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 Veteran
Posts: 251
 
Location: Oregon | My maiden mare is due to foal in about 5 weeks and my husband still hasn't been able to get the foaling stall up in our barn. I have a small pasture that I have been saving the grass in, for when the baby and mom are here so that they have their own space and its lush and comfy.
At this point I'm thinking of just moving the mare over to that pasture to let her get used to it and foal there. It's about an acre pasture with good safe fencing and its the closest to the house.
The only thing is that it used to have goat heads in it and I wouldn't want the mare or baby to be born on any of those nasty sharp weeds.
Do you think this would be an ok place to foal?
Thank you! |
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Veteran
Posts: 113
| pasture foaling is the BEST option in my opinion |
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 Midget Lover
   
Location: Kentucky | I always think it's safer and cleaner for a mare to foal in the pasture. Is it fescue grass? |
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  Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | I've had many foals born in the pasture...a great option, but keep an eye on her in case there's a problem, and have a close vet on call....
When JC was ready to foal, I decided I was too far from my vet, so I arranged to take her to Dr. Powers in OKC to foal at his clinic because it's monitored 24/7...and it's a good thing I did...the foal (By Designer Red) presented with her head turned backwards and I would have lost her if she was at my house, so be aware that everything is going normal for your mare... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| Maiden mares I always keep in a pasture close to the house, other mares are in alittle bit bigger "mare" pasture. Foaling outside is really the best for them as for that is what they are designed to do in nature. |
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Veteran
Posts: 251
Location: Oregon | Thank you for the responses. Our vet is right a crossed the road from us. And I have had foals before I just have always had a stall where I could watch with a video camera from the house.
No fescue in the pasture. A little bit of cheatgrass but mostly nice pasture grass and some purple clover. |
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 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | MeepMeep - 2015-04-09 10:38 AM pasture foaling is the BEST option in my opinion
Meep Meep, I laugh everytime I see your name lol.
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | I would think it would be fine if you are monitoring them pretty regularly. My mare, not a maiden, had hers this morning in the pasture. Everything went great. |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I foal mine out in the pasture and haven't had any problems there. I'd just want to keep a closer eye on a maiden and would check her frequently when she get's close.....I've had many sleepless nights doing that :) |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I've had all my foals born in the pasture with no issues. |
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| MeepMeep - 2015-04-09 10:38 AM
pasture foaling is the BEST option in my opinion
The sun keeps the pasture sterilized where germs will hide in a barn regardless how clean it is.
Move mare to your little pasture and worm her with ivermectin at least 10 days prior to foaling. This clears worms and worm eggs out of her manure which the foal will nibble on to start his good gut bacteria to be able to digest whole foods... this is Mother Nature's way of starting your foal on the road to good health.
Do not give the foal an enema!! The plug in his rectum is there for a purpose .. it allows him to tank up on his mother's colostrum and fill up his digestive system during the first 8 hours creating digestive system pressure. This pressure will pop out his plug and you will see black sticky poop that was produced prior to his being born. You will see soft yellow poop after he has begun to digest his mother's milk. Keep him clean with a wet towel daily and put Vaseline or a greasy layer of furazone on his butt cheeks to keep them from scalding and easier to clean during the diarrhea he will have during the mares foal heat cycle.
Be ready with some iodine to doctor your foal's navel and have an empty feed sack to put the afterbirth in to dispose of it.
I also give the mare daily 20cc shots of PEN G for 5 days as a wide range antibiotic just to aid healing from birthing.
I also hose her vulva, between her legs, her bag/tits and clean up her back legs so foal will not ingest any residue from birthing. I repeat this over the next 12 days while mare is going thru her foal heat cycle.
These are all simple, time proven, easy to perform tasks that have worked for me for years to have healthy robust foals and healthy mares after birthing ...
GOOD LUCK!!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I work night shift on foal watch at a large foaling barn. I would always recommend taking them to a vet to foal. We have had plenty of foals that would've died had they been at home. Especially with a maiden mare, you never know what can happen. We've had maidens that didn't drop milk for hours after birth, even after multiple doses of oxytocin. We give all the foals enemas, and they are much more willing to nurse after they pass the plug, so not sure where they heard that. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | LRQHS - 2015-04-09 11:20 AM MeepMeep - 2015-04-09 10:38 AM pasture foaling is the BEST option in my opinion Meep Meep, I laugh everytime I see your name lol.
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | For the last 10 years, maybe longer, we've had 10 broodmares that have been pasture bred, and the foals were pasture foaled. No complications, no deaths. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | Even though my mare wasn't a maiden mare, she hadn't had a foal for a while when we bred her again. I'm so glad we had her up in a stall by the house with the vet on speed dial. That night I thought I was going to lose both the mare and the foal. The foal was coming out wrong, and she was in labor for too long, then when we finally got the foal out she wouldn't stop bleeding. I see where the pasture would be cleaner and more ideal. But having an issue, I'm glad I had her where I did so the vet could get there asap. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | If the pasture is empty now, go get some 2-4-D pasture spray. It will kill all the weeds and leaves the grass alone. Spray the weeds now. They will be dead and gone and you wont have the goat heads or any other noxious weeds. The pasture grass is safe to return and eat in 7 days. After you spray, then wait at least 1 full 24 hr period and water it good with a good sprinkler. You will have amazing pasture grass and a clean pasture. Wait untill 2 weeks prior to foaling to put your mare in there to preserve the integrity of the pasture as long as possible before foaling. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | I always opt for the pasture and just keep a close eye out. Just had a friend lose a foal while foaling in a stall (large stall). The mare somehow laid on the foal and it died from injuries. Accidents can happen anywhere. I would thnk a nice green pasture with clean air and plenty of room would be much better than a stall. My maiden mare foaled in the pasture with no issues, same on her second baby. |
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Veteran
Posts: 251
Location: Oregon | Thank you for all the responses.
The pasture has gone through two rounds of 2-4-d that have been a month apart, in preparation for the mare and baby. I haven't let any horses out on it since September so that the grass would be good and thick.
I'm starting to feel better about letting her pasture foal. I think I just stress since so much time and money go into a little unborn critter, I want to make sure everything will go as smoothly as possible. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | LRQHS - 2015-04-09 11:20 AM MeepMeep - 2015-04-09 10:38 AM pasture foaling is the BEST option in my opinion Meep Meep, I laugh everytime I see your name lol.
Same here!! LOL I love it!  |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Here is my foaling set up. 6 12' gate sections hooked to a 10x20 run in shed, in the middle of a 1 acre field. The mare gets to go out most days to wander and graze, and in at night with the lights (3 11 watt bulbs) where I can watch her with my online cam (how this pic was taken). I've been foaling with this set up since 2003 and love it. Had one mare foal early in the field. No problem - just led her into the pen when the foal was up and mobile. I've had other things happen, but things will happen if you breed.
 (Zeon in foaling pen.jpg)
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 Zeon in foaling pen.jpg (90KB - 178 downloads)
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