Bandy's Foaling Thread - Round 2!

[paintponylvr]

I'm looking forward to your baby as well. Bandy is looking good...

So when are you actually expecting this baby?

 

[Brody]

Baby is expected around June 8th - so a little while off yet. I'm hoping s/he ends up being a good match to his/her sister so that they can be put together as a team in a few years. Fingers crossed!

 

[paintponylvr]

Team, team - Yay, Yay!! I'm always for pairs and teams! And I know the feeling (s) well. I love having "matched" pairs... Mine are sometimes so closely "matched" that they need nametags on now for others to tell them apart, LOL

And yours is due about 1 week before mine are due. These will be the first foals for our Jr stallion.

 

[lkblazin]

A team would be cool.. It would be pretty awesome if this baby comes out with the same color and pattern

 

[Brody]

Another update for Bandy - today is day 281. It seems like every time I go out to check on her she just keeps getting bigger! The first four photos are from today (day 281).





These next four photos are again from last year when she was at day 280.



Other than still being furrier this year, she is looking right on track to where she was at last year (Very grateful I started a thread last year and can compare this year!

Last, here are a few just because shots of my other two. I shaved my gelding about a week ago - as he takes forever to shave and it is a bit of a pain to deal with the winter fur for 2 months every time we hook him up to go for a drive. He has his 'nit impressed' expression going on in the photos because I had just let Bandy out in the pasture for the day and to get her grain ration and he didn't get to join her! Also included is a couple shots of Molly - Bandy's foal from last year She hasn't even started to shed yet :/ - so she is still a big ball of fur!



I'll try and update again in a week or so.

 

[Brody]

Questions:

Hi All, I have a couple questions for you. Bandy is about 5 weeks away from foaling so I spent today getting my foaling kit put together and reviewing dystocia's and preparing for delivery. Also, I was finally able to get mare/foal feed in for her so I can switch her from the grain she has been on to the new feed. I've been trying to get the mare/foal feed from the feed store for the last couple of months, but they haven't got it in - or they supposedly ordered it and it didn't show up in the shipment, and other supposed reasons as well

. Anyway, finally got it today

so I have a question about it too.

Question 1: Feeding Mare/Foal Feed. The Mare/Foal feed I got is Purina Omolene 300 (based of recommendations and preferences I read in other threads here). My mare is 36" and I'm estimating around 350lbs. Based on the feeding instructions (http://purinamills.com/horse-feed/products/omolene-300-growth-horse-feed/) I am figuring I need to feed ~ 3.5 lbs./day - which I am estimating at around 8 cups/day. Does this seem right? And, for others that have fed this how many cups/day did you feed? I don't have a scale to weigh it out, so I'm going to estimate weight to cups/day! Any thoughts would be helpful.

Question 2: In preparing my foaling kit and reading about dystocias I came across the following excerpt about neonatal isoerythrolysis:

The foaling kit list says to include a "Plastic Cup - to mix together about 1/2 teaspoon of the colostrum with a few drops of umbilical cord blood.(or one drop of blood to one drop colostrum). If the mixture separates, do not let the foal drink. Call the vet. The foal could die after drinking the colostrum due to a condition called neonatal isoerythrolysis (aka jaundice) If the mixture does not separate, all is well. This condition will not show up the first time a mare and stallion produce, but only on their subsequent breedings." (source: http://iamranch.com/minifoalingkit.htm).

My question is if anyone is familiar with this, or can teach me anything further about it. I had never heard of it before, and after reading this and then researching a bit further, my mare is 'more' likely to be at risk with this pregnancy as it is a second pregnancy with the same stallion. As a precaution I plan on following the steps mentioned in the quote, but other than this one website I couldn't find any further information about doing this test for the illness and how accurate it is. I'm also thinking it is likely rare, but it's just one new thing I'm reading about now and so - of course - worrying about it! Thanks in advance for any comments and thoughts.

 

[chandab]

I have a chart for feeding miniatures Purina feeds, I think it used to be on their website, but either no longer is, or just really hard to find. I'll see if it'll attach.

Purina -MiniatureHorseFeedingRecommendations.pdf

I believe the chart lists Omolene 200 for pregnant and lactating minis, but the 300 will be just fine in the same amounts (which they have rather light weights listed).

Is your mare an easy keeper or a hard keeper? Knowing will help determine how much she might need of the Mare/foal feed (if she's an easy keeper, there are minimal amounts listed at the bottom of the tag usually, that will give her the nutrients without excessive calories); my easy keeper mares, I just added a cup of mare/foal feed to their regular ration, rather than completely changing them over, but since I have several horses, having a couple different bags of feed open isn't an issue.

Omolene is a textured feed, so I'm not sure how it weighs up. I know with pelleted feeds, 1 cup is about 5-6 oz, so about 1/3#. So 3.5# of most pellets would be 10.5 cups; many textured feeds weigh up slightly lighter than pellets, so would likely be more cups per pound.

 

[SummerTime]

I bought a cheap scale at Walmart in the kitchen stuff department, it worked great for weighing all my different a feeds for all my different farm animals... Chickens, pigs, goats, minis and regular sized horses.

I use it for all kinds of stuff now even tho I don't have any animals anymore (besides husband, 2 boys and 2 tiny dogs lol). My husband keeps stealing it for his beer making grains...

So it might be worth $10 to know accurately what your giving her.

 

[Brody]

Thanks! I probably should just go get a scale! And thanks Chanda - I was hoping you might have some insight. It seems like anytime someone posts about a feeding regimen you have a lot of good information to offer. That chart is really helpful, wish I would have found that before searching so diligently for the Omolene 300, as the 200 is much easier to come by.

