Down On The Farm

As I listen on my long drive to my grandpa’s farm, I begin to hit that little corner that always takes me back in time. I now live in town or the city, but my roots run deep, back in time I go to that little community I once lived in, where I grew up, where I was raised. I then recall a letter that I received from a cousin not long ago. I had asked some questions as to things she remembered from the past, when we were young girls and all that seemed to exist was that farm, in my mind anyways. I thought long and hard about what she had written.
She started by reminding me of all the fun times and memories we had shared. Then she reminded me of a past with hurt but yet things forgotten and let go of. She told me, ‘we grew up in a hard life, at times with things around us that we had no control of and no way to survive at the time, yet only we knew how’. She then told me, ‘I know why you were so close to all those animals. I know why they were so close to you. They were your family, the one you adopted and the ones who adopted you’.
Sometimes I think one of the most greatest gift a person can give to another human being is the gift of self. One of the people or citizens of a community that need to be applauded is that of the adoptive families. Who desperately want what most have and do not even care for, and they reach out and accept those that others were unable to, which I respect, but then there are those who do not want the children they have and this is true. So these loving and patient people await for the gifts from God that were meant for them, but were given through someone else, and they do so with an open and true heart, and can genuinely look past themselves and adopt one from another. I think they deserve so much for their efforts but then again with patience they already have what they sought.
So back to my animals. Living on a farm isn’t easy not if you are an animal lover. It is hard work all the way around and I honestly miss that life, that time. I reflect on mornings spent in gardens that sustained us through every season, we weren’t ones who went to town every day or week, it was once in a lifetime experiences for us and we rarely had that luxury. We lived off the land and we appreciated that and we respected what God and hard work gave us. It was hard work. We did live off the land. We lived by our own hands and sweat. It was the best times of my life and I wouldn’t have traded one day for any of the riches in the lives we now lead.
I guess I am a simple girl, with old traditions, and a little old fashioned. I live in a world of convenience but wish for the old. I look at the lives of others around me who came from the same place, and when we talk it brings each of us back to another time and place where we felt at peace with each other and with the world. It was never a dull moment. People came to visit and would stay for weeks and we were glad for the company, everyone chipped in and the stories are what we longed to hear not the radio or TV. It was the communication between distant families and generations. I miss that. I was the oldest out of the grand kids, except my two step- sisters, but I was the oldest from that line. I was quite a bit older than cousins and my brother, and yes the majority of my time was spent with the animals of the farm. We had cats, dogs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs, a horse at one time, but some of my fondest memories were those spent with my grandpa’s herd of cattle.
This is so funny because one of my friends also grew up on a farm with cattle, and one day we laughed for hours over the many memories we had in regards to farm life. My grandpa would always take me with him out in the pastures and up in the fields and woods, checking on fences, checking on the cattle, especially when they were due to calve. I even told my son just the other night how I was forbidden to go in those fields alone because of the bulls but mainly the herd bull, and anyone who knows farm life will know how dangerous they can be. But I never listened I was always in those fields and I remember sitting at school day-dreaming about what path I needed to take as soon as I got home to find them. As soon as my feet hit that dirt road, I was on my way, running, to get home to drop off my books, grab a sandwich, and head out the door with my grandma yelling, ‘you better not go up in that field again’. And I would be gone on one path to the next, my grandpa owned a lot of property, till I found the herd.
Now what was so great about a bunch of cattle that just stood around and did nothing? For one it wasn’t me just hanging out with cows, it was me watching them , studying them and the family structure they created. I became an excellent tracker not of just cattle but of wildlife and simply animals period. I would track cats to find their kittens, because they are so good at hiding them. I would track the cattle to their calves. Which they would hide as deer will hide their fawns in bushes or shrubs. My grandpa would have approximately 20-30 cattle at a time, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the time of year. This was my time spent, Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.
