May 13 Photo ~ Witnessing a Miracle & Other Little Ones

3 years ago we lost 2 foals shortly after their birthings. I’ve been watching Rawnie Spangle for weeks & checking her every morning as laqst time she foaled over night, This year I was so lucky to be able to be present & watch the process. The vet was not quite so happy as I kept ringing up for reassurance. They were so patient with me & understood my paranoia.

These pictures will need clicking on to enlarge them as my telephoto lens is still packed. Here the foal is just starting to emerge. This point lasted, to me, a very long time, so I went into the field & Rawnie Spangle pulled the foal back inside, refusing to proceed. I left the field & rang the vet!

Rawnie Spangle seemed happier lying down for a while, changing position occasionally

The head & front legs emerge, still in the sac

Once they are out

Rawnie Spangle stands up & spends what seems to me ages walking around with her baby half inside & half outside, fore legs “walking” with Mumma

I left Rawnie Spangle alone for a while to watch some other babies. The 1 & only incubator hatched egg this year gave us a chick who had no friends. After a few lonely days under a heat lamp, Mumma hen took pity on it & added it to her brood. The tiny brown fluff is the incubator chick.

Zorba inspects the new additions to the flock.

More foal comes out, watched by Mumma

Nearly fully born

Foal born, licked & upright on her own 4 legs.

Another baby arrived this day: meet Skoryy Lovok. He’s 4 months old & is a Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya (Russian dogs are generically female) or more commonly known as a Borzoi. His full breed title means “Russian Longhaired Sighthound”, just “Sighthound” in the more common English usage. He’s already the height of a Whippet & has 16 more growing months…

He has only his puppy coat at present ~ his breeder thinks that the colour will change, the white & beige being his undercoat & he’ll have a white & blue top coat as the 2 coats develop

He’s having to get used to his new home & to being an inside dog, not a yard dog

I think he’s started to feel a little relaxed with me