Thank you ML… judging by all that, tonight should be Dove’s night (assuming that the strips are correct and I did everything right etc LOL), but prob NOT Chloe’s.
I will go play with Chloe’s receiver again… the weather is really interferring with reception tonight. IF/WHEN Dove has her baby I will swap recievers since apparently her’s is a little better…
I think the spa strips are a good START to testing the mares. But I really find the Calcium on the totally unreliable. Last year my mare Hallie was at the “1000ppm” on Ca for 2-3 DAYS before she foaled. I quickly ordered a box of Chemetrics (I think from HFSH, thanks to her and Carosello’s urging) and when I used Chemetrics, the calcium was around 250. She DID foal that night, if I recall off hand, but Chemetrics doesn’t even go uo to 1000!!
I do really like the pH on the Spa strips. But the nice thing about Chemetrics is if you don’t have the right “color” of liquid at first, you can quit before you even waste a tube. So, I suppose I am a madscientist, too…I use both side by side, and always defer to the Chemetrics when in doubt.
Honestly, though, I have not missed the past 6 foalings, and I don’t intend to miss any this year either, God willing. I DID have one mare “fool” me, though. I tested her in the evening, and Chemetrics said “no”, and so I put her out for the night. In the AM, I came to feed, and I walked out to bring her in to re-test, and she was laying down…flat out. She was 19 days early. I honestly made her get up because I was SURE she was not foaling…I expressed “water” and thought “Hmmph, silly mare. If I didn’t know better I’d swear she was in labor.” Then she went back down and there were already feet and a muzzle presenting. Well, there really WAS no milk to test, and the filly had FPT to prove it. (Yes, we tubed her and re-tested and she was fine.) So, I can’t blame Chemetrics…it was a fluke.
I just don’t know that I would ever completly trust any test… and that is just “me”… it is a good base line, but I am too much like my grandfather (who was a red head from MO - so stubborn as a mule… LOL). I also, since I have been at my house with cams up, have not missed a foaling either - and until Chloe, have not “waited” up so late/long with any mare.
The weather is interfering with the cams and this is as good as I can get them unfortunately… it just isn’t going to be perfect tonight.
Dove has done a couple of good stretches and is a little more active tonight… no so much a “statue” hopefully she will go. Only another half hour or so until dark…
Well the statue (aka Dove) has been doing the two footed shuffle with her hind end this evening quite a lot - not so much the statue tonight LOL. Lots of shifting back and forth in between standing like a statue.
Trying to pull up your webcam - have a box with Emerald Acres and (click here) in yellow…but when I click, nothing happens.
Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks!
Dee
I have not seen anything yellow on the cam pop-ups. Try these links.
Chloe www.marestare.com/emerald.php
Dove www.marestare.com/emeraldtwo.php
Are you on the marestare site??? Here is the easiest way I know to do it and explain it… and it should work (I have both girls up right now so the cams are working…)
go to www.marestare.com on that page on the left hand side there is a link for “live cams” click on that. Scroll down to Emerald Acres and Emerald Acres 2. You click on those names (the other stuff goes to other things) and a box with a foal should pop up… it will say connecting and eventually it will pop up wiht the live cam. You will need to right click on the first cam (Chloe’s) and adjust the video setting all the way to the right to lighten it up. Dove’s (Cam 2) you may have to adjust a little bit.
Now, if you have a Mac… I don’t know. I think that you do have to download something in order to see the cams??? And there is apparently an issue with Mac and the cams???
oops, Chloe ALMOST went down…
Can you see any of the other cams???
And SHE IS DOWN… but I think resting??? we’ll see I guess. Bless her little pee pickin heart.
And back up… with some pretty good rolls before hand… now WHY did she have to do that right on near the walls??? sigh…
I’m back… yes, with 6.8 ph Dove should go tonight or early tomorrow… sorry I must be too tired to think straight.
It’s just getting dark here. Tess is all bedded, deep in straw. She ate her dinner and licked the feeder clean. She nibbled some hay from her buffet (two kins of alfalfa, plus bermuda) The point on the underside of her belly is prominent. Her vulva looks like it will never snap back. She has textbook wax on both sides. She has already tested 1000 Ca and 6.2 pH. So, I do think by morning, I’ll have a baby.
That being the case… ta da… I have wrapped her tail. Tess has a beautiful tail, I cut it every few months to keep her from stepping on it. Thick and luxurious. It is clean and conditioned. And, when I got about half way down the the vetwrap… well I just kept going, doubled the end up and totally wrapped the entire tail. So she looks funny, but it means she won’t have birthing juices and blood and muck in her beautiful tail. (do you know how hard it is to get that stuff OUT???)
It was only 60 today, and the low will be 42. That is colder than I’d prefer for the baby, but it will be 70 tomorrow. And this stall is very warm, protected from wind.
I do hope she takes mercy and does this earlier rather than keeping me up all night.
Oh I hope you DO have a baby tomorrow! or even better TONIGHT (early) lol. ONE of us should get a baby on the ground!!! LOL
We will see… It will be interesting to see if the strips were right tonight.
I almost never make a definite prediction, but I’m pretty sure I’ll get to meet this little fellow before the sun comes up. Not because of the strips, but it helps that the strips confirm what my mare and my gut is telling me.
I hope we both get one before morning.
My other mare, has figured out what’s going on. She literally doubled her bag today. She is trying to catch up. I will test her milk again tomorrow. Her estimated due date is next Sat, but if she tries to hurry I will have to put straw down for her too. I HATE the straw. What a mess.
I almost never make a definite prediction, but I’m pretty sure I’ll get to meet this little fellow before the sun comes up. Not because of the strips, but it helps that the strips confirm what my mare and my gut is telling me.
I hope we both get one before morning. Healthy foals, uncomplicated deliveries, with placentas passed quickly and completely. Babies that nurse greedily.
My other mare, has figured out what’s going on. She literally doubled her bag today. She is trying to catch up. I will test her milk again tomorrow. Her estimated due date is next Sat, but if she tries to hurry I will have to put straw down for her too. I HATE the straw. What a mess.
I just came out from folding laundry and saw Chloe pee… I was like WHOO HOO… But now she looks normal again… dag nammit. I was like that little trickster… foolin the tests… But newp… Just a fake out on my timing…
Dove produced a quite impressive poo on the back half of her stall… I AM quite impressed by its magnitude!
Have I missed anything exciting?
Pretty quiet tonite. Though if the strip testing is a good indicator, Miss Dove should be getting busy before too much longer.
Back at my post for another evening, computer turned on to Chloe/Dove alternately. Since mares are known to synchronise, be it coming in season, going pee, etc., will they go together? Is this the longest ever marestare thread?
I want to know if the ph strips work, not that I need to know before August.
:lol: My husband just asked me why aren’t we starting a betting pool about which one is going to go first. (I have had Chloe and Dove on my screen at the same time every night since the 1st, so even he’s getting impatient.)
I’m betting both will go tomorrow night. Sorry acottongim 
Caitlin
Dove: Tonight, 12:32 a.m.
Chloe: Sunday night, 10:05 p.m.
Well, someboddy’s got to tell Dove to get a move on if she’s going to have that baby within the next 2 hours.
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