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.