How do you keep animals healthy when they must be housed? Deep-litter bedding offers a solution.
Tag: Swine
Heritage Livestock Breeds Comparison Charts
We recently linked to the Pick-a-Chick chart from the Livestock Conservancy, allowing prospective chicken keepers to compare the characteristics of heritage breeds at a glance. The Livestock Conservancy has many other useful charts for other types of livestock, as well: Cattle. Horses. Donkeys. Pigs. Goats. Sheep. Rabbits. Turkeys. Geese. Ducks. Depending on the type of…
Kansas Ag Connection
Looking for a good way to keep up with daily agriculture-related headlines? Give Kansas Ag Connection a try! Subscribers to On the Range, our weekly country living update (read more), may already be familiar with this site as a source for some of our headlines. There’s a reason for that. Kansas Ag Connection is a…
An Introduction to Heritage Breeds
Thinking about starting a farm with heritage breeds? If you are new to this topic, you may enjoy An Introduction to Heritage Breeds: Saving and Raising Rare-Breed Livestock and Poultry by The Livestock Conservancy. This excellent beginner’s resource starts with the basics—defining breeds in general and heritage breeds in particular. It discusses the plight and…
How to Cook With Bacon
Bacon has long been a staple of the American farm family’s diet, and now modern cooking techniques have given it greater versatility than ever before. How to Cook With Bacon: Delicious and Mouthwatering Bacon Recipes by Tony James Miller shares some of these new and interesting ideas in three categories: Appetizers and salads. Main courses….
Breeds of Livestock
The varied livestock breeds of the world have fascinating histories and characteristics. Many country living enthusiasts have spent enjoyable hours researching their favorite breeds. One good source of information is the Breeds of Livestock site put together by Oklahoma State University. This is a handy online encyclopedia-type reference packed with facts about both popular and…
Waterers and Watering Systems
Thinking about raising livestock this year? Do you have a watering system planned? If not, or if you want to improve an existing system, this is one book you must read: Waterers and Watering Systems: A Handbook for Livestock Producers and Landowners from K-State. This free PDF download is packed with pros, cons, and design…
Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners
If you keep animals long enough, you will eventually become acquainted with some basic veterinary first aid. Here’s a book that can make the learning process a little smoother. Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners by C. E. Spaulding, DVM, and Jackie Clay contains information on all common farm animals: Cattle. Goats. Sheep. Horses. Pigs. Poultry….
Body Condition Scoring: Swine
The body condition scoring (BCS) system for swine is very simple and is based on a five-point scale: Emaciated. Ribs, spine, and backbone prominent. Thin. Hips and backbone noticeable to the eye. Ribs can easily be felt with only slight pressure. Normal. Animal’s body is tube-shaped. Hips and backbone can only be felt with firm…
Diatomaceous Earth and Parasite Control
Both internal and external parasites can be the bane of a livestock owner’s existence. They make your animals’ lives miserable, increase the risk of disease, reduce performance, and just look nasty. Unfortunately, drugs are proving to be increasingly ineffective as parasites adapt to modern chemicals. Isn’t there some natural remedy out there that will consistently…