I lived to be with those cows. They looked at me and seemed to just accept the fact that I was an odd calf or just a crazy person to be over- looked. The bull never bothered me and at times I felt he even looked out for me. As many studies have been done on the family structure of animals, I guess maybe that was my own study. They were very in tune to one another. They were very protective of not just their calves, but of that of the entire herd. They had sitters for their babies usually younger cows who seemed to play and dote on the young ones, the bull was the protector by far, the older cows would sometimes take in orphans or try to take over the young of the other cows, there was a pecking order and it was intact always.
I am not sure where I fit in, but I do know I did, and I was never afraid and I always had fun. It was an unspoken language between us, they trusted me and I needed them. It helped me to escape, it helped me to forget my problems and being a child you need that. I would come home around dark, get my ass whipped, and continue on the next day. It was always the same. One of the worst days for me was when my grandpa decided he could no longer care for them and they were slaughtered and sold, and the days that came to pass were to horrific for me, to this day, to talk about, and I won’t, but just let me say farm life is tough and it was a life learning experience for me and taught me a lot about many things.
One of my favorite places to go was on top of hill where the trees spread out, and it was like a tent or canopy, one tree struck by lightening lay flat in- between two others that were still standing, it was hollow and cut out, I would take a blanket and lay in that tree under the canopy with the cows laying and snoozing not far way, my dogs sitting by the tree watching my every move, and me falling asleep feeling 100 % safe and right in the world.
I hit that corner I take in the smell of the air and the smell of fresh cut hay, I listen to the breeze and the birds and I feel the sun shining on my face through the open window. I turn off the radio and take it all in. I start down that dirt road I walked so many years ago, I round a bend and see the old farm house and look past it to the fields. I miss those days and what they represented to me over and over. I return to years past, the things you learn from cows, the things your learn from nature, and the things you miss when it is gone. Thanks for listening! God Bless You!
by Vaughn Pascal

The Maremma: Alpine Sheep Herder

The Maremma Sheepdog is native to the Italian Alps. This is a breed that has an extraordinary capability of working in the higher altitudes. For many hundreds of years, the life of the sheep, the shepherds and the Maremma dog that guarded the flock was structured on the seasons. From June to October the flocks would be moved to the high country in the mountains of Abruzzi and from October to June they would go down to the plains and rolling pastures of Maremma. The job of the Maremma historically has been that of a livestock protector and herding dog, being of great value to the Italian peasants as they moved their flocks of mountain goats and sheep through the high alpine pastures, not only herding but also protecting the flock from predators. The Maremma has the capability of working independently as a flock protector and is noted for its high intelligence. A few of the dogs stayed behind as farm protectors and gradually the Maremma also became known as the large white dog who frequented the fine homes of Tuscany as a companion and watchdog.
The Maremma is a large white dog with profuse and abundant coat. One might confuse the dog with the Pyrenees or the Kuvasz, excerpt that the head of the Maremma is much larger in proportion to the body and in fact is very like that of the Polar bear, conical in shape and massive. In general, of the large white dogs that are the herding dogs of central Europe and the Alps, the Maremma is probably the breed that exhibits the most independent thinking and is one of the dogs considered to be a very protective dog, working in the dual role as flock guard and herder. The Maremma is a large breed, standing 24 inches at the withers, with a heavy coat that is all white with perhaps a shade of ivory or biscuit on the ears. The coat needs to be regularly groomed. The correct coat should be weather resistant, providing protection from the sun and the cold, this is a dog that should not be shaved.
The Maremma has always been around people, though its existence has been solitary it is a breed that will not do well without a human to protect or work alongside. This is a dog that strives to work for its master but also can be a difficult dog for simple obedience commands, since it is a "thinker" and will become bored with repetition. They are extremely loyal, considered to be a one person dog, devoted and protective yet proud and dignified. This is a dog that requires a knowledgeable owner, since it is not inclined to be subservient but is more likely to be somewhat stubborn and strong willed.
by Michael Russell

The Joy of Pigs: Rooting Out the Truth

Calling someone a pig implies that they are dirty, greedy, or otherwise unworthy of our respect. Yet in reality the pig is clean, odorless, and smart. The more we discover about the history and mysteries of pigs, the clearer it is that they demand respect rather than inclusion in our recipes.
