Foaling signs... or lack thereof

[Rancho del Marr]

So I remember seeing on a thread last year that if your mare lies down for a nice long nap that she won't be having it any time soon. I've been living by this one. Is that right?

I have a QH mare who is at day 336. I have a camera in her stall so I can watch her from the house at night. Each night, she lies down and stretches out for a nap that lasts about 15 mins or so. When she does that then I figure that means "she won't be having it tonight" and I let myself relax and get some sleep. (She's had two other foals, but it was before I owned her.) I've still been setting the alarm for every couple of hours so I can check the monitor.

My next mare, a Hanoverian, is due in April. She's a maiden, so I'll be wanting to watch her even more closely.

I ordered a Breeder Alert and it should be arriving today or tomorrow!!

[foxhavenfarm]

Each night, she lies down and stretches out for a nap that lasts about 15 mins or so. When she does that then I figure that means "she won't be having it tonight" and I let myself relax and get some sleep.

I wouldn't count on it!:winkgrin: Mares are tricky that way. We have had the best results with checking milk (color, consistency and taste) to let us know when foaling is imminent.

[Signature]

Milk testing is your best friend. Calcium and pH readings will tell you usually within about 24-48hrs and saves LOTS of sleep! :)

[Rancho del Marr]

I haven't been able to express any milk yet to test it. :no: I have the strips and have tried!!

That's another reason I have felt pretty safe going to sleep.

[Sugarbrook]

One of our mares foaled last night (well, actually at 3am today). I do the Chemetrics foal watch test and was unable to even get a drop out of her. But yesterday am we were able to do a test and got the liquid quite easily. Bingo, she was READY!!! Without keeping on trying she would of still be out in the pasture and certainly foaling unattended.

Not sure about the nap thing. Never heard about it.

[MyFancyHunterPony]

I had a mare foal yesturday who I was told shows all the signs and she didn't have milk or wax and she popped the baby out in thr wee hours without anyone noticing! We have a marestare account too, so lots of people missed it. She had other signs like tail, swishing, kicking at her belly, elongated hoo-hoo, full bag.

[Rancho del Marr]

My mare has definitely done her share of tail swishing. Very hard and enthusiastic tail swishing. She's looked at her belly, kicked at her belly, even kicked the stall wall once. She has a bag, but it does get smaller during the day after being turned out. She's a little softer around the tail head, but not like my last mare who foaled. And her "hoo hoo" :lol: might be slightly elongated but certainly nothing to get excited about.

Oh, well. I thought it was a sure sign that if she took that long nap, that I could relax a bit. But since no one has really confirmed that, I guess I'll be a little more vigilant.

Oh, and my Breeder Alert did come today!! We'll be putting that on her tonight. Hooray! :D

Thanks for the feedback. I welcome more if anyone has some stories. This is the best time of year, isn't it??

[kealea31]

I wasn't able to get any milk at all from my maiden mare last year until about 4 hrs before she foaled. Then I got a tiny drop of white milk. She waxed about 2 hours before. Keep a close eye on her :)

[goodpony]

Our maiden this season had a full bag, no wax, and belly edema and we were not able to express milk from her. She foaled in the early evening just about supper time after coming in eating her supper as usual. It was interesting as she really never had any changes in temperament or appetite--other than seeming only slightly agitated. She had been very uncomfortable and tired for the last week or so before foaling---she did take a lot of long naps--2o minutes or so. She foaled easily and is doing great and her foal is doing super.

[hunterjumper22]

My mare is due in 6 days and she really has no signs either. She is a maiden too. Her bag is starting to fill up, but I havent seen much more. I cant get any milk. Her backside is still pretty firm. She is still eating like her normal hoggish self. She was running and bucking around in the field today. She looks like a black Angus right now, quite gigantic.

[Stacie]

So I remember seeing on a thread last year that if your mare lies down for a nice long nap that she won't be having it any time soon. I've been living by this one. Is that right?


2 years ago my mare spent the entire day laying in the sun and sleeping and the vet said they knew she would have the baby that night BECAUSE of the napping...and she did