Will Gilmers Guest Lecture

Mr. Gilmer spoke to my class about social media. He told us how he uses social media to agvocate his dairy farm. I learned that he graduated from MSU and went back to work on his fathers dairy farm. I really enjoyed learning about his farm and how he uses the social media to agvocate. He informed my class to be very professional at all times while on social media. I really enjoyed listening to him.

Imortance of farm animals

Farm animals are what keeps a farm able to be productive and stay in business. Farms are normally family owned and has been passed down from previous generations. People who run productive farms love and respect the land and animals. It is a job that is not for everyone but is very rewarding for the people who love to farm. Keeping and maintaining healthy animals on a farm in very important. Without animals there would be no farm. There are a few steps to basic farm animal care and I will share them with you. First off the main step to having healthy farm animals is to check on their well being daily. They will require adequate amounts of feed all year round. Farm animals also need proper shelter from the elements such as wind, rain, sun, and harsh winter days. If you ever notice one of your animals is showing signs of being sick such as: refusing to eat, head lowered, not moving around a lot, or coughing and eyes matted, you should contact your local veterinarian immediately. It is also very important to have routine check ups for your farm animals every 6-12 months. If you follow these simple steps you should always have healthy happy farm animals.

Sheep

Sheep are common to see on a farm. Sheep are meat animals and they are also very important because of their wool. Sheep are herd animals and you should never keep a sheep alone. They do best in large numbers. They have a life expectancy of about 10-12 years.  Sheep belong to the ruminant classification of animals meaning that they have a four chambered stomach and they do the cud-chewing behavoir. The cud-chewing behavoir is a process in which that food is regurgitated, re-chewed, and swallowed again. Sheep are grazers, their diet consist of forages such as: grass, weeds, hay, and silage. Sheep love to eat grain but too much can make them sick or even kill them. Small amount of whole grain to a sheeps diet is ok and will keep them very happy. Sheep like any other animal need routine checks to make sure they are healthy and happy. They need to be on a de-worming scheldule at least twice a year. If you notice any sickness in your sheep herd contact your local veternarian immediately. Sickness and disease can spread very rapidly through your sheep herd. Sheep are a prey animal when it comes to predators. When danger arises they flee not fight. Animals that prey on sheep are coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and Fox. Many sheep farmers keep a herd dog with the sheep to maintain safety within the herd. A popular herd dog is a great pyrenees. This is a very large breed dog that is bred to stay with the herd and protect them. The dog never bothers the sheep. He does an excellent job protecting the herd. By followint these simple steps to sheep care you should maintain a healthy and productive herd.

Cats on the farm

It is very common to see cats living on a farm. Most farmers want cats in their barn or around their house to catch and kill annoying rodents (mainly mice and rats). Cats are excellent hunters and this instinct just comes natural to all cats. Just because you see your barn cat chomping down on mice doesn't mean he/she does not have to be fed. Cats spend a lot of time hunting and they burn a lot of calories doing so. You should always provide your feline hunter with plenty of fresh clean water and adequate amounts of cat food. Normally a short haired cat does better as a farm cat than a long haired cat because you don't have to worry about their coat getting matted and trash caught and tangled in their fur. If you have rescued a shelter cat to become your barn cat you will need to keep them in a cage for a few days until they are comfortable with you and their new environment. Once they are comfortable with their new home they will become an excellent rat killer around your farm. It is very important to keep have your barn cat checked by your local veterinarian at least once a year. Cats get sick just like any other animal and they need to be healthy to keep their pest killing skills at its best. If you notice that your barn cat is not acting normal or refusing to eat be sure to take him/her to your local veterinarian. Cats should be de-wormed every 6 months. They also need to be on a flea and tick preventative every month as they will pick up external parasites from rodents that they kill. Proper veterinarian care will prevent sickness and disease and keep your barn cat healthy and happy. It is also very recommended that you spay or neuter your barn cat. This will prevent your cat from having unwanted litters and keeps them close to your home. Unaltered cats will wonder and it increases their chance of getting hit by a car and getting caught by dogs or coyotes. Barn cats can be very beneficial to your farm and with these simple guidelines will allow them to live a long healthy happy life.