My mare is a very easy keeper - but right before weaning her foal last year she did lose some weight and was starting to get thin. She is in great weight now and very healthy/easy to manage. So for now I just want to supplement with the Omolene for the nutrients, but once the foal is 3 months old or so I'll probably increase the amount so that her weight doesn't suffer like last year and she stays healthy. So, I'm thinking - based on the chart you gave - that I'll probably give ~ 1.5 lbs. a day for now, and then up it significantly when the foal is a couple months old. Thanks again!

 

[chandab]

Just watch how she does and keep an eye on whether she losing or gaining. If you look at the tag or perhaps I saw it on the website, I think they say the absolute least amount to give is like .3#/100# body weight, so for her size that would be just over #1; which might be a good place to start, then once nursing increase to the 1.5#. Just remember make all feed changes slowly over at least 1 week.

 

[Brody]

Hi All,

First - thanks for your comments and help! I think I will be following the advice given and gradually transitioning Bandy to ~ 8 cups/day over the next week or more. Then I'll just watch her from there and adjust!. Thanks Diane for your comment about the neonatal isoerythrolysis. I assumed it was probably a rare thing, and since you never encountered it in your years of experience I do feel much better about that concern. I will likely do the test just because!

Beyond that, today is day 289 and Bandy is progressing quite well (expecting delivery around day 315-325). I got sick of shedding hair this past week, and our temperatures jumped up from the 60s to the 80s, so I decided to go ahead and body clip everyone. They look much better, and Bandy looks much happier as well - not near as hot! Hear are a few photos of her from this morning while out on the lead line enjoying some fresh grass.



And, here are a few of Molly (Bandy's foal from last year. She looks so different and grown up after being clipped - and a LOT more like her momma

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Looking good!! And how spoiled are they to have their own swing!! LOL

 

[lkblazin]

Very spiffy with there hair cuts

 

[Brody]

Bandy is 300 days today, and progressing quite well. The first four images below are from today, and the second set of four images are from last year when she was at three hundred days gestation. They look pretty comparable, but her udder is looking a little more developed to me this year, thoughts? I just set up the camera to watch her at night (it's a baby monitor so sorry no wifi cam). I also have the milk testing strips this year and will be trying them out probably early next week and will then report on that as well!

Four photos from today (300 days gestation):





Here are the four photos from last year at 300 days gestation:

 

[SummerTime]

Wow she has a great udder going for you!!

 

[paintponylvr]

She's looking good.

It's so fun to go back and see the pics from last time! You have great shots of her both then and now.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Looking Good Brody,

Didn't think it would be possible for her to look anymore like her mumma, I stand corrected

 

[Brody]

Thanks for the comments all! Great to see you're back Ryan - was wondering where you were at!

Yes, Molly is looking more and more like Bandy. Bandy was actually about a year old when I got her - I'll have to do some searching and find some pics of Bandy as a yearling to compare the two of them - hadn't thought of that! Not sure when I'll get around to that, though, as Bandy's photos are in a box somewhere - taken back before the days of digital cameras

.

Also, yes, Bandy's udder is looking pretty big this year. Last year her udder was about the size it is now when she foaled, but then got much bigger as she nursed. When the vet came out for a check around the time I was weaning Molly he remarked on how big the udder was, saying she was looking more like a dairy cow than a mare

- good to know she gets a good milk supply, though.

Last, I used the milk testing strips for the first time tonight. I'm confident that I still have at least 2 weeks or so to go, but the box suggested beginning to test a couple weeks before the due date so that it is more apparent when the strips start to change color. So, I followed directions and the milk strips confirmed that we aren't that close to foaling yet. So, patience for another couple weeks!

 

[Brody]

We have a baby!!! Foal arrived at 8:29pm this evening!!! Wasn't really expecting it, but Bandy has been acting a bit different the past couple days so I've been keeping and eye on her. I did the milk test strips around 6:30pm, and the result clearly stated NOT in foaling range - hmmm. So, came in had dinner, put the kids to bed and then looked at the monitor to see Bandy getting up and down and acting strange. At first I thought she was maybe just rolling to get baby in position, then a minute later it was clear she was straining. Grabbed the foaling kit and headed out and the front legs were just coming out. Two quick pushes later (maybe a total of a minute) the foal was out and the placenta followed. I had to end up ripping the umbilical cord as it didn't break. Foal was up and roaming around within 20 minutes and at the moment is still trying to figure out the nursing thing. I came in for a quick break and to make an update, and will be heading back out to make sure she nurses. Oh, and yes - it is another FILLY. I will post some pics tomorrow, but she looks almost identical to both her mom and her big sister. Markings are a little bit different, but nearly the same except for a great little black spot on her back! Today was gestation day 304!!! So, this baby was an early arrival, but appears to be doing great!

Also, I've been trying to get the vet out for about 3 weeks now for vaccinations, but they've been so backed up they haven't been able to get here yet. Well, they called earlier this evening (before the foal arrived) and scheduled to come tomorrow! So, while I would have preferred to have the vaccinations done 3 weeks ago, I now have the vet coming tomorrow for a regular visit and can give the foal a good, thorough examination! So, that worked out very well! I'm going to head back out now and keep an eye till the baby starts nursing, and probably won't be back on until tomorrow afternoon sometime!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Congratulations Brody and Bandy of course.

Another filly is just wonderful and cant wait to see some Pics. Had a small feeling that we may see another replica of Bandy.

Congratulations again am stoked for you