Please hold our newbie hands!

I definitely think I’ll need some gastroguard in another few months.

I want to set up a foal cam too, but need to figure out the logistics. There isn’t wireless that’s accessible nearby, but I was trying to think if it’s possible to set up a mobile hotspot (don’t they sell things that do that? I am not the most tech savvy person) and set up my extra computer to do foal cam duty.

At least I have a few more months before I worry about that.

My mare is 7 months now and looking pretty wide in person. I don’t know if it’s as obvious in photos, but everyone at the barn keeps commenting that she’s getting ginormous.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs062.snc6/167210_612167845420_184900209_34857015_3041090_n.jpg
(Photos taken at about 6.5 months)
She’s still ready to move, move, move though!

LOL, she’s definitely pregnant!

I saw and felt it move! I’ve been seeing some twitching in her flank, but I wasn’t sure if it was the baby or her just being annoyed at me pulling her blanket up and feeling her up while she’s trying to eat. But tonight it was much more than twitching and I felt it bumping into my hand :D:D:D. Oh my goodness, it’s real! It’s in there and it’s alive and moving around! I’m on cloud nine :D.

Starrunner, your mare is enormous!

How exciting amastrike! I’ve been feeling Catnip’s for a bit over a month now, and it’s been SO cool to feel the foal kicking and rolling around :smiley:

Love spring…it’s like Christmas all over but lasts longer…and there’s always the “is it colored?” thing here too.

Record for me was 5 foals in one night…first one arrived in the pasture under my bedroom window (mare lied when I checked her earlier in the day) at 1a.m…older mare tried to steal that one so we had to get out there and sort things out. Then they just started popping babies!!

Foaled out maybe a 100 babies so have a bit of experience. Always exciting though and although I’ve only had two over all that time with problems I am always a bit anxious. I work nights 7 nights a week and no relief person so am hoping they will cooperate with early evening or late, late night deliveries. Six of the nine due are maidens and there’s only one I am a bit concerned about…orphaned and bottle raised so never had “mothering” herself…but she’s been in the herd for two springs now and seen new babies and their moms so hopefully won’t be too upset by this new thing following her around and trying to nurse. She is pretty mellow so I think we’ll be fine.

No way to do foal cam here…outdoors and hopefully will have their pens (ore at least one decent foaling pen) put together before first due the middle of March. Will post as they arrive and happy to answer any questions I can.

My mare has gotten used to me patting on her belly back by her udder to rouse the baby. Much easier to wake the bugger up than wait for him to move on his own.

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That musta made for one HELLUVA night, but then it was DONE!

[quote=Laurierace;5375545]My mare has gotten used to me patting on her belly back by her udder to rouse the baby. Much easier to wake the bugger up than wait for him to move on his own.
[/quote]

Catnip is well acquainted with my hand feeling her up LOL I think what she objects to the most is my COLD hand hanging out right in front of her udders, both to cop a baby feel and to get warm :winkgrin:

When can you start feeling the baby?

[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5375993]
When can you start feeling the baby?[/QUOTE]

I can usually feel them moving or see them moving at about 8 1/2 to 9 months…more often in multiparous mares than in maidens who tend to hold them a little higher/tighter I think. And some have had very quiet babies that just didn’t dance around much in there while one or two have had what looks like a disco dancer tucked away.

I started feeling Catnip’s coming up on 8 months. A friend of mine could feel it much closer to 7. Her mare is about 2h shorter and a lot more short-coupled.

[QUOTE=JB;5375939]
:lol::lol::lol::lol: That musta made for one HELLUVA night, but then it was DONE![/QUOTE]

It was indeed…had one mare in the barn when the first foal arrived in the pasture. She dropped hers while we were getting maiden mom and her new one inside (and away from the one trying to steal the foal). Went back out to check on one in a pen/stall area and she was down and half delivered so ran back to the house for more supplies. Meanwhile #4 (not due for a couple weeks so not checked that closely that day) laid down by the pasture fence and had hers! The the last one, the only Paint I had at that time, wandered up from the pasture to see what all the activity was and was dripping milk so we yanked her into a pen too and she dropped by about 8a. And I made it to work by 9:30…a little sleep deprived and somewhat the worse for wear but got there. Fortunately my older son had been around for foalings before and had finished school so he was there to monitor mares and foals for the day and make sure everyone nursed, peed, pooped and cleared. Next day they were all out in a big corral and then the day after that out on to pasture. Not quite finished…we had a dozen that year…two had arrived before the supernight and then we had 5 more over the next month. I try to get all my mares bred in about as 6 week time frame so foaling season is short and babies are all close in age…makes weaning as a herd easier in the fall.

My girl is right about 8 months and this is the first I’ve felt it.

My mare is at 284 days. Yesterday for the first time, I felt the baby!! I was so excited I started yelling for my husband while my hand was still on her belly and she just turned her head around to look at me like I was an idiot.

I am starting to really get nervous and it seems as though all of the information I have read has curiously vanished from my brain.

Just wait’ll your more experienced mares begin talking to their bellies!! I had one, a gorgeous dark liver chestnut mare, that was a bit unsettled by her first foal (had never been in a herd or seen one before) but was an excellent mom after about 10 minutes of WTF? Future foals were “talked to” while still in utero…first time when she was in labor with foal #2 and after that one she talked to future ones for a week or two before they arrived. This mare also turned out to be a wonderful nurse mare…would feed anything that walked up hungry.

Ruby is 301 days today and bubby is now kicking up a storm. I first felt it about two or three weeks ago, and it was so distinct, bubby is not the most active but definitely is a kicker. It amuses me because Rubes loves an udder scratch, so I scratch and the belly starts swaying into me and then the foal starts kicking.
Getting so excited! I THINK I have everything- stall, yard, kit, milk testers, alarm- but argh, it’s scary!

Depends on whether you believe dreams come true or not :eek: According to my head, Catnip is having a sheep. Not a lamb - full grown sheep thunk She was pretty and affectionate though! :lol: :lol: :lol:

but sex? Do you have names picked out?

No idea on sex, though I’d really like a filly. No biggie if a colt though. And yes, I do have a name which suits either sex, but I’m keepin’ ma trap shut for now :smiley:

Experts, I have a question about timing of the EHV vaccine. My mare was bred on May 22, so I gave her the first vaccine on October 22. I found a website where you put in the date the mare was bred, and they tell you when stuff should be done, and it said to give the vaccine early October. I went with 5 months on the dot… is that right? Is there a better time for it?

Not an expert by any means, but from what I know you are fine. 5-7-9, and some do 3 as well. I went with 5 months on the dot. 7 was 2 days “late”, so I went 2 months from there, as opposed to 2 months from the “correct” date.

Heehee, that’s so cool! Mine, a maiden, has never seemed to even flick an ear when the foal is active. Yesterday morning was 1) the first time I’d felt morning movement, and 2) the first time I SAW the movement. It was higher up around her belly than before, and the “wave” and the kicks were clearly visible. Catnip didn’t swish her tail, flick an ear, roll an eye, wrinkle her nose, shift, nothing - like it never happened.

Seigi, I read this when you posted it, had a long reply typed out, cybernet ate it, and I was too frustrated at the time to retype it LOL I meant to come back and re-post, but forgot :o

I wanted to say how wonderful this post was :smiley:

I had a lot more typed before, including things about red wine and Bailey’s :eek: but it seems pointless to recreate it now, so I just wanted to say thanks for this post, I loved it :yes:

I finally found a clip that describes how I’m going to feel in about 80 days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3DK-3dis9o&feature=related

snork yep, that probably does about sum it up!