What is a Pig?
Beyond the cute curly tail and the portly body, what is a pig? Classification of animals begins broad and narrows dramatically. In the wider sense, pigs are grouped in the order Artiodactyla. This order includes 211 species. All are even-toed ungulates, meaning they have hooves. The order Artiodactyls is divided into 9 families. Hogs and pigs, which are synonymous, make up the family called Suidae. This hog-happy family has 16 species. What is a species, exactly? Michael Taylor, author of Pot Bellied Pigs as Your New Family Pet (New Jersey: T.H.F. Publications) simplifies the science with this definition: “A group of similar animals that will freely interbreed under natural conditions.” (1)
Distribution
The domestic pig that we’re all familiar with is called Sus Scrofa. Originally Scrofa and 15 similar species could be found throughout Africa, across Eurasia south of 48° N and on islands as far away as the Phillipines and Sulawesi. Where humans go, pigs follow. As a result of being introduced to almost every country (generally for hunting) pigs now star in Australia, New Zealand, North America and various islands.
Pig Personality
Writing about the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig in Rare Breeds Journal, Kiyoko Hancock says: “Each piggy has an amazing depth to his feelings, a real ability to communicate, and an affectionate nature coupled with a high degree of intelligence. (2) Although this comment is specific to the Vietnamese pot-bellied variety, these qualities are true of all domestic pigs. Wild pigs may also have these traits, but given humankind’s limited knowledge of many species of Suidae, whatever character distinctions these possess is sheer speculation.
The domestic pig is less of a mystery. Despite this, myths prevail. The most prevalent is that they are dirty. The reality is quite different. “They tend to keep themselves cleaner than most animals,” says the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. (3) Naturalist and author of The Whole Hog (London: Profile Books), Lyall Watson agrees. Recently he told the UK’s Guardian newspaper: “The first thing you learn when you walk with a pig for more than a day is that he has a latrine somewhere. That he will never do it anywhere else. In sties they don't have much choice." (4) What about their penchant for rolling about in mud? Far from being an indication of bad manners, this is an adaptive skill. Since pigs have few sweat glands they need this muddy moisture to cool themselves. It also serves to protect them from insect bites and sunburn.
Combine a lack of direct experience with pigs with pigs portrayal on television (think sweet-but-stupid Porky Pig) and it’s not surprising that most people are unaware of the pig’s intelligence. Yet pigs are intelligent. Like dogs they can be leash-trained, house trained and can learn tricks. Even circus tricks. Pigs are capable of walking on tightropes and jumping through hoops. They are capable of remembering things and can solve problems like opening a bolted door. (5)Other special traits include an advanced sense of taste. This is especially useful since their vision is flawed; having eyes on the sides of their head limits forward vision.
History
When did the pig transform from charging boar to peaceful pet? Many authors speculate that this occurred before recorded history. Yet the exact dates of this history are under debate. Juliet Clurtton-Brock; author of Domesticated Animals from Early Times (Enland: British Museum) believes that pig remains in the Pre-pottery of Jericho trace its relationship with man back to 7000 BC.(6) The World Conservation Union dates the pig’s Jericho domestication back to 8,500 BC and adds Europe, the Near East, southern Greece and north-eastern Iraq to pig-keeping places. Other experts contend that the fossilized records of pig-made hollows indicate that domestication began in the Far East around 11,000 BC.(7)
Fascinating yes. Specific no. More recently, detailed records highlight the specifics of man’s relationship with pigs. In his book, Nicobar Islands (New Delhi: National Book Trust), K.K. Mathur reveals the respect shown by this culture in India. He states that they “occupy an exalted place in the sentiments of the people”, enough for the Nicobarese to compose songs in their honor. Despite this the Nicobarese eat pork and hunt wild pinks. (8) The pet-to-pork transition can also be found in Asia and in Christianity. In Asia, both domesticated pigs and dogs were pets before they were meat. (9).
