Tell me about your experience with maidens

[Skittlebittie]

Okay, I'm looking for all of you experienced with maiden mares, if there is such a thing as experienced when you talk about maidens! Tell me about them. How many days did they foal, did they have a bag/milk, loose tail/croup, trouble delivering, good moms, etc.

Thanks in advance,

Lori

 

[CAM]

I had a maiden mare that showed every foaling sign in the book with the exception of her milk coming in, for three weeks before her due date, which was accurate as she was bred only one time, and the turkey foaled nearly three weeks "late"! She was nearly 1 week shy of one full year! She did wax up and get her milk in about 17 hours before she foaled which, I might add, was at 2:30 in the afternoon. Oh, don't worry, I'm not complaining, but it just goes to show you they will do whatever they please, whenever they please. Oh, and she was also one of my Arabians.

Because she was a maiden I wasn't entirely sure she would get her milk before foaling and unfortunately, I didn't have my foaling cameras in yet, so I spent many a night watching her in the barn wondering if this was the night. That mare is the one who convinced me to get the foaling cams in the first place. I said I would never again do that and I haven't. Now I sit in the comfort of my recliner by the warm fire watching the tv monitor. The best birthday present ever!

:

 

[Shaladar]

Okay, I'm looking for all of you experienced with maiden mares, if there is such a thing as experienced when you talk about maidens! Tell me about them. How many days did they foal, did they have a bag/milk, loose tail/croup, trouble delivering, good moms, etc.

Thanks in advance,

Lori

So far this year, I have foaled out 3 maidens......only one gave any indication that she was planning on foaling...she got a teeny-tiny bit of wax. Not one of these mares sweated or paced....the only thing that they all 3 did do was have loose stools starting about 1-2 hours before foaling. Actually, with one, I though she was acting colicy since she was only at 297 or so days and didn't really have much of an udder.

Pearl,( mine)a Maiden, went 297 days,no problems,not much udder, but milk came in almost right away excellent mom,

: the other of mine, Rain Dance, a maiden, went 323 and had a red bag, :new_shocked: hard delivery, foal needed rescusutating,(Thank Goodness we were right there) but he seems ok now, decent sized udder, but no waxing or dripping milk,slight softening of tailhead...she is a excellent mom

: ......and one went around 345 (but they weren't real sure on the breeding dates...pasture bred)She came here for foaling. Easy foaling. She also is a excellent mom.

:

I have another maiden in the barn now that is at day 306, (according to the owner) and all signs are go....huge udder, but the teats aren't filled, but they are pointing down, fairly loose croup.

I also have a" been there done that ", mare in the barn that is at day 315 or so, and is waxed and ready to go....she's so loose that if she sneezes, I'm afraid the foal will come flying out...LOL :lol:

Sue....sleepless in Vacaville

I must add: if not for equipage and cameras/monitors, we would of lost Rain Dancers foal....

 

[Equuisize]

I'm not long in the experience department as I've just one breeding age mare and

she obviously was just a maiden, once...

:

But her maiden pregnancy was very smooth....

Getting towards a delivery window I kept checking her for signs,

any sign, just give me a sign...... NOTHING!

I thought she is loving these back rubs to much to give this baby up

and she was going to be pregnant forever.

She actually foaled at 325 days, had a textbook delivery evidently, as no one was

around. She did not bag, she didn't wax or drip, her vulva did not elongate, she

ate her full dinner, her poop was normal.......

In retrospect the next morning, giving her heck for not telling me, the only thing

she did different at bedtine that night before when I was giving her, her back rub

was, as I moved down her back, when I got above her hips she turned around and

snipped at me, didn't connect but effectively told me she wasn't liking that.

That's it.

I hope your mare is not as secretive as mine.....but I did like her surprise, nonetheless.

 

[minimule]

I've had 3 maiden mares foal out here. The first was pretty much text book. I can't remember how many days she went but she showed all the typical signs; full udder, milk changing, squishy butt, relaxed backend.... Two of the maidens did have a hard time delivering though. The first one was a BIG foal and I had to help her get him out. The next, the foal got stuck at his eyes just because momma was so small. With a little effort on her part and ours, he slipped right out and was up and nursing within 15 minutes.

 

[Skittlebittie]

Okay, so far, I guess I'm gonna keep guessing myself. My maiden is at day 291, has a small bag-no milk, slightly loose tail, and a loose croup. I'm afraid that she probably wont be giving me the really strong signs I'd been hoping for, but there's still time and I can keep on hoping. Good to hear all of your mares have gone on to figure out what the little "creature" was and be good Moms. Hopefully, there will be no red bag here. And this next quote is just too funny;

I also have a" been there done that ", mare in the barn that is at day 315 or so, and is waxed and ready to go....she's so loose that if she sneezes, I'm afraid the foal will come flying out...LOL :lol:

Sue....sleepless in Vacaville

Keep the stories coming guys, these are great :aktion033:

I've had 3 maiden mares foal out here. The first was pretty much text book. I can't remember how many days she went but she showed all the typical signs; full udder, milk changing, squishy butt, relaxed backend.... Two of the maidens did have a hard time delivering though. The first one was a BIG foal and I had to help her get him out. The next, the foal got stuck at his eyes just because momma was so small. With a little effort on her part and ours, he slipped right out and was up and nursing within 15 minutes.

