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Foaling Signs Page 2 |
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Pages made by Kim Landis &Photos By Kim Landis & Sheri Hill *Photos may not be copied without permission!! |
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A Mare's udder will start developing around 30 days prior to foaling. Mares who have foaled before may have a small bag and even some fluid year round. Maiden mares and sometimes a few experienced mares can foal with no udder or milk, until during or after the foal is born.
Mares that have been on fescue hay or grass before foaling will not produce milk, your can get an antidote from the vet to bring in the milk, but you must have an alternate source of colostrum for the foal. |
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5. Changes in mares udder (milk bag) and teats.
Note how teats start pointing inward, and then change to pointing more straight down as mare's udder progresses. Also note some mares will foal with no change in udder size until after having foal. |
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4-26-02 338 Days
mare foaled on day 340. |
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4-20-02 Day 332
Mare foaled on day 340 |
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Feb 20, 2001: 353 days gestation at 4:45pm mare foaled at 7pm. |
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Same mare's udder in April 2002
340 days gestation, the day mare foaled. |
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Maiden mare at 300 days
foaled 12 days later on day 312. |
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Waxing: dried milk on end of teats
(very few Miniatures wax before foaling)
337 days: 1pm, foaled 11pm. |
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6. Changes in color and consistency of milk.
Milk should be easy to express from teats, changes can occur within hours or over a day or more.
If you find the thick sticky, yellow colored fluid, watch that mare! Foaling should occur soon!
Do not leave a mare unattended for more than 1 hour that is showing any of these stages of milk. |
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You can also buy a kit with test strips to test the milk, they measure the amount of calcium and/or PH level and use that to predict foaling. This can help if you are new to foaling and need reassurance on the color/consistency of the milk.
Details on this testing on Page 3 |
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Skim Milk Color, starting to change to opaque white
2-20-01 at 1pm,
mare foaled at 7pm. |
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Milk Yellow/Golden color, very sticky,
thick similar to honey.
11am 4-28-02 Mare foaled at 4pm. |
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Milk is opaque white
2-20-01 4:45pm mare foaled at 7pm.
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Different Mare showing
Golden/Yellow, Thick & Sticky fluid
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From Same mare as left
Opaque White fluid
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A mare can foal during any of these stages, sometimes the milk changes to opaque white only after the foal is born. |
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Go to Page 3 for details on testing the mares milk
Foaling Signs Page Three |
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Link to photos of complete birth of a miniature horse at Southern Heart Ranch |
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See the New
Crayonbox Miniature Horse Foals |
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Back Home |
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Back to Foaling Signs Page One |
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