The early foal, the northern foal, and the foal born during a late spring cold weather snap all face the same problem. If a foal does not dry off and gets chilled it becomes weak. The weaker it is the less likely it is to nurse. The cycle can end in death.
The solution is a mobile foal incubator heating unit. The price of such units vary greatly according to style, appearance, and amount of use. Such units are multi purpose when not being used as mobile foal incubators. I have used such units to save two pigs, three chickens and a foal, Lydia's great horse Owl Prophet.
Owl Prophet was born in the early morning hours of a very cold, wet, Easter Sunday morning. He was nearly dead when I arrived as the sun rose. I tried drying him and wrapping him in blankets but he showed little sign of warming.
Then it occurred to me that if I simply drove my truck out to where he was, placed him on the floor boards and let the heater run he might have a chance of warming up and surviving. Within twenty minutes he was sitting up on the front seat looking out the window to his mother, Ghost Dance. I set him outside and he began to nurse and went on to live happily ever after.
Since that time I have relied on my truck to serve as a mobile instant animal incubator and it has never let me down.
Whatever serves the purpose, right? Simple and fast. And it works. That's what matters!
ReplyDeleteMaggie