Foaling box 'must-haves'

[half_pass1]

Not sure if this is better here or in the Around the Farm forum, but I am wanting to build boxes in our current hay barn and am wanting to get as much info as possible before approaching my husband about it (he’s German so everything has to be perfectly researched before he’ll even consider something :lol:). Still need to find space for 70 round bales of straw as well :eek:

There is space for 6 large boxes and 2 small boxes. The large ones would be 6x4m (about 20x13ft) and the small boxes would be 4x3m (13x10ft). These sizes are constrained by pillars in the barn so not really at all flexible.

There is a large breezeway of approximately 6m (20ft) and I was wanting to put in a crush somewhere in there as well.

Only our mares would be in here, no outside/foreign horses.

What are you absolute must-haves when it comes to foaling boxes? What are absolute no-go’s? What are the ‘nice to have’s’? How high would you want the walls to be? What about dividers between the boxes - complete solid walls, partly solid walls, or with bars/mesh between the boxes?

[MysticOakRanch]

If these are stalls for foaling out mares, the small boxes are going to be useless. You really need a lot of space for a mare to foal - and for a mare AND foal to share space in a closed in stall.

I think 13x10 is a pretty small stall for anything except maybe a pony.

Again, if you are talking about foaling space - I’d have solid walls at least 5 feet up - foals stick their heads, legs, everything through things. And if possible, they also roll UNDER.

[half_pass1]

Sorry I didn’t make myself clear in my first post, the small boxes would be for ponies and/or weanlings. Or as a grooming box.

Walls will be solid to the ground, so hopefully no chance of rolling under!

[half_pass1]

Oh, and what about water? Are auto waterers preferred or buckets?

[camohn]

I do not like auto waterers because 1) horses poop in them, buckets are easier to wash and 2) you can’t monitor how much they are drinking ( or not… Which is the concern here in winter. ) for me it’s what is on the floor . I would prefer something that drains , but our barn came with concrete floors and I’m not jack hammering it up… So that means rubber mats. For normal ( non foaling) horses plain bedding is fine but with foaling mares all that fluid it gets slick, so actual foaling mares get shavings down first (as it is more absorbant… But bad to get in little noses) with a good layer of hay over the top. I don’t use straw as we
Grow our own hay ( so it’s free) plus it’s hard to find good CLEAN straw around here.

[camohn]

Walls: we have hardwood bottom half ( yellow pine) and steel bars top half for ventilation and visibility to other horses. New moms do not like their neighbors peering at their kid, but the get over it quickly . As long as stall population and weather permits I do avoid putting a neighbor in the stall next door for a few days.we have steel mesh doors.i boarded at stables with solid walls before owning our farm, and the horses hated it/ were too isolated. Plus the ventilation is bad in the summer

[Sunnydays]

The cushion flooring is good in a foaling stall. Because it is one surface, no cracks, urine or dirt does not accumulate underneath. Easier to keep clean, which is important in a foaling stall.