrum, more that what the mare provides?

[Hillside H Ranch]

HHR... where do you get the reserve of colostrum? Are you saying you give them extra colostrum, more that what the mare provides?
We don't give them extra per se. When they are born we immediately milk some colostrum from the dam and bottle feed that to the foal. If they don't want to suckle then we may tube them with it. Just seems to give them an extra boost and they already have it on board before they try to get up and nurse. You've probably seen how foals mouth and suck everything before they make it to the udder? I like to have colostrum on board before they even do that; no matter how clean the stall they are still picking up bacteria! I also like to know that they have something in their bellies right away. After the foal does nurse on its own, if the mare is a good producer we will milk more colostrum from her to freeze for later use. Often we will go to that supply for a foal from a maiden mare that maybe isn't a good producer or for a foal whose dam "lost" her colostrum, or an orphan. So every mare that foals here and is a good "milker" gets some colostrum milked out to go into our reserves.
I already know that I will be using some of my frozen stuff for one foal this year. I have a mare that I'm treating for placentitis and if she foals a live foal it will get some frozen colostrum from a mare that I know had excellent colostrum. Only because I know the foal may already be compromised and the mare carrying the foal is a maiden and may not be a good producer.
We are also lucky that we have some clients that help us replenish our supply of good colostrum every year. For mares that we know have been vaccinated and managed appropriately we offer a small credit on the client's account if they provide us with extra colostrum from their mare. Works well for everyone!

[Home Again Farm]

OMom, the antifreeze tester looks like a big eye dropper with colored balls in it. It has a tube on one end that can be pulled off. After the mare foals, and before the foal nurses, I milk a small amount of colostrum into a small container (shotglass or pill container sized). Draw up some of the colostrum into the antifreeze tester and all the balls should float.

Picture:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1292141&cp=2568455.2629358.1258928&parentPage=family

The tester measures specific gravity, which has been proven to be a very good indication of colostrum quality. I have only had one mare that produced colostrum that was lees than perfect. Hers made only a couple balls float and her foals always got Seramune and / or plasma. If my mare produces good colostrum (all balls floating) , I will freeze some for future use. If all the balls do not float, I let the vet know that we may have a problem that needs addressing.

You can also use a colostrometer or refractrometer to test colostrum, but both are much more expensive and the colostrometer is a pain to use — complicated and time consuming.

Refractrometer:

http://www.arssales.com/equine/html/epfo-refractometer.html

Colostrometer:

http://www.valleyvet.com/Farm/Equipment-Supplies/Instruments/Medical-Surgical/Colostrometer

The $2 antifreeze tester is one of the favorite things that I learned at my first Equine-Repro seminar! Thanks to Kathy and Jos! :yes:

[Gindarkh]

HHR and FHC,

I see ivermectin wormer listed in your supplies, could you explain why ? Do you worm your mares immediately after foaling ? I have foaled out a lot of mares and this is new to me.

Also, what is the "pink paste", what is it for, and where does one get it ?

TIA !

[Hillside H Ranch]

HHR and FHC,

I see ivermectin wormer listed in your supplies, could you explain why ? Do you worm your mares immediately after foaling ? I have foaled out a lot of mares and this is new to me.

Also, what is the "pink paste", what is it for, and where does one get it ?

TIA !

Mares should be dewormed within 24 hours of foaling; I do it when I'm treating the foal's navel, etc. It prevents threadworms from passing to the foal through the mare's milk. There is some research implicating this parasite in foal heat scours. I literally do not have foal heat scours in my foals and I think a lot of it has to do with this deworming.

[Samotis]

We will be sanitizing Gracie's stall soon. She is due Feb. 20th. What is the best stuff to use to sanitize the stall?

We were also going to buy the straw and put it in Feb. first. Is it easier to clean if you first put shavings over the rubber mats and then straw?

[Fairview Horse Center]

I never disinfect a foaling stall. First, organic material like wood renders disinfectant useless. Second, I don't want to kill off the good bacteria to give any bad ones a chance to multiply.

The only time I have had a problem is when I managed a farm that did disinfect the stalls (or tried to). We had several foals in a row with a bad diarrhea problem, IV needing fluids within the first 2 days of life. The vet suggested that I take some of the diarrhea from the sick foal's stall, and place it in the stalls of the still pregnant mares. No more problem.

I do try to make sure the mare is in the foaling stall 30 days before she is due so she has a chance to build antibodies in her colostrum.

