Pregnant mares, foal gender, and the "nail test"

eventrider23

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Did it last year as well as vet sexing and said filly and it was. This year have done the same.....only a few more weeks to wait on her to see if correct!
 

me_n_super_abby

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I have done it on abby. But i have just been confused reading the other post as i had got the results the wrong way round. It said a filly based on circle for a boy up and down straight for a girl.

What results for boy and girl do you use? Especially those who have tried and tested :D
 

Spring Feather

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I've done the nail test every year for years and it's always been right. However this year I am struggling to believe it as it is saying that every single mare is having a filly except one mare who will have the only colt. That seems too unbelievable for me but I have to say the nail was very adamant so who knows. Our first foals this year are due in April so only time will tell. I don't mind having lots of fillies :) saves on multiple costly castrations :D
 

ElleSkywalker

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me_n_super_abby I have always been told circle for a girl and straight line for a boy. I know loads of people who have done the same test on humans (usually with a wedding ring or similar on a necklace held over the palm or baby bump) and it is almost always right.

This is my first try with horses, but if the results have had with people are anything to go by.... :D
 

eventrider23

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In 2009 when Saffy's (profile pics) mum was AI'd, before scan it kept saying colt/filly and couldn't decide.......on scanning it showed twins so I ordered vet to pinch colt (LOL)....did nail test a little later and said filly and later on scan said filly....and well...she was a filly!
 

devilwoman

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I've only bred one foal ever and did the nail test, it was correct, also did it on my friends mare and again it was right, I find it facinating and did it about every 2 weeks on my mare to see if it changed but it always showed filly and filly it was.
 

Gucci_b

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Whizz 105 has done the nail test (as others on here), and is expecting a filly!!!! hopefully we may find out tomorrow as her mare is due to foal as now dripping milk :)
circles round for a filly
back and forth for a colt
 
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breezing

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I did it on my mare last year and it circled for a filly ,also got my daughter to do it without telling her my result it also circled with her ,she had a colt !
 

cruiseline

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I didn't do the nail test this year as it wasn't too reliable for me last year. So I have used the moon phases to try and predict what gender the foals will be. We unfortunately had a mare slip her foal at 6 months (due to a twisted umbilical cord) and the moon cycle said filly, it was a filly :(

Here is an explination of what I mean :)

"Anyone who breeds knows the feeling of elation when your mare "gets it right"and gives you exactly what you ordered, be it filly or colt.
The earth spins around the earth and the earth spins around the sun, resulting in 4 phases of the moon, called quarters. This cycle takes 29.5 days and is known as the lunar cycle.
The moon is said to be new when it is directly between the sun and the earth, in complete shadow and invivible to us.
The first and the last quarter occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth to the sun, so that the suns rays are reflected arounde the earth to hit the moon. This casts the earths shadow on the moon, leaving only a crecent shaped sliver to recieve the suns rays.
When there is a full moon, the moon is completley outside of the earths shadow and is totally exposed to the sun's rays. A full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, but other phases of the moon can start during the day and vanish before dawn.

In 2004, researchers in the UK published the results of a 14 year survey into the effects of the moon on thoroughbred mare fertility. It was not concerned with whether the mares produced live foals but concentrated only on conception rates. Fertility was defined as the proportion of coverings that led to conception and tended to peak around the full moon each month, decreasing around the first quarter, which occurs a week earlier.
The idea is that, just are highest on the day after the full moon and new moon each month, so to is the horses fertility also centered on the day after the full and new moons. Tables were generated, centered on the days after the full moon, new moon, and the first and last quarters. these tables showed that the mares tended to cycle less during the first quarter and oestrus and fertility peaked around the full moon and for about a week afterwards. The overall increase from the first quarter to the full moon was 29%.
The conclusion reached from this study was that peaks in mare coverings and in fertility tended to synchronise on or just after the full moon, meaning that mares are more fetile at or just after a full moon. This is valuable information if you are struggling to get your mare in foal and, with the use of modern hormone therapy, it is a simple matter to time her ovulation for the days after the moon is full.