Mythology
Being that its hoofed feet have left muddy tracks all over the world, it’s not surprising that the pig has also left an impression in mankind’s mythology. A love-hate one, however. Egyptians, while believing pigs to be unclean, thought sacrificing swine to the moon and Osiris would be highly appreciated. Further south, in the ancient Asian area of Malaysia and the Philippines, pigs were though to support the earth yet also cause earthquakes. (10)
Irish folklore imbues pigs with psychic and healing powers. In Southern Ireland it’s long been believed that hogs can see the wind, and that walking three times around a pig cures illness. A pig-positive perception is also shown in the name of Ireland itself. One of the ancient names for this region is Muic-Inis, or “Pig Island”. (11)
Threatened Cousins
The domestic pig’s pink proliferation is in stark contrast to its relative the pygmy hog. Averaging 10 inches (20 cm) at shoulder height and weighing 26.2 pounds (11.8 kg), this native-to-India nest-dweller is aptly named. With less than 150 left, the World Conservation Union lists the pygmy hog as critically endangered. (12) This special species joins Sus barbaratus and Sus verrucos. Sus barbaratus is also known as the bearded pig. This large, grey, migrating pig is named after the rugged bristly hairs that surround his snout. Found in the islands of Southeast Asia, our bearded friend’s numbers are being chopped down along with his habitat. Adding insult to injury, since having his habitat destroyed drives him into farmlands to look for food, he is considered a pest. The 40,00- year-long practice of hunting him also demonstrates a lack of compassion. (13) Today Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), lists him as endangered.
Pigs as Pork
In The Singular Beast: Jews, Christians, and the Pig ( New York: Columbia University Press) author Claudine Fabre-Vassas reveals how from the Middle Ages to the present Christians have defined themselves through eating pork as much as the Jewish have distinguished themselves through not eating it. “The more we enjoy the piglet, the better Catholics we become,” declares one 18th century song. Although for Christians, serving pig as a main course has long been synonymous with serving God, before its’ slaughter the pig was a treasured family member similar to a child. Pig was welcome in the home, fed with care and cared for when sick. (14)
Although though Genesis 9:3 states that “every living thing will be meat for you,” it hastens to add, in Genesis 9:4: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” It doesn’t take a scholar or theologian to interpret this. Unfortunately people often interpret things according to their needs. Perhaps God was referring only to raw meat: One could argue that when cooked properly meat has no visible blood, so it’s okay to eat it. Or is it?
"With corporate hog factories replacing traditional hog farms, pigs raised for food are being treated more as inanimate tools of production than as living, feeling animals,” says Susie Coston. Coston is the Shelter Director for Farm Sanctuary With over 100,000 members, Farm Sanctuary is America’s leading farm animal protection organization. Their work ranges from legal and institutional reforms to hands-on rescue and refuge. Their 175-acre shelter in upstate New York and 300-acre shelter in northern California is home to over 1,000 rescued cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, geese and the star of this article…pigs. “Pigs come to us from many different situations. The largest portion of our current herd actually came directly from a factory farm in North Carolina- on their way to slaughter in Pennsylvania. When these pigs arrived most had very swollen leg joints, from standing on concrete. Most of the pigs came off of the truck walking on their knees- unable to stretch out their legs ful ly. It took months of intense physical therapy with some of the pigs to get them up on their feet again, but all did make it. Of the 40, 30 still reside here at the shelter.” That was 5 years ago. Today these same animals enjoy a warm, straw filled barn and their very own pond, not to mention the expansive pastures of Farm Sanctuary's essential estate.