Swine

History of Swine
Hogs descended from the Eurasian Wild Boar. From Asia they spread to Africa and Europe. Hogs came to the United States with the conquistadors. The swine were slaughtered and used for meat and even currency during early settlement. Today hogs are still a major resource in the food industry.The United States hog capital in the world is Kawnee, Illinois. Swine is a major industry in the U.S.
Swine Basic Care
Farmers working with pigs should understand the basic needs of pigs to maintain a healthy animal. They should be able to recognize behaviors and other symptoms that indicates discomfort and disease. Farmers need to know when it is necessary to contact a veterinarian. Knowledge of how a healthy pig behaves is important. Swine should always have a strong healthy appetite. They should maintain a body temperature around 102 degrees f. Respiration rate should be around 15-20 breaths per minute. A normal heart rate is around 58 to 70 beats per minute.
Signs of Illness
A pig that is slow getting up from bed could be a indicator he/she is sick. A loss of appetite and diarrhea is also a sign of a sick piggy. Vomiting, acting depressed, lame or stiff, and acting uncoordinated are also signs that you need to call your veterinarian to give a health exam on your pig. A farmer needs to check their pigs daily and keep records of swine to ensure a healthy hog.
Pork Production
Modern pork has become a source of high quality protein and valuable nutrients such as iron and zinc. These practices have been so successful because of selective breeding, better management systems, advancement in veterinarian medicine, and improved feeding practices. The top three breed of market pigs are Duroc, Hampshire, and Yorkshire.
Housing for Swine
Swine should have adequate conditions to comfort, maintain good health, and performance at all stages of a pigs life. Temperature requirements vary with age, size, and the environment conditions in your area. Pigs of all ages need to be protected from drafts. Protection is extremely important for piglets up to two weeks of age. It is desired to keep pigs in a dust free environment. Until ways of reducing dust in your barn follow simple good house keeping habits. Flooring should be safe for pigs. They need to be a dry well drained surface. A solid non slip floor is also preferable. There should not be any sharp edges that could cause injury to your pigs. They do enjoy laying around a lot. I hope this will help you while caring and raising hogs whether they are pets or you are selling them for meat production.

Dogs on the farm

Every farm has dogs whether they are used for hunting, herding, or simply as companions. Different canine breeds are used for different purposes. Farmers use dogs for herding cattle, sheep and goats. Dogs are popular in lending a helping hand to farmers because they are quick, agile, and do not harm the animals that are being herded. It saves the farmer a lot of time and energy if he were trying to round up animals by him self. Popular breeds for herding are Border Collies, Austrailain Sheperds, Blue Heelers, and Red Heelers. Dogs simply herd the animals by barking and nipping at the animals heels to make them go a certain direction. These breeds are very helpful in helping a farmer herd animals.

 

Hunting dogs are also very popular on a family farm. Most men love to hunt and a dog can help the hunter locate and track an animal that is being hunted. Farmers who enjoy coon hunting would have hound dogs such as Black and Tan, Redbone, Blue Tick, English, and Treeing Walker Coon hound. The hound breed are well known for their keen sense of smell. They are able to get on a scent trail of a coon that can be days old. Once they locate the raccoon they tree the coon by barking at the tree until the hunters arrive to shoot the coon down. Farmers who enjoy deer hunting would also have hounds. Hounds are used in deer hunting for locating a deer and running the deer to the hunters area so the hunter can get a shot on the deer. Any kind of hound can be used for deer hunting.

Proper care for dogs on the farm is very important to keep your dogs healthy. Dogs need to be vaccinated every year. They need to be de wormed at least every six months. Dogs also need flea and tick preventive every month to keep external parasites off of them. External parasites can cause skin irritation and hair loss. Dogs need to be on a heartworm preventive every month to keep from getting heartworms. Heartworms are transferred through mosquito bites and are very dangerous to your dog. Heartworm infestation leads to death. Proper care for your canine is very important in keeping your pet healthy.  





 

Proper care for goats

Taking proper care of goats is a big responsibility. Goats are a ruminant animal meaning that they digest roughage by chewing, partially digesting, reguritating and then chewing some more. People will refer to goats that they are chewing their cud which means they are chewing roughage that has already been swallowed once. Goats are browsers and enjoy a variety of shrubs, woody plants, forages, and hay. Sometimes roughages are not enough to satisfy a goats appetite and they need to be supplemented with pelletized or course grain feed. Goats do well in an adequate sized pasture with plenty of grasses and plants to graze on. Some plants are posionous to goats such as azaleas, hemlock, and wild cherr. Pasture for goats should be checked for poisonous plants to ensure your goats safety. Goats need plenty of fresh water daily during summer and winter months. They are very picky about their drinking water and they will not drink dirty water. Goats do not do well by themselves. They need to have other goats to interact with on a daily basis. Goats should have adequate shelter all year long. They hate rain and mud and should have shelter from the elements. They need at least a three sided barn to get in to protect them from rain, snow, or strong winds. Goat barns need to be well ventulated but still keep them out of the weather and cold drafts. Some people even build cabinets off the ground for the goats to get in and sleep. Goats love a warm cozy place to rest. Goats love to climb and play and it is very ideal to have some sort of rock pile where they are able to play safely.

