The moment of truth - the foal only has about a half hour  window in which to be successfully born.  Equines have little margin for birthing error.  Showing two front feet - one ahead of the other, the muzzle  is just ready to emerge in proper birthing position. Photo by J. Rachau

Prior to Pregnancy:  Preparation should begin before your jennet is even bred.  You should select a brood jennet that is not only correct conformation wise, but mentally as well.  Has she been well socialized with her own kind?  I feel that they do learn from the rest of the herd, and it's less of a shock to the maiden when she finds herself a mother - if she has been around other mothers and babies as she grew up.  She should be healthy, already be on a nutritionally sound diet, have had a pre-breeding exam by veterinarian and be up on her worming and vaccinations.

After the Fact:  After your jennet is bred, she should be ultrasounded at least once prior to 30 days to verify that she is not carrying twins.  Even though the slim chance of live twins are higher for mule and donkey foals, the cost to the foals themselves and the reproductive future as well as the life of the dam is too high to risk the novelty.

Maternal considerations:  Your jennet should be on a nutritionally sound diet, be current on vaccinations and be in a stress free and happy environment.  She should be getting exercise (she could continue to be ridden or driven gently up to 6-9 months of pregnancy if she is used to the regimen) or turned out in pasture.  She should be well fleshed, but not obese.  Make sure that she is getting adequate vitamins (consult with your veterinarian about what is right for your area).   In the last three months of her pregnancy (they gestate on average around 365 days) she should begin getting more grain and hay to help her with the major growth of her fetus.

Make sure your pasture is free of toxic plants that can inhibit either her production of milk, transfer of antibodies to the foal, or even cause abortion (i.e.: fescue toxicity).  Your agriculture extension agent can help you identify culprits, if any, in your area. 

Vaccinations & worming:  All vaccines and worming should be current prior to breeding, and then a month prior to foaling vaccinations should be given yet again along with an oral Ivermection wormer.  You should also be giving a preventative flu vaccine such a Pnuema-bort K, during the 6th, 8th and 10th months of pregnancy.  This because certain easily transmittable influenza-like virus strains in equines (specifically: Rhino) will cause spontaneous abortion.

The foaling area:  Where the foal puts in their appearance into the world can be a beginning of it's new life or death.  It needs to be safe, sound, dry, clean and roomy enough for both jennet and foal if inside or clean and safe outside.   Minimum for a mammoth foaling stall would be 24' x 12'.   It is incredible how tiny a crack one of those fragile legs can fit into.  Remember that it takes a couple days for the foal to get any real clear vision, so walls need to be smooth and safe for he/she to bounce off of safely.  It works outs really well if you have an outside run or paddock that the baby and mom can go in and out of from the foaling stall. 

Foaling books:  Please get the following books on foaling.  They are both written by veterinarians and are incredible resources for valuable information.  They have many pictures and diagrams as well as thoroughly describing each detail of the gestation and foaling process.  They are life savers in that they also tell you the pitfalls to avoid and how to watch out for problems and try to correct before they become a crisis. Must READ! Both should be available at your local bookstore, or easily ordered in as they are currently in print.
 

• Blessed are the Broodmares by M. Phyllis Lose, V.M.D.

• The Complete Book of Foaling by Karen E. N. Hayes, D.V. M., M.S.

The moment is at hand: As time draws near, you need to start thinking about how you are going to monitor your jennet as well as touch base with your veterinarian.      He should know where you live and that you have an animal that will soon foal.   Equines do not have set foaling dates.  It is as individual as each foal is - since he/she is really the one that determines when he is done "cooking" in mum's oven.  Average is 365 days, but a donkey could safely go a month either way.  To watch the expectant mother - the best possible scenario is that it's unobtrusive to your jennet and convenient for yourself.  Whether you have a camera in your barn, sound monitor or a sleeping cot - your jennet will need your constant surveillance as her time draws near, at night especially.  Getting up every half hour to check on her will not cut it.  A life can be lost during that time of absence. 

Get a foaling kit ready with all the paraphernalia you want ready and on hand for the new born.  Watch the jennets udder, her abdomen, tail head, vulva for progressing signs to her time of delivery.  It's not usually what the changes are but how fast they have occurred that can clue you in the best. Remember, this is a prey species - she is going to hide her condition as much as she can from instinct.  They will not show "labor" signs of straining until the water actually breaks.   Usually when the jennet is dripping milk, defecating and urinating small amounts frequently, getting up and laying down, and showing signs of restlessness then the time is well nigh here and you'd better be awake and  ready. It's instinctive for the jennet to hide and foal in solitude, you just have be patient and watch.  The foaling books give every intimate detail of what you can expect (remember to expect the unexpected - always).