Sadly, Farm Sanctuary's idyllic conditions are not the norm for farm animals. A September 30, 2005 report from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service states: “U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on September 1, 2005 was 61.5 million head… All inventory and pig crop estimates for September 2004 through June 2005 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss, and updated import and export data.”(15) Sound cold? It’s appropriate language for a heartless industry. Today’s farming is big business, and business is booming. In 2004, the average American ate 221 pounds of meat and poultry, even more than 1990’s 199 pounds. (16) In the hog trade, 50 percent of American hog slaughter is dominated by 4 corporations. (17) Human contact is little more than being pushed into a transport truck for slaughter. Food, water and waste removal are automated. “In order for the industry to turn a profit on the low prices Americans have come to expect, most livestock are kept and slaughtered on factory farms, where animals eat corn- and soybean-based feed — 10 to 30% of which is often radically different from what the animal would consume naturally,” writes Jane Black in “10 Things Your Butcher Won’t Tell You”, which was featured in the October 11, 2005 issue of Smart Money magazine.(18)
And that’s the sanitized version. In Freefarmanimals.org, a Farm Sanctuary website, expert testimony is given from sources such as the Journal of Animal Science. “The Welfare of Sows in Gestation Crates: A Summary of the Scientific Evidence”(19) reveals the horror of modern farm life. While there natural lifespan ranges from 12-18 years, a breeding sow exists for 5. For most of this time she will be kept in a stall. The National Pork Producers Council recommends that this be 9.2 to14 square feet, or approximately 2x7 feet and 3.3 feet high. (20)This does not allow enough room to turn around, but comfort isn’t the goal. Production is.
The sow will leave this gestation crate only for one month periods when it is time to nurse her piglets. This takes place in a farrowing crate, which is about as comfortable as it sounds. Explains Coston: “After being impregnated, the sows are confined in gestation crates — small metal pens just two feet wide that prevent sows from turning around or even lying down comfortably. At the end of their four-month pregnancies, they are transferred to similarly cramped farrowing crates to give birth. With barely enough room to stand up and lie down and no straw or other type of bedding to speak of, many suffer from sores on their shoulders and knees.”
Pet Pigs?
Since pigs are smart and trainable, why not keep them as a pet? Just like getting a dog or cat have different factors to consider, so does getting a pig. “Pigs are not maintenance free animals and are not as easy to care for as a cat or dog,” says the website of Pigs, A Sanctuary ; a West Virginia refuge for abused, abandoned, neglected and unwanted animals that specializes in the care of potbellied pigs and farm pigs. “Vietnamese potbellied pigs have been heavily promoted as house pets -- the Sanctuary does not endorse this belief and does not believe that pigs should be raised full time as house pets.” Considerations listed in the Pro’s and Con’s section of Pigs, A Sanctuary, include allowing for the size of a potbellied pig-often over 130 pounds. And if you take on this commitment be aware that pigs live between 12-18 years. During this time, explains the Pro’s and Con’s section, pigs may struggle for dominance to establish themselves as “top pig.” Except without any other pigs around, you or a very surprised houseguest may be the one they struggle with. This can get dangerous. (21)
The owners of Washington’s Pigs Peace Sanctuary also warn against premature pigging-out. Like Pigs, A Sanctuary, Pigs Peace Sanctuary is a nonprofit 501©(3) organization. Also like its kindred refuge, the Pigs Peace Sanctuary is dedicated to providing a safe home for unwanted, abused or neglected animals in need . Their online FAQ page reveals that getting easily bored is an aspect of the pig’s high intelligence, and this boredom can result in raiding the refrigerator and cupboards and ripping up clothing and blankets to make a bed. (22) Veterinarian Lianne McCloud, a veterinarian and About.com’s resident guide to exotic pets, advises teaching your pig rules and boundaries to thwart bad behaviors and giving positive reinforcement. “Consistent rules, praise for good behavior, and correction/redirection with lots of repetition and patience will help produce a well mannered pig with a good relationship with its family.” (23)While Pigs, A Sanctuary and Farm Sanctuary sometimes adopt their pigs to suitable homes, Pigs Peace Sanctuary is more tentative: “High quality life long homes for pigs are hard to find and the adoption process is difficult,” relates their website. Pigs, A Sanctuary allows adoption of its animals, provided. They request filling out a written adoption application and require vet references. Farm Sanctuary also has high standards, so be prepared. “Adopters must be vegetarian. They have to have good vet references, proper facilities and fencing and a vet who can work with their pigs. That is the basic criteria for all animals from our shelters,” says Coston.