I must add that mine is a really big, wide mare. So I hope I wont have any problems with the foal getting stuck!

Lori

Here's hoping that mine is text book too!

 

[mmmorgans]

We bought a mare that had been running with a stallion - no idea when she was bred. She had absolutely no signs - no bag - no visible changes of any sort. She had a foal on her own (yes we were lucky) as at that time I didn't know about Equipage or cameras, etc. So as far as I am concerned maiden mares can completely fool you!!!!!!!!!!!! Best of luck with your girl.

 

[CharmedMinis]

I've only had one maiden mare, my Shimmer's Mamma back in 2004.

She foaled at 321 days with absolutely no signs whatsoever, notta, zipp, nuttin!!!

For a bag she had a slight puff, got milk in when she foaled. Her croup and tailhead never relaxed. The foal never dropped. She ate and pooped normally.

The only thing she did do and I only caught her doing it once, was the day before she foaled she did the grasshopper legs, but I had her on camera and only caught her doing it one time.

Foal delivered easily, Ruby was a great Mamma from the start, though very protective the first few days.

Ruby is the mare I am watching now, she's at 321 today..........guess what............I got nothing, zip, no signs at all

:

 

[clpclop]

I've only had one maiden mare, my Shimmer's Mamma back in 2004.

She foaled at 321 days with absolutely no signs whatsoever, notta, zipp, nuttin!!!

For a bag she had a slight puff, got milk in when she foaled. Her croup and tailhead never relaxed. The foal never dropped. She ate and pooped normally.

The only thing she did do and I only caught her doing it once, was the day before she foaled she did the grasshopper legs, but I had her on camera and only caught her doing it one time.

Foal delivered easily, Ruby was a great Mamma from the start, though very protective the first few days.

Ruby is the mare I am watching now, she's at 321 today..........guess what............I got nothing, zip, no signs at all

:

With 2 maiden mares at 322 & 301 days....I'd like to know what "grasshopper legs" are?

 

[Southern_Heart]

I have had maiden mares that were text book delivery, then had one that didn't have much of a bag but came through just in time. Then there was one that had red bag and then of course one that had retained placenta after a hard delivery.

So all in all you don't know what will happen till the foal comes, maiden or otherwise

In my honest opinon Please make sure you are there when the foal comes as anything can happen. Read all you can about foaling and then read it all over again. Its worth it, for the life of the foal.

:

Joyce

 

[CharmedMinis]

Well let me see if I can explain Grasshopper Legs :lol:

They will pick up one back leg and kind of rub that leg up against the inside of their other back leg. Then they switch legs and repeat the process.

Did that make sense??? :bgrin

 

[DakotahMoon_Ranch]

I'm kind of interested in the "grasshopper legs" thing too

: EDITED: OOH ok, I do think I've seen that a time or two but I didn't coorelate it to them getting ready to foal.

but for my maiden experiences...

Year before last I had 2 maiden mares. One of them gave me no clues. Her butt was always kind of steep looking because she didn't eat well (and believe me we offered her everything during her pregnancy) and we had a ewe to lamb late at night and I was so concerned with getting her to let her lamb nurse (she was a first time mom too) that as I was out there at 5:30 am helping the sheep, I missed her foaling by moments. I went back in the house and sat down in front of the monitor only to see a baby trying to stand!!!! :new_shocked:

The other mare showed little signs (about like she is right now as a matter of fact) and I talked to my husband in the middle of the day and told him to keep an eye on her. He said "She just went into her stall, she's fine"...he called me back a few minutes later to tell me that she foaled and it was a black pinto filly (it was also high noon!)

We were lucky in both cases and had been watching both mares under camera for weeks - they just sometimes find a way to sneak it in when they feel like you're not paying attention. :lol:

 

[sedeh]

My maiden last year developed a bag but didn't ever get really full and teats never got engorged. I watched her on the camera for 2 weeks. She loved to lay flat out on her side.......I always thought she was going into labor. I expected her to go one night and didn't get much sleep watching her. 7 am was just gonna give up on her doing anything and she laid down, got up, laid down again and had it........perfect delivery. Once she got over her fear of the foal touching her, she was great mom! She foaled at 341 days.

 

[Skittlebittie]

What can I say, you guys are great

: Hats off to all of you with your stories about your maidens. I know that mares, much less maiden can fool you without even trying. They are all so very different. Here's hoping that my maiden is one of those quick, easy, and non-eventful deliveries. I am planning on being there for the delivery, but it sure would be nice if she would give me a sign of pending birth. I am one of those people who has to work 3 days a week. But, I work at a vet, and cant take a month off to watch the mare. If she shows strong signs, I wont go into work, but if I'm not sure, I can always take her with me to watch her there. I know it's not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Keep the stories coming :aktion033:

 

[Skittlebittie]

Any more maiden stories out there? :new_shocked: