News

Molting is an essential part of chickens’ growth and health, but losing and replacing feathers is also a messy, stressful process. Taking steps to help chickens with molting can minimize the stress and keep your backyard flock happy and healthy. About Molting All chickens molt to replace old, broken, and worn out feathers with fresh plumage that will provide better insulation. Young chickens typically have several juvenile molts as they grow to their full size, but won’t begin their regular seasonal molts until they are 12-18 months old. Mature chickens will molt once or twice a year, often with one...

Good nutrition is essential for the health of your herd, but there are many different factors that affect what nutrition your cattle need. By understanding your cattle's needs, you can adjust their diet to offer them the best possible feed in different situations. What Nutrition Cattle Need All cattle need a balanced diet that includes a variety of components, such as: Fiber and roughage Starch and carbohydrates Minerals, nutrients and salts Protein Fat Water The exact proportions of these dietary components can vary greatly depending on each animal's needs. Every cattle farmer, however, should be sure their herd is getting...

An unhealthy calf can be a strain on both beef and dairy farming, but many calf health issues can be overcome if they are recognized early and properly treated. By staying alert to your animals and providing them with exceptional care, you can easily raise healthy, productive calves. Diseases and Health Issues Affecting Calves There are many different diseases and health problems that can appear in calves. Depending on the climate, environmental cleanliness, herd size, available nutrition, and other factors, calves might be affected with… Bovine respiratory disease, pneumonia, and other lung disorders Septicemia Scours, digestive difficulties, and diarrhea Dehydration...

Fall is the best season for a family to prepare for the delightful experience of welcoming a small flock of chickens to the backyard. For poultry newcomers, fall gives them plenty of time to research the breeds they’d like to welcome, acquire, design or create and research chicken coop plans or build a coop, and read up on chicken care. Perhaps there’s even time to visit other families who already have chickens or take a beginning chicken class at a nearby farm store or nature center. This is the first in a series of blogs that will detail the construction...

One of the most common questions I am asked in my job time after time is “Can you tell me what is in your feed?” People are naturally curious about the ingredients in their animal’s feed and have been trained to read labels on the food we eat, so why not on the feed our animals eat? Most poultry feeds consist of similar main ingedients, the most common of which are discussed below: Soybean Meal – This is the most common form of plant protein, and if your feed tag lists “plant protein products” as an ingredient, chances are soybean meal is what is...