May 24, 2008

All is continuing to go well. Jen got a little loose manure, either from the bump up in grain or foal heat, I'm not sure which. So I backed her down a bit for a few days then will try increasing again and see if the loose manure comes back.



Jen is an excellent momma who takes good care of her baby without being overprotective. She is fine with me and my daughter, but is not a fan of my son being in with her and the baby. What could have happened to her in the past with a little boy? Hmmm..... who knows. At this point,

I'm just hoping that she doesn't lose any weight while nursing baby (now officially "Huyana", meaning "rain falling" because she was born between two significant rain storms, with a barn name of "Ana").

May 21, 2008

The vet was out today to pull an IGG. He said all looks good, and that Jen looks better since he saw her last, about 3 weeks ago. I've increased her grain, and of course she gets all the hay she can eat.

May 18, 2008

Jen delivered a healthy, happy, bouncing baby GIRL at 1:30 am! Baby was up and Jen passed the placenta intact within 30 minutes, nursed in less than an hour, pooped 15 minutes later, and nursed again. It was at that time I knew I could go to bed. Of course I was so jazzed I couldn't sleep until 4 am, then the kids got me up at 5:30.

May 17, 2007

Slab-sided, and we have WAX!!! Baby should come any day now!

May 10, 2007

Well on Saturday I thought for sure Jen would foal. She was very, very agitated, her udders filled significantly in short period of time. She was pacing, belly-kicking, chewing her feet, biting her sides, and she looked like she would go into orbit with her tail spinning like a helicoptor... But nothing. She must have been positioning the foal, because her belly changed shape signficantly after that.

She hated being in the roundpen that I set up for foaling, she was just miserable where she couldn't see the other horses. So I had to hurry up and make her paddock foal-safe. She will not go inside a stall, she is afraid, so I'm not going to stress her out with that. She has her tent shelter that she will go in when it rains heavily, and she has a nice flat area with shavings underneath and hay where she sleeps, and to foal out in. I put lights around the fence perimeter so I can see better on the cam, and snow fencing up on the fence to make it foalproof (so baby can't roll under it, or get a hoof caught while flopping around, as they tend to do in the beginning).

Jens udder continues to fill. She is very loose behind, she has been belly-kicking for days, and her tail is in constant motion. I'm exhausted watching her on the cam every 2 hours all night for a week now. Soon, I hope! She continues to gain weight and is doing well. Prayers appreciated for a healthy delivery.

May 2, 2007

Jen was dewormed with Ivermectin on Saturday, and has been passing bot larvae in her manure. Ewwwwww.

The vet came out to see her on Monday. He said everything I'm doing is right, and to just keep on keepin' on. He thinks she will probably foal within a few weeks to a month. Her foaling pen is all ready, with a wood chip base and deer fencing around the panels so baby doesn't roll under. The cam is all set up, www.marestare.com/chestnut.htm

She continues to gain weight, she's gained around 75 pounds so far. She seems to be gaining in spurts, she gained a lot in her butt at first, then that has slowed down, and now she seems to get getting some weight around her shoulders and neck. Her shoulders are now beginning to blend into her neck (or vice versa), and her shoulder blade is no longer so much like a "shelf" . She is getting a bit of a ridge of fat along her crest, and she is growing a mane!!!! Its amazing what a little food can do for you.

I've also noticed, now that she's shedding out, that she has a pretty pronounced indentation on the bridge of her nose. She must have worn a halter too tight for quite some time. So sad :-(

Sisters! This is what they do, make faces at each other over the fence. They may not look a lot alike, but their mannerisms are identical!

April 25, 2007

Jen is on SMZ as a precaution due to the manure rolling down her vulva because of her sunken in anus from being starved for so long. She is starting to build a milk bag this week, and is just postively HUGE! Still as sweet as ever though.



I'm getting the roundpen all ready for a foaling pen, I spread a box truck load of wood chips to provide a clean base, and need to work on installing some deer fencing around the bottom so baby doesn't roll under the panels or get cast. The cam is up and running properly so I can keep an eye on things from the house until she is imminent. My foaling kit is almost filled. The only hitch at the moment are the darned coyotes who have decided to start prowling around this past week.



She seems to have stalled a bit in her weight gain, at least in her butt. But I'm noticing that her neck is beginning to thicken up a bit, and she has some muscling on her shoulders now, so she seems to be putting weight on in different areas and I'm sure most of it is going to that little baby in there!