Out Around the Barn

It’s no secret that alfalfa is a staple in the diet of many horses, but do you know what sets it apart from other forage? First, alfalfa has a high level of protein, which is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. Alfalfa also boasts large quantities of fiber, which is essential for digestion. It also has immense volumes of calcium and other nutrients, so you have to be careful that your horse isn’t getting too much of what he needs.

For horses that don’t have alfalfa as part of their daily diet, you can purchase alfalfa supplements. These products contain the same nutritional value as the hay in a small, easy to administer cube. This allows your horse to get the proper amount of nutrients without excess waste.

What causes a bull or a cow to go blind?  It is not always caused by an injury; it can be caused by allergies or particles in the air that irritate and by irritation of flies and insects.  If not treated quickly can cause blindness. 

I am talking about a form of Pink – eye, an acute contagious conjunctivitis marked by redness of the eyeball.  The symptoms are redness and swelling of the eye and some can even get ulcerated spots on their eyes.  This actually causes temporary blindness.  They will run into fences and walk in circles due to confusion.  They can get lost from the herd and if cornered can become dangerous due to lack of sight and fear of the unknown.

This particular form must be treated medically by an antibiotic spray (that you can purchase from you local veterinary) given with an antibiotic injection.  We use LA – 300 Antibiotic (also purchased from vet), this is one livestock medicinal item we keep on hand in our medical and farm supplies.  Both of these, the spray and the injection, given together will help your animal heal and recover quickly with less risk of total blindness.  Most will recover with 100% of their vision restored but, there may be some that will not fully regain their eyesight back at 100%.  Depending on how long they had the infection and how severe the infection will determine what damage was caused.

It is most imp0rtant to treat your cattle and livestock as soon as you notice any signs of irritation or redness of the eyes.  It does happen to the best of us; we work the farm; planting fields, away from the livestock , maybe at a second j0b and do not notice the changes right away.  They, also, do not just creep up overnight either, so to speak, so it is no wonder that it can get away from us, at any given time.  We just have to do the best we can and as soon as we notice a problem; we tackle it head on and give it our full attention and care.

There is not one single thing that can prevent this particular infection from occuring in your livestock but as a preventative measure, keep your pastures cut low enough during the growing season so that your livestock are not fighting the tops of the grasses and weeds to feed on the grass available to them.  As a preference, we try to keep ours cut no shorter than ankle length when we mow the pastures.  This allows the grass to contiunue its growth and kills most of the weeds or, at least, causes them to grow at a slower pace allowing the cattle enough grass to eat during the spring, summer and fall seasons.

Nothing hurts more than the heartbreak of losing someone or something you love.  The something I am referring to is the loss of a couple of kids, goats, that contracted Coccidiosis.  Being a beginner in the raising and handling of goats; it was a shock to me when my kids started getting sick.  I have had my herd for over 2 years and this had not been an issue for me so I was at my wits end. 

I read up on the symptoms they were showing and most of it pointed in the direction that I needed to de-worm them.  I hadn’t considered that they would need that at such a young age but, then again, I was totally at a loss.  So, checking with the vet, I got what I needed and de-wormed the whole herd of 15, making sure to disperse the correct dosage per body weight, per animal.  They seemed to improve some but in two weeks,  I knew it had to be done once more.  The time came and I done another round.  A couple of days later, one of my kid nannies became weak and I had to remove her from the herd and give IV solution for dehydration.  She did not make it.  I was devastated!  I did not understand what was happening.

I called the vet again and explained the weakness and dehydaration symptoms and lack of appetite and told him my smallest was down and the others were showing similar signs.  After due consideration, he prescribed a Corid Drench for 5 days and a liquid to add to their drinking water for the older ones.  Coccidiosis, which can be fatal if not treated in time, is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites that attack the epithelial tissue of animals and my little ones had it.  My littlest was not strong enough to withstand the medication, another loss.   

I began working with them on a schedule and drenching them once daily.  Cleaned out their feeders and  re-strawed their barn.  They would be confined for 5 -10 days and needed a clean dry place to get over this.  After a couple of days, their appetites increased, the diarrhea cleared and they were playing again.  They even began to look healthier.

I was relieved but we were not out of the woods yet.  They were not 100% and Doc said as a preventive and precautionary measure, I should change their feed to a medicated one that controls just this issue.  So I did.

