Should You Raise Cattle?  7 Things to consider
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Should You Raise Cattle? 7 Things to consider

Thinking about getting into raising your own cattle? Super! Cattle are wonderful animals. A farm, especially our farm, just isn’t complete with out a few cows. But how do you know if cattle are a good idea for you? Before deciding to raise cattle, you should know the upfront costs, the ongoing costs, where they…

Cattle Guards: How Do They Work And Should You Use Them?
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Cattle Guards: How Do They Work And Should You Use Them?

Need a gate across your driveway to keep your cattle off the road? We do. The gates work fine, but also require seemingly constant opening and shutting. Options? There a few choices: getting rid of the livestock (No Way!), automatic gates (pricey) or the old school answer-a cattle guard. A cattle guard (also called grid…

Benefits Of Sheep Bells For Your Small Farm Flock
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Benefits Of Sheep Bells For Your Small Farm Flock

Sheep bells are something that I think of from movies like Heidi or videos of festivals, including traditional dress and activities, from villages in the mountains of Europe. What about here, for everyday sheep owners? Are there practical reasons to have bells on your sheep? The main benefits of sheep bells are that they provide…

Feeding Your Small Herd of Cattle:  Feedlot or Pasture?
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Feeding Your Small Herd of Cattle: Feedlot or Pasture?

How should you feed your small herd of cattle? Let’s look into feedlot vs pasture fed: why you would choose one over the other and what are the results of that choice. The main difference between feedlot cattle and pasture raised cattle is the feedlot cattle have their food brought to them, whereas, the pastured…

Sheep Shearing Equipment For Beginners: Clippers And Blades
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Sheep Shearing Equipment For Beginners: Clippers And Blades

Thinking about shearing your own sheep? What equipment do you need to buy and why? Let’s dig into what you need to shear your sheep and why you would need it. Sheep are shorn with a hand held machine called a clipper that has two blades, a comb and a cutter, which move horizontally to…

Learn To Shear Your Own Sheep:  Step By Step Our Way
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Learn To Shear Your Own Sheep: Step By Step Our Way

Many flock owners have wool producing sheep, but not many shear their own animals. It does take some practice and some equipment but it is within reach of most any interested person. Even if you are not very strong or agile there are many different approaches to shearing so you can experiment and see which…

Raising Bottle Calves: How To Get Started (Costs Included)
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Raising Bottle Calves: How To Get Started (Costs Included)

Raising bottle calves is one of the least expensive ways to get started with raising a few of your own cattle. Bottle calves being easy to manage and kid friendly just adds to the experience! To raise a bottle calf, you will need to buy the calf, a bottle, milk replacer, and calf feed and…