# Bedding for foaling - non straw options?



## gnubee (5 February 2015)

My mare, due in summer, is not great in the stable. Box walks when bored/ stressed, which trampled her wet poos over all the straw, plus she eats straw (sometimes in preference to the hay in her net) which makes it almost impossible to keep a deep, clean straw bed in her stable. After one night it looks like she hadn't been mucked out in a week. 

On that basis, I have been considering whether there is another option to bed her down around foaling time- something very absorbent and that doesn't look like food. 

I know a lot of people don't like shavings for foaling due to dust/ mare cleaning the foal. I have talked to manufacturers of a number of products including the wood pellets that you water to breakdown, paper based etc. who pretty much all say they don't know why it couldn't be used for foaling but that they aren't specifically aware of anyone who has used it for that purpose.

Has anyone had any experience of foaling on a non straw product who can suggest something that is good (or not good) for the purpose?


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## popsdosh (5 February 2015)

Grass, all mine foal out! I am not talking ponies here ,Over many years I have found we have very few( if any indeed) issues with mares that foal in a natural enviroment.


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## TheMule (5 February 2015)

Can you foal her outside? I wouldn't consider foaling this mare inside if I could help it.
Mine foaled outside in a small pen where I had a floodlight and camera on her 24/7, it was easy peasy and the stable was there should there have been an emergency


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## s4sugar (5 February 2015)

Chopped rape straw ( Bliss is one brand) can be used for foaling as long as you get the unscented ones.


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## PorkChop (5 February 2015)

I agree foal her outside - if not then tbh I would not be happy about foaling down on anything but straw.


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## Goldenstar (5 February 2015)

Always always oat straw but if you are sure you be able to catch her I would do it outside as well.


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## mynutmeg (5 February 2015)

Smallish paddock if possible.
The reason for not using shavings etc is that it sticks to the umbillical, also wood based bedding can harbour a particular bacteria (can't remember which) which is danerous if it gets in the umbillical - I had a similar dilema for my mare as she was having dust issues and I was worried about straw for her and the best alternative I came up with was the hemp - auboise. I used straw in the end so can't say how good the aubiose would be.


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## DuckToller (5 February 2015)

Your mare sounds like mine - what was left of her bed in the morning was too disgusting to recognise, if indeed she had left anything!  If I was late feeding, I would find her picking out and eating the grubby straw from under her poos, looking very pleased with herself too.  

Mine foaled at stud, but her whole personality changed.  As she grew larger, she grew calmer, less prone to box walking (probably too much effort) and once she had the foal she was totally absorbed in him, so her bed was relatively untrashed.  

So if you can't foal outside as seems to be a good suggestion, you might find she is better when the time comes and you can pile in the straw.


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## gnubee (6 February 2015)

Thanks all. I hadnt seriously considered letting her foal outside. I will look into the logistics of getting enough light out there and see what the vet thinks. 
She is a bit more chilled now than she was so maybe I am worried about nothingand she will just sort heherself out like yours DuckToller.


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## popsdosh (6 February 2015)

If she is going to foal in the summer why do you need a lot of light out there ,the worst thing you can do is keep putting lights on and off . Hire a foaling alarm for a couple of weeks and leave her to it . Just have the stable ready incase you really have a reason to bring her in. I can assure you the less of a drama you make of it the easier it will be.


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## CBFan (12 February 2015)

Agree. Foal her outside - no need for lights, just invest in a decent head torch and a more powerful hand held torch, in case of emergency / so that you can check on her from a distance but other than that, leave hr to it. You can always bring mare and foal in for the day after foaling to check them both over and get foal used to being handled...


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