In tact male goats are called bucks. Casturated males are called whethers. Female goats are does and baby or young goats are called kids. Goats are naturally healthy animals and rarely get sick. They do need yearly vaccinations and routine de worming to ensure a healthy and proper care of goats. Ask your local liscened veternarian about a yearly shot scheldule and a de worming scheldule. You will also need to treat your goats for flying insects in the summer time. Goats are very sensitive to flying insects and is good to keep fly spray handy and fly traps through out the barn that your goats stay in.

 
Caring for goats can be very rewarding and fun. These guidlines will ensure your goats to be happy and healthy.

Poultry

Backyard poultry is getting very popular especially in urban areas. People love to know where thier eggs and meat come from instead of going to the grocery store and buying cartons of eggs and meat from a package. Back yard poultry farmers are able to control thier chickens diet, living conditions and how the animal is being treated. They also lean towards the natural aspect of pest deterrents. Diatomaceous Earth:
*Is a natural pest deterrent safe for you you, your chickens, and house hold pets.
* Keeps your flock healthy by killing ticks, fleas, and digestive worms.
*Naturally keeps cockroaches and other pest from your chicken feed containers
*It can provide your chickens with trace elements when added to feed in small amounts.

The breed of chicken that a farmer selects for his/her flock depends upon the purpose for which the chickens are intended. The three types of chicken categories to choose from are: egg laying stock, meat type birds, and dual purpose birds. No single breed will provide the best characteristics for all three purposes.
The Egg Laying Breeds: They generally have smaller bodies that make them undesirable for meat producing birds. Thier small bodies are benefits because few nutrients are wasted for producing big carcasses. Instead nutrients go towards egg producing.

The Meat Type Breeds: They are genetically developed to produce a variety of meat characteristics or traits. These breeds will grow faster and larger, have higher breast yields, more effecient food conversion, and are more disease resisstant than other breeds.

Dual Purpose Breeds: They are bred to lay an adequate amount of eggs and to have a decent size body for food consumption. These chickens will not lay as well as the egg laying breeds. They also will not have as big of carcasses as the meat type breeds. They are just a good mix if the farmer wants both egg and meat chickens.

The farmer should choose a breed that best fits his/her desire. Some farmers choose to raise both egg and meat producing breeds to accomidate both needs while others believe it is easier to have a dual purpose breed. Back yard chickens are fun and easy to raise. They do not require a lot of land to own and manage properly. When managed properly, fresh eggs and meat are abundant to a normal size family. People also feel great about knowing where their food is coming from rather than buying it out of a grocery store.

Equine Basic Care

On my family farm like many others we have a few horses. Our horses are used for recreational trail riding and for getting the cows from one pasture to the next. Propper horse care is essential to keep them healthy and ready to go when you need them.

First off, horses are grazing animals and they need a large pasture with adequate forages. Fencing should be wooden and very sturdy. Barbed wire fencing is not reccomended.

 

 

Horses need a barn so they can get out of the elements such as hot summer days, thunderstorms, and very windy days. They also need a large supply of fresh clean water. They will drink 5-10 gallons daily depending on weather conditions.

A regular vaccination and de worming scheldule is very important if you want to have healthy horses. Horses should be de wormed every 2-3 months and should rotate the brands of wormer each time. They are constantly eating off the ground and are easily succepable to parasies. A vaccination scheldule should consist of Eastern Western West Nile Virus vaccination, Rhinovirus vaccination, Tetanus, and Rabies vacciantions. Consult your veternarian for your horses vaccination scheldule.

 

 

Basic Bovine Care

Cows are large grazing animals that can weigh anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. Cattle are ruminant animals meaning that they have one stomach with four chambers and need to consume 2-4 pounds of grass type hay per 1,000lbs of body weight daily. Fresh clean water should always be availabe as cattle can consume 10-20 gallons of water daily depending on weather conditions. Cows should be kept in sturdy fencing with secure gates. Cattle should also be on an yearly vaccination scheldule unless your veternarian says other wise. Cattle should also be de wormed at least three times per year. Keeping your cattle herd healthy will make your farm more efficient and you will save money in the long run.

Hello and welcome to my farm animal care AGvocate blog. Each week I will discuss the importance of propper animal care for different animals on a farm. I hope you will follow and read each week  why animal care is important.