What's a good night's sleep worth when your mare is close to foaling?
A New Zealand product able to detect the window when a foal will be born is expected to be on the market by October.
Dr Keith Henderson, of AgResearch's Hopkirk Research Institute, said the product tests the calcium levels in mare's milk.
Calcium levels are known to rise within 24-72 hours of a mare giving birth.
Dr Henderson said such tests were already available from overseas, but cost $US80 to $US100 for about 20 tests.
He hoped to have the New Zealand product, which would also provide 20 tests, on the market for around $NZ40.
It is recommended the product, which requires only a few drops of mare's milk on a dipstick, be used a fortnight before the mare is expected to give birth.
Dr Henderson said while a higher calcium level provided a 24-72 hour window for giving birth, a negative test meant a caregiver could sleep soundly with the knowledge the mare wouldn't deliver a foal that night.
He said the test was trialled last foaling season and worked well.
It was now a matter of pulling all the necessary components together to get it on the market, he said.
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