• Building a bag - normally about 6 weeks prior to foaling the milk factory starts thinking about coming on line for future use and you can start seeing some enlargement. This is individual of course and some can shape up in as little time as a couple of hours before birth.
• Slackening of the hips, tail head - usually about 3-4 weeks from foaling the ligaments and muscles around the croup and tail head and buttocks lose tone and 'fall away'.  They can get that hippy holstein cow look and if you poke your finger on their hip - as they become imminent - they will jiggle and wiggle like Jell-O.  Jell-O butt.
• The belly will change shape and 'drop' as the time nears.  The foal doesn't really go into birth position - what actually happens is the foal is mostly upside down inside and extends his head and legs  for positioning into the birth canal and at the time of delivery mom's uterus actually rotates and pushes him out so the foal arrives right side up in the classic 'diving' position. 
• The vulva will become very loose and relaxed - flapping in the breeze. 
• Frequent urination and defecating.
• Pacing, pawing, kicking at belly.
• Getting up and down frequently.
• Waxing or dripping milk from engorged teats.  The udder will "blush" darker and will take on a moist look as actual milk production begins.

The jennet should have privacy for her foaling, she shouldn't have to deal with a crowd at this important time so try not to leave her to dump the foal out with the herd.  In the wild the mother would go off and find privacy and that cannot often be done in a small enclosure.   Again, any interruption, even from other curious donkeys can affect the mom/foal bonding process.  You never know if other donkeys could harm the newborn or even try and steal the cutie for themselves.  Give the jennet and baby privacy and special status, leave them alone together until baby is steady on his legs. 

Watch out! Jealous mom:  The new baby is on the ground and you are frantic to find out what it is, treat it's navel (use chlorhexidine or betadine) and dry it off. (normally unless it's very cold - I treat the navel and then back off and let mom lick and dry the foal - nature is always best).  Be aware that a jennets drive to protect her foal can be very dangerous!  Even if you are the best of friends, your jennet has just gone through a tremendously stressful experience and she is swamped with hormonal drives that you might not comprehend.  It's instinctive for her to protect and keep unto herself her foal from EVERYTHING, including you.  It's very important that we as caretakers do not interrupt this bonding process as jennets are more likely than horse mares, it seems, to fall into foal rejection if disturbed.  Do not get in-between the jennet and foal, always approach the jennet first.  If she doesn't want you in the stall then respect her for that. She will relax in a couple of hours or days.

Foal handling:  It is currently the in thing to "imprint train" new born foals.  This can work against a caretaker, if interrupting the natural mother bonding process of her foal.  Donkey foals are born liking people, so even if you don't get a chance to snuggle them at birth, even a few weeks  down the road seems to make no difference.  If the mother becomes upset with the newborn foal imprinting - I would reconsider, a jennet - though a very devoted mother - could be more likely to initially reject her foal.  In a few days or so she should relax and you'll be able to snuggle the foal all you want. 

Hopefully the foal will have gotten onto it's feet within the hour after it's birth.  It needs to nurse to correctly process it's mother colostrum within 6-8 hours after birth.  Foals will sometimes latch on and make lots of noise but are not swallowing. Watch that the foal's throat indicates he's swallowing and that the mothers bag has reduced.    In case something is wrong with the dam, be aware that the foal should only receive colostrum - not milk replacer for it's first few meals (the milk replacer shuts down it's ability to absorb colostrum in his gut).  Without an immediate colostrum first meal, a  plasma transfusion will be necessary to save it's life.   Your vet should have a colostrum substitute - or another breeder may have some banked colostrum you could purchase.  

Make sure the foal is urinating out of the right orifice - some can still dribble urine from its navel.   Enema's are often called for ( prepared human Fleet enemas will work fine), as foals can be born constipated. They usually need to pass 1/2 to 1 cup of myconium.   Elimination problems are life threatening and your vet should be called immediately if any deviation from the norm.

IgG testing: After your foal is 8 -12 hours old you should have some blood drawn by your veterinarian to test it's IgG levels. You've waited an entire year for this baby, and wouldn't it be a shame that you didn't check with this simple test that the baby had gotten adequate antibodies from it's dam?  If the results are too low then the baby needs a transfusion to insure life, otherwise it can sicken and die.  You have no way of telling if the foal received adequate colostrum and correctly processed it, other than a blood test.

Lactation: Once the foal begins nursing, the greatest stress comes onto the jennet.  She will be producing approximately 5 gallons of milk daily for her foal. This milk will be high in fats and nutrients coming from her body.  If your jennet is rather obese to begin with, this is the easiest time to take weight off because it will be coming off in a hurry.  Adequate nutrition for the jennet is critical at this time to keep the milk factory going strong for her foal.  Extra grain at this time would be appropriate.  Be sure and check her udder frequently, because a healthy foal will not leave a full udder, and it will tell you sooner that the foal is ailing before any other adverse behavior signs indicate otherwise.  Remember as a prey species showing signs of illness is a death sentence so a foal will lie and hide signs of illness until just before he/she suddenly crashes.  Watch that udder, it will tattle on the ailing foal.

When to rebreed: A jennet goes into a foal heat within approximately 10 days from  foaling.  Some breeders will try and breed back on this heat.  A foal heat should be considered a cleaning cycle.   The reproductive tract of the jennet is trying to repair itself from the recent trauma of birth and breeding at that time could re-injure, introduce contaminants to an already stressed system, and conception is normally lower.  If at all possible wait until her next heat cycle or only consider foal heat breeding if foaling and afterbirth cleansing was entirely without problems.  Also consider, some jennets will not show heat with a foal at side so it can be a frustrating time until the foal is weaned.