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…
There are many times in the life of a sheep owner when you would need to move your flock, but how to do it? Herding sheep on foot involves moving the sheep as a group to or from an area by stepping into their flight zone which causes them to move away from you. A…
You’ve heard about the huge mobs of sheep on sheep stations and you’ve probably seen people with a few hobby sheep. What’s going on? How can sheep be raised in so many different places? Sheep live all over the world in areas that have grass or other forages for the sheep to graze. Sheep can…
Let me be upfront with you on commercial wool price-it’s low. If you are thinking to make money selling the wool commercially, think again. However, making money on wool is possible for those involved in private or specialty wool sales. There are two options for selling your wool: to sell it commercially in large amounts…
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…
Goats running away is a scary thought! How on earth would you ever catch them since they are so fast and agile? Yikes!! Goats “run away” for 2 reasons: your goats are running to food (not away from you) or you have one goat it needs a companion. Good news-goats don’t really run away. They…
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…
Lamb is one of the healthiest meats available for you to buy, since it is not factory farmed and generally raised on pasture. Lamb is easily raised in the U.S. and is a very small farm/family farm friendly livestock. Why is the price of lamb high compared to other meats? Lamb meat is more expensive…
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…
Looking for the best beef for your family yet confused about what all these labels mean? What is the real difference between grain fed, grass fed, naturally raised, pasture raised, organic, etc.? Grain fed beef is raised on grass and finished on grain and hay or grass. 100% Grass fed beef is raised and finished…