I now feed Goat Power feed with medication for Coccidiosis mixed in.  It has given me great results and the goats love the taste.  They look forward to that everyday.  From this experience, I have learned to keep Doc’s number close at hand and when I see something that is not quite as it should be to question it, even if it amounts to nothing in the long run.  Sometime it just may save a life.

Summer on the farm is one of the busiest times of year.  We have fields to plant, hay to bale, pastures to mow besides the everyday jobs of feeding and caring for the livestock.  Summer, for most folks, is a fun time.  They go to their 9-5 jobs and come home and relax, cookout, swim, ballgames and whatever.  Here on the farm, especially if you have a second job, which most of us do these days, farm work is our relaxation time.  We put in long hours and less sleep and still continue to function normally, well, most of the time.

It is also a time for the kids to learn about animals and their care.  We have a niece, age 4, and a grandaughter, age 2, that come to the farm often.  Kalissa, our niece, has always been the little ranch hand but hasn’t been here much lately.  Kennedy, on the other hand is here every week or at least every other.  Between the two of them, they are the more excited to play with the animals that they will absolutely wear them out, or at least me, before they ever wind down. 

Both girls now want to learn how to handle the goats and show them at the county fair.  This info was discussed last week and in the process of explaining the need for them to spend more time on the farm to learn seemed to go over well with them.  At least during the day, anyway,  Kalissa had a bad overnight experience with a babysitter, woke up and did not remember where she was and Mom was not there and now is staying close to home at night.  Fear of Mommy not being there, I guess.  Any way as long as the daylight is on we are good to go.

So to start, we have to have goats, of course, and I have a small herd with 2 yearling nannies that are just at the right size for them to show.  The problem being they decided a little late to do this and the fair is in 4 weeks.  So, I suggested to start working with the kid nannies that are 4 months old and start putting a lead on them and messing with them some.  So that is our plan.  Now to just get started on a regular basis to have them ready for next year. 

Another favorite is riding Blaze, my gelding.  He is around 10 years old and gentle as a kitten.  Anyone can ride him with any kind of horse sense, so to speak.   The girls are learning to get used to him by being led bareback first.  This teaches them balance and helps them lose their fear.  Kalissa has no fear when it comes to animals and Kennedy is right behind her.  A year ago, Kennedy was terrified and now that she spends time on the farm she just loves it.  They cannot go a whole day here without getting Blaze out to ride.  They will soon get to visit the tack room and learn how to care for their gear.  They will pick a saddle from one of the many saddle racks and be shown how to clean and care for it, this will give them a sense of pride and they will want to take care of their equipment.   They will graduate to a saddle and then we will begin with the bridle.  It should be fun to watch them progress and the excitement they show is just wonderful.

Summer is such a great time to enjoy life on the farm and to learn new things, the girls love it.

Joint pain and inflammation is a constant concern for all horses and their owners. The main cause of most joint problems is the joint fluid. In a healthy horse, the joint fluid will be thick in order to provide lubrication and promote cartilage health. When a horse lacks the necessary antioxidants, however, the fluid will thin and joint problems will ensue.

Joint problems typically arise when training first begins or the horse’s workouts are particularly rigorous. Exercise creates free radicals in the body, and without the proper antioxidants, they will wreak havoc on the horse. In order to combat these negative effects and maintain your horse’s health, it is imperative to augment their diet with horse joint supplements.

Due to superior breeding and an abundance of nutritional food, horses and livestock are larger and in better physical condition than ever before. While this is certainly a boon for farmers, these superb physical specimens also require more maintenance. One of the most essential tasks for any horse or livestock owner is administering the needed livestock or horse supplements on a regular basis.

Even if you are unfamiliar with the various supplements available, the process shouldn’t be reduced to a guessing game. Look for supplements from well-known producers that are created for a specific purpose. For example, you can now find supplements specifically engineered to augment fiber intake, improve metabolic function and even address the needs of aging animals.

Yahoo!  Baby Chicks are soon to arrive.  The Ladies have been on their nests for 21 days and within the next week we should have little ones.  I have four hens sitting and boy, can they get cranky.  Even when you reach in the nest next to them to gather eggs, they will try to peck at you, cluck like they want to attack and can be extremely mean to the other hens.

We recently built a new chicken coup and put up new nests for all our hens.  I have recently learned that to have happy chickens it is good to have all your daily needs close by.  I keep their feed in a barrel right inside the coup, they have free range to water and have plenty of room to  peck, search and roost.  This keeps them happy and healthy.