[Fairview Horse Center]

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2e87c5ca-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

http://www.heartlandvetsupply.com/cart/product_info.php?products_id=1124

[Hillside H Ranch]

I'm with FHC on this one. Unless you have a sealed concrete barn (or stainless steel!) with concrete floors and you are going to pull up the rubber mats to disinfect then it is pretty pointless, IMHO. If you have the mare in her foaling stall at 30 days she will form antibodies to the local bacteria and pass those on to the foal in the colostrum.

As far as bedding goes, I do put a light layer of shavings under a thick layer of straw and I do have rubber mats. The mats are slick when wet, but the shavings seem to help the foal be able to stand, as opposed to just straw. Plus, they are obviously more absorbent. I use bagged, kiln dried shavings for this, as opposed to my usual shavings which are fresh, bulk shavings. Shavings are a known source of Klebsiella bacteria, and using kiln dried shavings helps eliminate that problem.

[ShowjumpersUSA]

Last year my sweet Quinar filly arrived from the foaling farm with Klebsiella. She also had bacterial pneumonia! I truly thought we were going to lose her but, luckily, we caught it in time. She's just fine now...but, what a nightmare!

I'm so freaked out about germs and bacteria, I'm thinking of letting my girls deliver their foals outside in a paddock. I'm thinking of making a deep bed of straw in the middle of a paddock; that will be our delivery room. Obviously, I'm still thinking. :-)

I worry about the mare getting cast in her stall or being in a bad position against the wall...or some awful thing. We have a foaling stall...but, Murphy's Law seems to prevail around here.

I have to admit, I'm a little paranoid about the impending births. Three years ago we lost our only foal, Tina. Many of you know about that ordeal. Two years ago we had a wonderful colt...all was, and still is, well with him. Last year we had three mares in foal and lost all three pregnancies. This year, Zita was born and was fine, but by the time she got to us in North Carolina, she had health issues. She's fine now. Did I mention I'm a bit paranoid about these births?

Do you think having the foals born outside would be fine? We have a quiet paddock close to the barn which has a viewing area where we can look down on the paddock.

[Samotis]

it isn't a wood barn. It has metal painted paneling. I was basically just going to take all the shavings out and wash the walls, let it dry and then re-bed with the less dust shavings and straw. She already lives in the stall she will foal in. It is a huge stall and when the baby is older, it has a door to outside that I will open up.

I suppose I should also start to get all the foal kits "ingredients" ready. I do have a vet very close, and a friend that is 40 minutes away that has foaled tons of babies.

I just hope it goes well!:winkgrin:

[Dressage-ryder]

ShowjumperUSA... As far as foaling outside-- There are some clear factors ;) but I know that before we installed the foaling stalls another boarder would always let her mares foal out in the paddock. They had shelter available and then in the middle she would make a straw nest for the mare... Mare would deliver on the "nest" everytime. All the foals did fine. We never had any extreme weather.

I LOVE the Chemetrics test.. Its a wonderful and accurate mare stare must :)

[amdfarm]

Don't forget sharp scissors in your foaling kit and some string. The scissors for cutting a thick placenta, umbilical cord or in the case of a red bag delivery when you MUST get the foal out as fast as possible. The string is for tying off the umbilical stump before cutting if you have a foal where the umbilical cord has not broken normally.

Both have happened to me so far.



I have a string in my kit, too. I save the strings from feed bags, they work great. I've only had to use it once when about a 4 hour old filly's umbilical stump started squirting blood after she'd gotten up from laying down. I just happened to be out there to notice it, ran and got my string and iodine and while she was nursing, I tied it off and re-dipped it. No problems, her stump w/ string dried up and fell off as normal.

After twenty foals in the last five years, and helping my friends w/ countless numbers of theirs in the last ten+, I'm having none this year so will have to live through my friends again and you guys'.

ShowjumpersUSA... Of the twenty foals I mentioned, only four were born in stalls. The rest were born on pasture w/ thier pasture mates and all were fine. I also have sneaky mares and often miss the blessed event. I had to pull one last year, which I knew I would, but I know her pretty well and she gave me all the right signs in order for me to be there to assist her... it was almost like she knew... even if it was only her second foal. She did great! Aside from one patent urachus that required no surgery, the above bleeding stump and a vet enema, knock on wood, that's all the problems I've had as far as foals go. Good luck this year!!

[Oldenburg Mom]

Fairview ... you didn't reply. I'm feeling ignored. (:lol:) You ARE coming to help with my foaling ... right? RIGHT? You're only an hour away ... what the heck!!! :winkgrin: :winkgrin: ;)

All kidding aside, thanks for starting this thread Showjumpers! I am foaling out my first one (and last one) this year ... so I'm reading everyone's comments carefully.

