Looking to get some animals for your small farm, but don’t want to be stuck at home to take care of them? Good news, here are some low maintenance farm animals that will be great for the on the go family that enjoys keeping a few animals around. Low maintenance farm animals are: Let me…
Sadly, no matter how much caring and preparation you put into your animals, occasionally one will die. Now what? What is the appropriate way to dispose of the carcass? The proper disposal method of dead livestock is composting. As much as I love raising animals, livestock death is still dreadful and such a hard thing…
Haylage is a great alternative to dry hay for both large and small livestock farmers. What exactly is haylage and will it work for you, your farm and your livestock? Haylage is a 40-60% moisture content hay that is preserved by fermentation. We have started making our own haylage and are glad we gave it…
If you’ve never tried using oatlage to feed your sheep or cattle, you are missing out! They love it and it’s pretty easy to make. Plus, in a wet year it is easier to get harvested than dry hay. Oatlage is a fermented hay that is made from the oat plant, not the grain. The…
Your livestock will need access to plenty of water everyday of the year. Some animals can get most of their daily water needs from grass, but still need to drink some water as well. This is especially true for lactating (milking) moms. Livestock need plentiful, clean water in all seasons of the year. The highest…
Once you get more than just a few animals in your herd things can start to get confusing. If you have a small herd for pets or fun, no big deal. More than that requires some planned identification. Should you use tags or tattoos, or both? What are the advantages and disadvantages of either? Ear…
Wondering what exactly is the difference between animal husbandry and livestock farming? At first, the two phrases seem the same, but actually they refer to two separate aspects of raising livestock. Livestock farming is raising livestock to sell for income. Animal husbandry refers to the way the farmer/rancher interacts with the livestock. Animal husbandry is…
Considering going to a livestock auction, as a buyer or a seller, but need a crash course on what goes on there? I’ve got you covered, I love going to auctions! Once you understand the process, you can enjoy them, too! Selling your stock at a livestock auction is a common way to sell and…
I love auctions, but have to admit they take some getting used to if you are new. You need to understand what’s going on before you decide to purchase anything for yourself! Let’s look into the things you should have figured out before you buy! Before buying at a livestock auction, you should prepare by…
Your animals need to have a nice bedded area everyday they are inside the barn, but sometimes you run out of straw. Or the locally available straw is really expensive, especially the shiny yellow bales, so you’re looking for an alternative. Is hay an option? Hay can be used as bedding material for your animals….