Reader Resources:
Farm Sanctuary is America's premier farm animal protection organization. It operates farm animal shelters in upstate New York and northern California. Visit www.farmsanctuary.org
Howard Lyman is an ex cattle rancher whose current objective is “to educate people on sustainability and the dangers of current methods of food production”. This is a wonderful website with plenty of eyebrow-raising info from impeccable sources. www.madcowboy.com
Jane Black’s article, 10 Things Your Butcher Won’t Tell You is also an eyebrow-raising must-read. http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=november2005
Pigs, A Sanctuary. Thinking about getting a pet potbellied pig? This site has a wonderful Pros and Cons section. www.pigs.org/article.asp?article_id=3
The Frequently Asked Questions of Pigs Peace Sanctuary offers even more info about pigs. www.pigspeace.org/faq/
Veterinarian Lianne McCloud gives a wonderful summary of the nature and nurture of pet pigs. http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/potbelliedpigs/a/pbpexpect.htm
References:
1. Taylor, Michael. Pot Bellied Pigs As Your New Family Pet. New Jersey: THF Publications. 1993.
2. Willis, Marguerite. A Straight…Pacific Rim Magazine, 1991.
3. Domestic Pig. Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. Copyright © 2005 Fort Wayne Zoological Society. http://www.kidszoo.com/animals/Pig.htm
4. Nettleton, Paul. Dispeller of Pig Ignorance. The Guardian Newspaper. Clutton-Brock, Juliet. Domesticated Animals from Early Times. England: British Museum . © 1981
5. Guardian Unlimited: Science. Thursday, October 14, 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/interview/story/0,12982,1326316,00.html
6. Oliver, William L. R. and Deb Joy, Sanjoy. Chapter 5.3: Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Status Survey and Action Plan. http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/pphsg/APchap5-3.html
8. Clutton-Brock, Juliet. Domesticated Animals from Early Times. . England: British Museum. © 1981
9. Leach, Marian ed. Fried, Jerome. Assistant ed. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. NY: Funk & Wagnalls. 1972
10. Ibid
11. Oliver, William L. R. and Deb Joy, Sanjoy. Chapter 5.3: Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Status Survey and Action Plan. http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/pphsg/APchap5-3.html
12. Animal Bytes: Wild Swine Zoological Society of San Diego . © 2005 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-wild_swine.html
13. Fabre-Vassas, Claudine. The Singular Beast: Jews, Christians, and the Pig. New York: Columbia University Press. 1997. Page 147. Secondary Source: Salisbury, Joyce E. The Singular Beast: Jews, Christians, and the Pig-Review. FindArticles. Journal of Social History. Summer 1999. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_4_32/ai_55084008#continue
14.Quarterly: Hogs and Pigs National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board.
15.U.S.Department of Agriculture. September 30, 2005. http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/livestock/php-bb/2005/hgpg0905.txt
16. Black, Jane. 10 Things Your Butcher Won’t Tell You. Smart Money Magazine. Published: October 11, 2005 http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=november2005
17. Wolfson, David, Beyond The Law: Agribusiness and the systemic abuse of animals raised for food or food production, Farm Sanctuary, 1999
18. Black, Jane. 10 Things Your Butcher Won’t Tell You. Smart Money Magazine. Published: October 11, 2005 http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=november2005
19. The Welfare of Sows in Gestation Crates: A Summary of the Scientific Evidence. Farm Sanctuary. http://www.freefarmanimals.org/gc_evidence.html
20. National Pork Producers Council. Swine Care Handbook, p.12.
21. Pros and Cons of Potbellied Pigs. © 2001-2005. Pigs, A Sanctuary. http://www.pigs.org/article.asp?article_id=3
22. Frequently Asked Questions. Pigs Peace Sanctuary. Date Accessed: December 1, 2005. http://www.pigspeace.org/faq/
23. McCloud, Lianne. Pot Bellied Pigs as Pets: What to Expect. Exotic Pets. About.com. 2005. About.Inc. http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/potbelliedpigs/a/pbpexpect.html
by Galina Pembroke

Your Guide To Goat Farming

The goats produce two very important products in goat farming - the milk and the meat. In most of the large goat farms the goats are treated much like dairy cows as their accommodations are indoors and they are milked twice a day. Large farmers have more than 400-500 goats in their farms.