My chickens have their own waterers, feeders and nests to complete their home.  They roost off the ground to keep away from country critters.  They are eager to see me when I come to gather the eggs, I know this by them all standing at the coup door.  They just get excited.  By the time we are done they have all calmed down and are ready for a quiet night.

Their daily farm supplies are easy to keep on hand, their food, water, straw for bedding and a bucket or basket to gather the eggs in. One tip I would like to pass on;  if you are like me and spoil your animals, I have found that chickens really like cat food and it is good for them, especially if you have layers.  I give them a treat about once a month by just scattering some on the ground and letting them at it.   I enjoy my chickens and in a few days will have approx. 70 little ones added to my flock.

There is always stress on your animals when you wean the little ones from their mamas.  It does not matter the type or breed, there will be crying from both the mamas and babies.  Besides all the noise the animals will want to get back together and they will look for any opening to do just that. 

For at least three to four days they will walk the fences, try to jump the fences and try to climb through or crawl under any opening just to get back together.  We always wean in the sign of the moon and have mostly good results but, there are always those few that just cannot get with the program.

So, what do you do when they get back together and you have to begin the process all over again?  Really, I do not know what the best plan is.  I take it one day at a time and go with the flow.  Try as I might, I fill and close any openings that I find, where I think they are getting through and try again.  Does it work?  Sometimes but, not always. 

I weaned my kids, baby goats, 2 weeks ago and have only had them all get out one day but Jillie has gotten out 12 out of the 14 days they have been weaned.  It never fails, I go out to feed and she is back with Miss Dolly, her mama.  She is such a pet, I spoil them awful, that it is nothing to get her back in with the others but keeping her in is a problem.  It is hard not to think it is funny or cute but, she needs to stay in her pen. 

Reinforcing the fencing is the best plan to keep them contained and having fencing supplies on hand is helpful.  There are those moments, and I have a lot of them, that you just have to rig something up until you have the time when you can complete the job.  Fencing wire, wire cutters, tools and the rest of fencing supplies are necessary livestock equipment to have on the farm and handy at a moments notice.

I have a question for you.  Is it necessary for your pets, dogs inparticular, to be obiedent.  In my opinion, yes.  I love my animals and they jump and play with me and I don’t mind at all but, when it comes to visitors on our farm it can be a nuisance for them and myself.

We have two Border Collies, work in progress, training on the farm.  We are always giving them commands when working the livestock and they do pretty well, not perfect but ok.  My biggest chore is my little “FAT” dog, Bella.  She is a Jack Russell and is 10 lbs. overweight and very hyper.  She does several tricks but still has not got the technique of leaving others alone when they stop by.  She is very much a “mamas girl” and doesn’t want anyone to mess with her. She tends to just be somewhat of a pest and in the way.   

One of the techniques that I use to train her is when she comes toward you, you know she is going to jump on you, I take a step towards her to throw her off balance and say “No” or “Off”.  This confuses her just enough to to balk and she links that to jumping and realizing that when I step forward she is to stop.  It does take work and is no easy task to achieve.  In time, I think she will get the hang of it.  Another way is that when she does jump, lightly but forcefully step on her hind paw and she will hopefully learn that she is not to jump.

There are rules, a much needed farm necessity, everywhere and we have rules for our animals as well.  It is up to us to teach them.

The farm house is something that is rarely mentioned as part of a farm.  When we talk of farm equipment or supplies we usually are speaking of the barn and things outside of the house.  In reality, the farm house is a major part of the farm.   It is where we sleep, eat and relax after long hours working our farm and managing our livestock.  In many houses, it is where we have our business/farm office.  This is where we work the numbers so that all things fall into place.

If your house is like mine, very much lived in, it may not always be as clean as it should be, or is expected to be.  But, I have a few tips on how to make the cleaning a little easier and faster so that most of my time can be spent doing what matters most.

• slit a tennis ball, place on a handle and use to remove scuff marks on tile floors before cleaning
• do a quick wipe down in the bathrooms daily to keep them fresh
• always have dishes clean before going to bed
• prepare coffee pot before bed
• do a quick sweep of kitchen floor after last meal of day

These are just a few little tips that I have found useful.  It makes the big day, once a week or every other week. a little easier and not so overwhelming.

Having the Farm House in some kind of order, helps keep the farm running smooth.