[amdfarm]

We have always vaccinated and de-wormed the mares w/in 30 days of their due dates and give probiotics to the mare and foal at birth (again at 4 days for the foal.) No more scours. The probiotics was the only thing we added and it helped immensely. No more bald baby butts!

[ShowjumpersUSA]

I have always thought the foal needed all the colostrum mom can provide. How do you determine when the foal has had enough? How do you determine what amount from any particular mare can go into the freezer?

[Fairview Horse Center]

Fairview ... you didn't reply. I'm feeling ignored. (:lol:) You ARE coming to help with my foaling ... right? RIGHT? You're only an hour away ... what the heck!!! :winkgrin: :winkgrin: ;)

Only if you are in a state of panic. :winkgrin: But you DO know my cell number. It will be right next to my head. I can talk you thru it in my sleep. :yes:

[JoZ]

Here's a question I've never seen addressed. Our horses are all in the same barn. Pipe panel stalls, so really there's no difference in environment from one stall to another. We remove a panel to make a 12x24 foaling stall.

This year we have three mares foaling a month apart (mid April, mid May, mid June). We could have each mare in her own foaling stall for the duration, BUT the front stall closest to the door has the best webcam reception. In our situation, would the mare really have to be in her own stall/part of the barn for 30 days before foaling? Or could we, for example, put Mare 1 into the front stall around April 1, move her out by May 1 and move Mare 2 in, and so on. I can't believe the germs would be that different from one part of the barn to the other.

[goodmorning]

Joz - I don't see a problem with that. In the breeding barn (large University), we will move the mares around if it's very cold, as only 4 foaling stalls are equipped with the 'special' heating system. And they all seem to like to pop them out at the same time - even if they are due a month apart, so the shifting must occur :eek:

Not sure what others do, but I've yet to see a problem.

[Oldenburg Mom]

Only if you are in a state of panic. :winkgrin: But you DO know my cell number. It will be right next to my head. I can talk you thru it in my sleep. :yes:

Works for me!!! I'll take all the help I can get ... asleep or not! :lol:

[amdfarm]

JoZ... I agree w/ goodmorning. We have shuffled mares around in my friend's barn, too. They only have one foaling stall, but the babies don't know that and come when they are darn good and ready. Due dates mean didly to most of these mares. One year we had three mares go w/in 24 hours and the one that was supposed to go first went last and vice versa. If I remember right the one that wasn't supposed to go first ended up foaling in the stallion's stall because her baby didn't want to wait. No problems and that isn't their normal barn by any means, as they're out 24/7 until they're close to foaling, then they come in.

[Hillside H Ranch]

We often shuffle mares from stall to stall here, as well. That shouldn't be a problem as local antibodies should be specific to the property, not just the individual stall. Of course, if you had something like Salmonella in one stall, you wouldn't want to be moving horses around randomly (but in a case like that the whole property could very well be contaminated anyway).

ShowjumpersUSA: You can test your colostrum using an antifreeze tester (as someone described earlier) or a refractometer (which is what we use). We collect colostrum from all mares that are NOT maidens and that have had a normal foaling, with an apparently healthy foal. You can safely take colostrum from these mares without jeopardizing the foal. The bottles that we use are 1 pint and we usually fill them 1/2 to completely full. All foals foaled out here have IgG tests done and this method of milking out has never caused a low IgG.

[Samotis]

I just got my predict a foal kit. How many of you use this kit? I just read the directions. It seems easy enough. She is due mid Feb., but hasn't started to bag up. Did I mention she is a maiden?

I love all the things I read. Except for maidens, or maidens may not do this... Greeeaaaat:eek:

[ShowjumpersUSA]

It's getting to be that time and I'm on pins and needles, hoping I have everything I need. We are two weeks away from our first mare's "due date."

I'm on the verge of ordering a foal alert type of thing that hangs on the mare's halter and calls several numbers when she lays down. We have a closed circuit camera focused on the foaling stall, I'm thinking we might not need too much else as long as we have eyes on the mare. I'd love to have Mare Stare but would need to buy a new computer in order to it watch it.... I have a Mac. So, maybe not.

I'm sending prayers and jingles out to all of you who are expecting foals this year.

Thanks to all of you more experienced breeders for contributing to this thread.

[amdfarm]

Good luck ShowjumpersUSA!!

