| STAGE ONE The female will begin with mild contractions. She will often linger, straining over the dung pile and may lie down, roll, stand up and then lay down again. You may also hear her softly humming. The normal duration of this first stage is 1-6 hours.
STAGE TWO This is the shortest phase often lasting about thirty minutes to an hour. Maidens may take longer. The contractions are closer together. The water breaks at this stage. (If the water does not break you can break it yourself by pricking a hole the water sac.) The cria comes into the world head first with the front feet under the chin (normal presentation). The female may take a break at this point but once the head is presented the cria will most likely be on the ground in thirty minutes.The cria will pass its shoulders through the vulva and then hang for awhile. This allows any fluid in the cria’s lungs to be drained. Do not short circuit this process if the delivery is progressing on schedule.
STAGE THREE The placenta should come out during this phase, probably at about 4 to 6 hours after delivery. If the placenta comes part way out, do not pull on it! Let the female expel it on her own. The mother may graze a bit after delivery before she begins tending the baby. I recommend that you leave them alone to bond during this phase. You can apply Iodine to the umbilical cord and maybe move the mother and cria to a separate pasture. Then observe them from a distance.
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