How to Prepare for a Foal's Birth
- 1). Create a foaling plan in consultation with your veterinarian and familiarize yourself with it, paying particular attention to the birthing process so that you understand the types of warning signs to watch for.
- 2). Keep your veterinarian's phone number with you at all times and give it to your barn manager or assistant.
- 3). Provide the mare with ample daily exercise. Ensure she maintains a healthy heart and lungs, as well as strong muscles for the birthing process.
- 4). Prepare the foaling kit, which includes mild liquid soap, rolled cotton, flashlight with extra batteries, watch, cell or cordless phone, towels, pen and notebook, clean towels, four buckets, vetwrap, plastic bag, sterile gloves, string, Betadine solution, enema, halter, lead rope, clamps, blunt-tipped and sharp scissors and a knife. Keep it close at hand.
- 5). Ensure that your mare maintains a regular worming schedule. The mare can contaminate the foaling stall and pasture, and the foal can ingest worm larvae during the birthing process.
- 6). Vaccinate the mare for tetanus approximately six weeks before foaling to increase essential antibodies in her colostrum.
- 7). Clean the mare's teats regularly with a warm cloth, approximately one month before foaling. Handling them will ensure that she adjusts to the feeling, increasing the likelihood of successful nursing when the foal is born.
- 8). Choose a stall at least 12 feet by 14 feet to use for the birth and remove all bedding. Inspect the stall for protruding nails or broken or splintering wood that could injure the foal, and perform the necessary repairs.
- 9). Install foaling rails to the sides of the stall, approximately 10 inches away from the wall and 10 inches above the ground to ensure the mare stays out of the corners during the birth.
- 10
Scrub the floor and walls with povidone-iodine and a wire brush, and allow it to dry for several days. - 11
Line the foaling stall with straw bedding and install a light, if needed. Having adequate lighting will allow you to safely monitor the mare during the birth. - 12
Disinfect water and feed buckets and place them in an area of the stall where the foal cannot injure itself as it struggles to stand and walk. - 13
Modify the mare's feed by reducing her grain ration and increasing or introducing bran at least one week before foaling. Providing 1 lb. of oats and 2 lbs. of bran in the morning and at night in addition to high-quality roughage will inhibit constipation, encourage healthy milk flow and avoid foal scours.
Source...