The full moon period is apparently also the time to breed fillies. Depending on which quarter of the lunar cycle the mare concieves, you may be able to determine the sex of the foal before you breed the mare.
The optimum time to breed for a filly is from the day before or the day of the first quarter to a few days after the full moon and for colts, the day before or the day of the last quarter until a few days after the new moon. These times change by a day or two each month and there are 2 or three transitional days between each where you have a 50/50 chance of getting a filly or a colt."

I will see if the rest of them are correct :D
 

ColourFan

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Wel considering that the stallion determines the sex of the foal, I doubt that the research carried out on mares and lunar cycles will apply.

You don't need horse hair or a nail to carry out the 'nail test'. A piece of cotton thread and a needle works just as well and you can thread it thru the eye of the needle thus less chance of losing it.

Bye the bye the thread and needle also works on humans ... wink.
 

Spring Feather

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Wel considering that the stallion determines the sex of the foal, I doubt that the research carried out on mares and lunar cycles will apply.
Maybe the Y sperms are speedier at the new moon and the X sperms swim quicker at a full moon :eek:

It seems simple enough but I've never been able to get my head around the moon phase with breeding although I've friends who swear by it :) I'm a simple breeder, I just track the heat cycles, scan, inseminate and hope for the best in 16 days :D
 

Gucci_b

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I done the nail test this morning !!!!! will have to wait and see now. I do think there is something in it, by doing the nail or needle or ring method as far to many rights than wrongs!!!
 

me_n_super_abby

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I done the nail test this morning !!!!! will have to wait and see now. I do think there is something in it, by doing the nail or needle or ring method as far to many rights than wrongs!!!

Thast the conclusion i have come to reading on here. I cant wait to hear if the predictions were right. guccib what did it say?
 

magic104

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The full moon period is apparently also the time to breed fillies. Depending on which quarter of the lunar cycle the mare concieves, you may be able to determine the sex of the foal before you breed the mare.
The optimum time to breed for a filly is from the day before or the day of the first quarter to a few days after the full moon and for colts, the day before or the day of the last quarter until a few days after the new moon. These times change by a day or two each month and there are 2 or three transitional days between each where you have a 50/50 chance of getting a filly or a colt."

Anyone know what Thursday is?

Oops found this
Here you find the full moon calendar with the full moon data of 2011 and exact times and dates in an overview. The next full moon has been highlighted.

Wednesday, 19 January 2011, 10:21:24 pm
Friday, 18 February 2011, 09:35:42 am
Saturday, 19 March 2011, 07:10:06 pm
Monday, 18 April 2011, 04:44:00 am
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 01:08:42 pm
Wednesday, 15 June 2011, 10:13:36 pm [**]
Friday, 15 July 2011, 08:39:36 am
Saturday, 13 August 2011, 08:57:30 pm
Monday, 12 September 2011, 11:26:42 am
Wednesday, 12 October 2011, 04:05:42 am
Thursday, 10 November 2011, 09:16:06 pm
Saturday, 10 December 2011, 03:36:24 pm [**]
 

dianchi

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2010 lunar calendar!

Saturday, 30 January 2010, 07:17:36 am
Sunday, 28 February 2010, 05:37:54 pm
Tuesday, 30 March 2010, 04:25:24 am
Wednesday, 28 April 2010, 02:18:30 pm
Friday, 28 May 2010, 01:07:18 am
Saturday, 26 June 2010, 01:30:24 pm
Monday, 26 July 2010, 03:36:36 am
Tuesday, 24 August 2010, 07:04:36 pm
Thursday, 23 September 2010, 11:17:12 am
Saturday, 23 October 2010, 03:36:30 am
Sunday, 21 November 2010, 06:27:24 pm
Tuesday, 21 December 2010, 09:13:30 am [**]

Who can decipher for me..... My mare (TB) was AI on 9th June so what does that work out as?

Eeeek going to try the nail test tomo!
 
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