The breeding season for goats in farms is from August to March. The goat's pregnancy lasts for four months and they are generally bred once a year, so their kids are born between January and August. The female goats give birth to one to five kids and twins are to be expected.
A female goat in a farm can start mating after the age of seven to nine months while it can be milked when the goat reaches a year. Goats give birth easily, so no special help is needed. However, the farmers need to make sure that the kids nurse from their mother, if they don't, they should be fed from a bottle. This should be done right after the kid is born as this is when it receives the critical first milk which is called colostrum. After it is fed with colostrum containing minerals, vitamins and antibodies for a few days, the kid could be fed with milk formula or could nurse from its mother.
Breeding goats in a farm is quite similar to breeding cows. The kids of goats should be given a milk formula until they can be weaned; this is after they reach five to seven weeks of age. This is the time when the goats are then milked.
In a goat farm the females are given a two month period before giving birth, they need this time so that they could give nutrition to their kids after birth. As far as milking goats in diary farms is concerned, goats are milked twice a day, usually in intervals of 12 hours. The milk can be extracted by machine or by hand depending on the kind of techniques and work force the goat farm has. Another thing which makes breeding goats and cows similar is that the both use up to date diary production which should meet certain hygienic requirements.
If the farmer is interested more in meat production, then the kids of the goats should be nursed from eight to ten weeks. After that they are to be fed hay, grain and pasture until they gain enough weight, which can vary from 35 to 90 pounds.
When a farmer is breeding goats for their meat, he should consider the goats' breed and then decide what optimal weight the goats should reach. Different breeds of goat reach different weight. Goat farming might not be the first thing you considered when talking about farming, but it is a profitable and enjoyable business activity.
by Morgan Hamilton

Visit an Arowana Farm to Experience Excellence in Operation

For an Arowana enthusiast, there is probably no more exciting and educational experience than visiting a CITES certified Arowana farm. The owners, employees and affiliates of the world’s top Arowana farms possess incomparable experience, knowledge, and resources. Even a few hours spent among the leaders in the Arowana industry can be an inspirational (and humbling) experience.
The Evolving Role of the Arowana Farm
Perhaps any commercial farm would hold interest to someone intrigued by the stock being bred. Yet few types of farms worldwide can boast the single-handed preservation of a species!
As a result of CITES classification of Arowanas as endangered species on the brink of extinction, innovative Arowana experts began relentlessly pursuing captive breeding more than two decades ago. As slow-maturing, temperamental mouth-brooders sensitive to captivity, this was no simple matter. Through trial-and-error and practical experience, effective breeding practices were eventually discovered. It was the success of captive-breeding that allowed the commercial trade of Arowanas to be reinstated.
Not only were captive breeding techniques developed on Arowana farms, scientific discoveries were made isolating the DNA responsible for prized varieties. This helped ensure and protect the quality of the breeding stock and the long-term survival of the best of the species.
Excellence in Operation
Arowana farms offer visitors a unique opportunity to witness first-hand some of the most innovative and highly profitable fish farming practices in the world today. The care given to maintaining breeding stock, managing breeding pairs, and securing and rearing young fry is difficult to comprehend until it is seen.
Arowana farming involves a painstaking commitment to detail. The fish demand uncompromising water quality conditions every moment of every day. They must be fed quality foods at appropriate times and receive appropriate supplements, as well. CITES certification requirements demand strict adherence to identification practices, micro-chipping, and paperwork. Absolutely nothing can be left to chance if the Arowana are to prosper and the farm is to succeed.