My friends have a mare due on Thursday. She was put in the foaling stall today and is also a maiden and young. She's got a fairly decent bag, but teats are filled and no wax yet. She's acting like her usual self so far. I will be "on-call" this weekend, as I'm sure that's probably when she'll foal, but we all know how that goes. Nice weather, foal isn't ready. Crappy weather, foal is ready!! :D Cameras are going up in the stall tomorrow night so we can watch Fat Mare TV. My friend's husband (well also my friend) will be out of a state at a clinic and he always seems to miss out on the majority of foals being born due to working nights and every other weekend. Out of 10 last year I think he was there for maybe two of them. We did the rest. :)

Enjoy those new babies this year everyone!!

[mcgill_05]

Man, reading all this, you guys make me feel like the luckiest woman alive. I was working for a man a couple of years ago training his racehorses. Part of the deal was that I not only dealt with the race horses but the broodmares and foaling as well. Having NEVER even watched a mare foal out I was slighlty stressed and very unprepared. Someone must have been watching over me though because I never had one problem.Thank goodness for that! You have all mentioned things that I would never have even thought to look for. I just stayed up all night keeping an eye on them when I thought they were going to foal and out came baby.

I will be much more prepared next spring when my mare foals.

[ManyDogs]

This is very educational to me as my mare is due in about a month-maiden mare. She and her pasture-mate are out 24/7 unless the weather is realllly bad. Both mares really prefer to be out and take about 20 minutes to settle in when I do put them in the barn. Nothing crazy, just pace.
I have considered putting preggo mare in the round pen and putting lots of straw out for a nest. From what I have read, it seems like that is OK as long as the weather is good. We have a security light right at the barn/round pen. Accckk! I just hope everything goes OK.

[wildREDhorse]

I have even heard of using tooth floss instead of other types of string. :)

Ok, so question about the ENEMAS - Do you use the regular old human kind? Glycerin?

[ShowjumpersUSA]

Baby Fleet enemas from Walgreen's would be fine.

Mcgill, I feel the same! Our first foal was born about 10 years ago and we just enjoyed the miracle. My young daughter and I peeked through the cracks in the barn wall for hours watching the mare. When she foaled, we just quietly walked around the barn and into her stall to help her clean her baby up. We never had a thought that something might go wrong... :-)

A few hours later, when we got home, daughter was so overwhelmed with emotion, she said, "Mom, everybody should live like this!" It was the highlight of her city-girl life to that point.

Now that I'm a lot older and a little wiser, I know all the things that can go wrong! I'm glad I have this bb to help me through it.

[Erin Pittman]

Definitely have the pink stuff (e. coli endotox). I've used it and no foal heat diarrhea.

The only thing I have on hand that I haven't seen listed yet, or maybe I just missed it, is a record form and clipboard with pen to record the foaling info. Mine includes: (front of page) Mare name, age, description, sire name, expected foaling date and a checklist to mark off as they occur - time of foaling, time to stand, time to nurse, meconium passage, enema given, pink stuff given, ivermectin given to mare, vet called to set up appt. for IgG check (plus a space for IgG level), problems in foaling, foal color/sex/markings, etc. On the back of this page is where I put the milk test results, info about pregnancy development like udder changes, relaxation, etc. This goes into the mare's permanent file for future reference plus the vet likes to see that info...

[SpruceLane]

Erin, That info sheet sounds awesome! Would you have a copy you could send me or even post for everyone to use?

I don't have anyone expecting until mid May and I am already scurying around getting my foaling kit together. I think I am adding about 5 -7 extra items after reading through this thread....:eek:

[Erin Pittman]

I will happily share it with those that want it. I don't have posting privileges, though, so you'll have to ask for the old-fashioned way (email or PT). :D

[SpruceLane]

Email addy is info 'at' sprucelane. net

replace 'at' with @ and remove the space between the . and net.

Thanks Erin!

[ShowjumpersUSA]

Update:

After starting this thread in anticipation of rolling up my sleeves and delivering a foal, our mare (forever rolling her eyes at my hovering) had her foal at five Sunday morning, unassisted.

She was a week early and really didn't show signs of being ready to foal. Her udder wasn't full, no waxing of nipples, not off her feed that day. I consider myself very lucky to have had this birth go well.

I thought we wouldn't need a foal alert system because we have a CCTV, but I've changed my mind. We're getting a foal alert. I'd rather suffer through a few false alarms than miss another foaling. I'm thinking of getting the kind of alert that hangs from the halter, although, someone mentioned the one that fits like a surcingle. My question is, do you think it's personal preference and they both work about the same or do you think one is better than the other?