little Fuego is starting to live up to this name!
Sydney’s pH is down to 6.8 this evening, despite the fact that her “milk” still looks nothing like milk.
Severe thunderstorm baby, here we come, I guess. Ugh. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. The vet is coming to ultrasound Arielle at 8:30 am; it would be just my luck for Sydney to foal as soon as he’s halfway back to the clinic.
I had two mares last year that foaled on sticky “premilk” that tested great. I was waiting for it to go opaque and it didn’t, the mares foaled on honey-like milk. IGGs were good. Listen to your pH, it was correct even though it never looked like milk.
Thank you for that information, @EventerAJ! “Honey-like” is exactly what I’m seeing from Sydney right now. It’s nice to be reassured that she’s not doing something completely unheard of - which is always a possibility with her.
Good luck @Montanas_Girl!
I had a text in the middle of the night telling me about a filly so I got excited but it turned out it wasn’t my mare, it was the other mare due to foal. So disappointing! The wait continues.
Sydney is holding on so far with a pH on the low side of 6.8 and still honey-like milk. The storms are supposed to hit here this afternoon and evening; it looks like she might be cooperating on holding out until tomorrow, thank goodness.
Arielle should be in heat this week (she was teasing very strongly three weeks ago this coming Friday), but she is not showing any signs per this morning’s ultrasound. She is usually only in for a few days at a time, so we still think she will probably be breed-able by the weekend. Assuming Sydney foals before Thursday, I plan to take Arielle over to my trainer’s place for a ride on Thursday and tease her then so we don’t have to do another “just checking” ultrasound until first thing Friday morning to confirm yes/no on a Friday collection.
Whew. This week is wearing me out, and it’s really just getting started.
Sydney is still hanging in at a pH around 6.6-ish this morning. The edges of the square want to turn yellow, but she’s definitely above a 6.4. She’s had a little wax since Sunday, but it’s accumulating a bit more than it has been. Still nothing that says “go time” just yet.
However, in 2022, her mother had a pH of about this same level at 6 am on 6/16, was dripping/streaming milk with a pH <6.0 by noon, and foaled at 1:41 am on 6/17. So I am not turning my back on Sydney at this point, just in case she decides to follow in her mother’s hoofsteps.
Thankfully, yesterday’s storms weakened considerably by the time they got here. It’s about 30 degrees colder now than it was 24 hours ago, though!
Good luck everybody!
5 hours later, and Sydney is definitely moving along now!
Still not 100% on go, but I bet we will be by dinner time. Interestingly, her milk is still mostly clear/yellow, but it is trending towards cloudy.
Still in a holding pattern here this morning. She’s at a solid 6.4 but hasn’t made that finally little step down to “go time” yet. At least one of us (hint: not me) got a great night’s sleep last night!
Thank you! The foal will be either bay or buckskin (sire is homozygous for black and Sydney is homozygous for agouti). The vet sexed it in utero as a colt, but “his” owner will be thrilled no matter what as long as a healthy baby arrives soonish.
Oh you are so on-top-of things. I’m impressed!
Seriously, Sidney? Hurry up and wait is NOT a fun game for the rest of us!
We have actual wax tonight (and full teats), versus the little amber beads she’s had since Sunday:
Milk is still mostly thin and clear-ish yellow, though is is trending cloudier, and the pH is trending down but still not what I would interpret to be 6.2/
So…the wait continues. She’s close, but not 100% on “go” just yet, I don’t think.
Good luck!
No foal here. The breeding farm she is at obviously got me excited far, far too early. But at least I’m back in the country now if it ever does happen!
Congratulations, @eightpondfarm! Can’t wait to see photos of the new arrival.
Sorry you got excited too early by your foaling farm, @weixiao.
Sydney finally hit a ~6.0 pH this morning, with milk that is getting cloudier at each check. I think she will wait at least 12-18 hours, but you never know with maidens! Funnily enough, her dam Arielle delivered her last foal at 1:41 am on day 336; Sydney is at day 335 today. The mother/daughter consistency may be stronger than I thought.
Yay! Congrats, he’s lovely!!
Come oooon, SYDNEY!!