Birthing stall Bedding, and when to have babies

[Beentheredonethat]

I'm no expert and have only done this a few times, so just looking to see what everyone has to say. I thought it was a given foaling stalls should be bedded in straw, so that shavings don't get all over the baby, in eyes, etc.

I just saw someone's brand new baby pictures (congrats!) and the baby is in shavings.

Is this a regional thing, or what? Straw is a pain here. Bring it in for the baby, then clean it all out after. But, that was what I was going to do.

Also, I notice a lot of what I would call early babies. Why does everyone breed so soon? I plan so I have spring babies and warm weather for the baby to grow (in CA.) Early May seems to be my birthing month. I see a lot of east coasters (where it's COLD) having babies Feb. to now. I would think you would want to wait until it's warmer.

No criticism. Just wondering if there's something I'm missing here.

[kealea31]

I was always told that straw was cleaner than shavings. It also won't stick to the foal, and makes a nice fluffy bed.

As far as early babies, I'm sure there are several reasons. I ride and show my mare, so I am planning to breed her early in 2011 for a Feb or March 2012 foal, so I can wean the foal ealy in the summer and show my mare.

[Laurierace]

Many breeds including TB which I breed have a birthdate of January 1 regardless of when they are actually born. It makes sense to try to make that date be relatively accurate so they are racing or showing against their peers and not foals several months older than they are.
I hate straw but feel its safer for the mare and foal. I switch back to shavings a few days later and make a hay bed in the corner for the foal.

[sfstable]

I used shavings with one mare last breeding season because she kept eating all of the straw. This was a pony mare who did not need the extra fiber or food.:)

I switched to shavings because I was worried about colic in the mare and that the baby would have no bedding.:no:

[Fairview Horse Center]

I use timothy/grass hay. Hay and straw won't stick to the umbilicus, or get inside of the mare. Won't stick to the syrupy udders. Won't trash up the placenta. It is also great for drying the foal.

In cooler weather, hay and straw are MUCH warmer, and the foal can really bed into it, so no need for a foal blanket. I love how cozy a stall is with hay/straw banks, and it makes a nice place to sit cuddling a foal. I have stopped several foals from shivering just by fluffing up hay on them, leaving their heads out.

I had a foal with breathing problems when we moved him to shavings - even at a week old, although most are fine. He got raspy, but as soon as we put him back on straw, he was fine.

Wood products also harbor a bacteria that my mind is drawing a blank to the name right now.

[Equine Reproduction]

Straw is still the gold standard. Shavings not only stick to damp foals, they also tend to harbor bacteria much more readily including klebsiella. We bed in shavings and when the foal is a few days old and the umbillicus is dry, we'll switch back to shavings.

[Fairview Horse Center]

klebsiella

Thank-you. That is what I was drawing a blank on.

[Beentheredonethat]

OK, I thought so about the straw. I was just wondering. We don't have the cold issue here, but the sticking all over the foal is a pain. I put in straw a week before and slowly take it out after born as I clean.

I DO see problems with piggy mares eating it all, though! I can imagine. :) Fairview--your grass hay bedding doesn't get eaten?

I do get the early breeding for TB's for the birthdate. I just didn't get it for anyone else. I can see the point with showing if you don't have options throughout the year, you'd want to make sure you have more time in the summer to show.

[Fairview Horse Center]

Fairview--your grass hay bedding doesn't get eaten?

Sure it does, but I am always keeping my foaling mares eating hay anyway, so I just put in lots, they eat what they want, use the rest as bedding. It cleans the same or easier than straw. I think it is actually more absorbent, not as slippery, and when I am done, the mare helps me to strip. :yes:

The other plus is that I don't have to find and order decent straw. My hay is always in the barn. It is also more like what used to be called "long straw", and that has been really hard for me to find.

When I visited the manager for what used to be Buckland Farm (large TB breeding farm from the 70s and 80s, that is what he did for his private farm. He bedded on timothy, and put alfalfa in the hay racks.

[Dressage_Diva333]

I use straw, always. It's a pain to clean, but it's worth it in my opinion. I strip my stalls and sanitize them every other day when mares get close. I also keep hay in front of my mares all the time, so they shouldn't have any desire to eat straw :yes: I did foal one mare out on grass hay last year, as the feed stores around here seemed to have straw that was quite dusty for a while, so I figured grass hay was better than that.

[Lesley Feakins]

We use straw for bedding here but when it get really close to foaling, I put a bag of shavings down in the middle of the stall, spread it around and then put a good layer of straw over the top. The straw can be slippery when it comes time for the foal to stand up and the shavings helps to absorb a lot of the fluid.
Once I clean the stall the shavings come back out and they are on just straw.

[PRS]

When my mare was pregnant I discussed which bedding to use with my vet. He was very adamant that I use straw...fresh, dust free straw. I agree that straw is a pain which is why my usual bedding of choice is shavings. He said that shavings could get into the lungs and eyes of the baby. BTW he was born in May :)

[Megaladon]

We layer sawdust on the bottom to collect/absorb the various fluids and top it off with straw. Like everyone else has mentioned, straw is the best for baby. It wont stick, and it's perfect for making little nests to keep warm! :)

I try to have foals in May/June. The weather up here in Feb is no walk in the park and foaling can be stressful, to mare, foal and human, so if the weather is mild, that makes one less thing to worry about.

[secretariat]

Straw.

We target May/June babies for sport horse breedings and have had them as late as August. We do want them to be 3-4 months by the time cold weather arrives.

[quicksilverponies]

Like Fairview, we bed on nice clean mixed grass hay. We spread shavings on the bottom to keep the footing from becoming slippery and to keep baby drier. Then we spread hay over the top. I always have nice hay available for my mares to eat anyway so the quantity doesnt really matter, and I know if she eats the bedding, it is good quality hay and not straw. I used to use straw and sometimes the mare would eat the straw even with hay in front of them. It is easier and just as clean to use the hay as the straw and less hassle in having to find and purchase nice, clean straw. When the baby is about a week or two old, we switch back over to shavings. We try to have foals born no earlier than March and preferably in April or May as it is still very cold and snowy here in March. However, in-hand ponies usually have an advantage if they are older than younger in the show ring, and for that reason, many breeders prefer to have their babies arrive early in the year.

[Rancho del Marr]

I asked my vet too because I hadn't found any straw around here. He said he prefers bedding because straw is so hard to keep clean. He said the bedding can get in their eyes but that it's very rare.

The last foal I had, I did notice the straw was slippery and so wet. Finally I put bedding underneath the straw to absorb the moisture and that was so much better.

Maybe I should just throw grass hay around the stall as some of you have suggested. Hmmmm...

[tveley]

We use straw with a layer of pelleted bedding (just the pellets, not soaked) underneath to absorb the moisture. It was really hard to keep the stall clean without the pelleted bedding base, because the straw just did not soak up the wetness fast enough. The pellets act like a sponge to soak up the urine very quickly and also smells nicer.