Maternal care consist of activities directed towards the young by the mother. Maternal care represents the mother's willingness to sacrifice her time, energy and resources towards the rearing and protection of her offsping The care that the mother gives to her young is important for physiological and psycho-logical development of the young and the survival of the youn

2. Reproductive Behaviour
Sexual behaviour
– Precopulatory behaviour (courtship)
– Copulatory behaviour (act of copulation)
– Post-copulatory behaviour (refractory period)
Maternal behaviour
 Maternal care consist of a wide range of activities
directed towards the young by the mother

3. Classification of Maternal behaviour
According to No. of litter/ birth
– 1- Monotoccus Animals
– 2- Polytoccus Animals
According to Type of youngs
– 1- Altracial youngs
– 2- Precocial youngs

4. Classification of maternal behaviour
 According to the contact between them
 Follower animals ( Horse – Cattle- sheep )
 Hider animals ( Goat – Deers )
 According to the time of birth
 Pre-parturient behaviour
 Parturient behaviour
 Post-parturient behaviour

5. Foal following her mother

6. Introduction
 What is Maternal behaviour ?
 How does maternal behaviour in mare
work?
 What do we know about the bonding
process between the mare and her foal?
 How does the mare and foal recognize
each other, remember each other ?
 What are abnormal maternal behaviour?

7. Concept of Maternal Behaviour
 Maternal care consist of activities directed
towards the young by the mother.
 Maternal care represents the mother's
willingness to sacrifice her time, energy and
resources towards the rearing and protection
of her offsping
 The care that the mother gives to her young
is important for physiological and psycho-
logical development of the young and the
survival of the young

8. Parameters of Maternal Behaviour
 Mare-Foal bond (bonding)
 Suckling behaviour ( Rearing )
 Guarding behaviour (protection)

9. Types of Arabian Mares according
to Maternal degree
1- Promiscuous Mothers
– Accept and Nurse alien foals easily
2- Normal Mothers
– Accept and nurse only their own foals
3- Partial Rejected Mothers
– Accept their own foals but not nurse them
4- Complete rejected Mothers
– Neither allow nor nurse but sometimes sow aggression
towards their foals

10. Preparturient maternal behaviour
 Mares isolate themselves from the herd
mates
 1 month prior: mammary gland begins to
enlarge and ventral edema
 2 days prior: udder distended, secretion
changes to colostrum
 24 hours prior: waxing of teats
 4 hours prior: drips milk

11. Relaxation of pelvic ligament

12. Enlargement of udder

13. Distension of udder and ventral
oedema

14. Waxy teats

15. Milk drip

16. Parturient behaviour
 First stage of labor( Preparatory Stage)
– Duration about 1 hour but can be over 6 hours
– This stage ends with rupture of the chorioallantois (breaking
water).
 Second Stage of labor (Delivery stage )
– Average duration approximately 20 min. Range 10-60 mins
 Third stage of labor ( Afterbirth stage)
– Average duration 30 mins - 3 hours. If delayed over 6 hours
considered retained and needs urgent intervention

17. 1st
Stage ( Preparatory Stage(
 Mare tries to isolate herself - leaves herd
 Restless - walks, lies down and gets up frequently
 pawing the ground, pacing uneasily
 looking round at the flanks
 Curling of the upper lip in the Flehmen
 patchy or profuse sweating
 Stretches to urinate, frequent defecation
 Appearance then rupture of the chorio-allantois
(breaking water).

18. Looking at Flank

19. Patchy sweating

20. White Amnion appears

21. Breaking of water sac

22. Second Stage
Expulsion of Foetus

23. Lie down and roll on side

24. Appearance of legs and head

25. Followed by legs and head
Expelled

26. Hind legs still in vagina

27. Third StageThird Stage
Expulsion of placentaExpulsion of placenta

28. Shedding of placenta

29. Post-parturient Behaviour
A- Mother Behaviour
Mare- Foal Bond

30. 1-Licking of foal

31. 2-Bond formation (Recognition(

32. Bond formation

33. B- Foal Behaviour

34. 1-Coordinating recumbence
(attempts to stand(

35. 2-Ambulation (attempts to walk(

36. 3-Ambulation behaviour

37. 4-Elevation (upright equilibrium
and steady stand(

38. 5-Environmental exploration

39. 6- Udder Searching Behaviour
and recognition of mother

40. 7-suckling behaviour

41. Nursing and pushing

42. Peaceful suckling

43. High maternal Mare

44. Two foals nurse a mother
(Promiscuous mother(

45. Mutual grooming during suckling
Mother with high maternity

46. Shy foal stand out of sight behind
mother

47. Shedding foal on mother

48. Abnormal Maternal Behaviour
Nursing problems
Over-protectiveness
Lack of interest/ambivalence
Fear of the foal
Foal stealing
Foal rejection

49. Foal Rejection
Definition
Causes
Treatment
Protective measures

50. Forms of Maternal Foal Rejection
 REJECTION OF SUCKLING
 MATERNAL AGGRESSION TOWARD
FOAL
 IATROGENIC FOAL REJECTION

51. REJECTION OF SUCKLING
 Definition
– passively walking away from the foal or kicking at the
foal
 Contributing Factors
– Udder pain, lack of experience, a previous painful
experience, any or all of the
 Recommended Treatment
 Preventative Measures
– wash, handle and gently squeeze teats and udder
within the last month of gestation

52. MATERNAL AGGRESSION TOWARD FOAL
Definition
 The dam's aggression can be in the form of
kicking but is usually that of biting, which is
primarily directed to the neck and withers.
Contributing Factors
 The ultimate causation of this behaviour is
unknown. factors include the general causes
stated above as well as the presence of other
horses, other mares in visible range, and the
presence of too many people. Removal of the
expelled placenta has also had implications in
rejection and aggression

53.  Recommended Treatment
 avoid any unnecessary human or equine
contact, and leave the placenta and fetal
membranes in the stall.
Preventative Measures
 Within the first 2 hours after foaling the
placenta and fetal membranes should be
left in the stall. For at least the first 24
hours and up to a couple of weeks, you
should try to avoid visual contact with
other horses and avoid having too many
unfamiliar people in the stall.

54. IATROGENIC FOAL REJECTION
 Definition
 This type of rejection is the result of a change in the foal's odor which is
usually caused by extensive clinical treatment, as in the case of ruptured
bladder treatment
 Contributing Factors
 the main factor here is the interference during the critical bonding period
and the change of the foal's odor.
 Recommended Treatment
 mask the altered smell of the foal by applying mentholated ointment to
both the mare's nostrils and the foal's head and perianal area
 Preventative Measures
 There are no preventative measures for this type of rejection as
emergency clinical procedures are impossible to avoid, if the foal is to
survive.

55. Foal rejection