Some farms specialize in more than top quality Arowana production. Many conduct research and develop new and valuable Arowana care products. Commercial foods, vitamin and mineral supplements, water conditioning treatments and filter systems and media are just some of the products developed by farms. Seeing the practice behind cutting-edge technology is yet another advantage of an Arowana farm visit.
In addition to the breeding ponds, growing tanks, and exciting new Arowana care items, visitors to an Arowana farm enjoy a rare, up close look at a variety of Arowanas. Outside of a temporary Arowana contest or exhibition, there is no place on earth likely to house as many quality Arowanas in one place. Most farms specialize in breeding all three types of the Asian Arowana species. With so many on hand, visitors are given a rare opportunity to learn to spot quality as well as prized characteristics of each type of Arowana.
Planning Your Farm Visit
When you’re ready for the trip of a lifetime, take the time to find a quality Arowana farm to visit. Communicate with a representative frequently beforehand to ensure you will be welcome and allowed admission. Discuss how in depth you would like your visit to be and arrive when you can best be accommodated. Remember you are a guest of very busy individuals engaged in an extremely complex operation.
If possible, try scheduling a trip to include tours of more than one Arowana farm. Many farms conduct breeding operations quite differently from each other, and you will benefit from the exposure to more than one expert.
Steven Yeoh is an avid arowana fish lover who is also involved with an asian arowana breeding farm. If you find his arowana information helpful, make sure that you sign up for his 7 days ecourse for the “New Arowana Hobbyists” at his main site as well as visit his very useful and informative blog.
by Steven Yeoh

Is Game Shooting Acceptable in Modern Britain?

I believe Game shooting is acceptable, and indeed, needed in today’s modern Britain. I will attempt to prove this in the following essay, by taking the most favored anti-shooting arguments and answering them, point for point.
Game birds are released into the wild to die in huge numbers unnecessarily and unnaturally: Game birds, in this case pheasants (as grouse shooting is entirely wild), are released into the wild after being reared in outdoor pens for several weeks. They are then given several months and weeks to acclimatize themselves to the wilds. The pheasants do wander onto roads, but so does practically any other animal, especially agricultural animals (sheep/cows on the road). They live a free life, and are free to go from the area at anytime, as the only thing holding them back, and indeed can hold them back, are the presence of game feeders. These game feeders not only feed the local wildlife and songbirds, and provide a source of food all year round.
It is a high probability that many of the woods used in rearing and the holding of pheasants would not exist today, as they would have been returned to farmland as they are unsound to the agriculture economy. In fact, a large proportion of Britain’s hedgerows would not exist today if it were not for gameshooting. Those very same woods and hedgerows provide a HUGE increase in wildlife habitation for nature.
Gamebirds die in an unnatural and incredibly painful way:
Gamebirds, on nearly all counts, are given a free life, in which they are free to mate, eat, fly, and wander over the earth wherever they may please. And, maybe once a year, they a flown over a group of sportsmen, where they have more chance of being untouched by gunfire than any cow being used for meat has of escaping the abattoir. They have a better life than any cow or chicken, and more chance of surviving. Even when they have the unlucky odds, they often die as soon as they are shot, and if they are shot by an incompetent shot, who are often not allowed too shoot, their necks are broken almost instantly when they hit the ground. There are occasional times when a pheasant may be hit by a clipping shot, and will glide to the ground. These ‘runners’ are then retrieved (but not killed) by a gun dog, and will be killed humanly.
Game shooting only serves to irritate the communities and does nothing to help them: Per annum, shooting contributes 1.3 billion pounds to the British economy. It helps this country with 1 300 000 000 pounds sterling per year. This is not a figure to be scoffed at. Gameshooting provides 70 000 full time jobs per year, not counting the amount of part time jobs it offers teenagers and young adults.
Thanks to shooting, two million hectares are actively conserved through the 250 million spent on conservation efforts in Britain alone. The equivalent of 2.7 million work days on conservation is provided by shooting and consequently we have a much wider amount of natural countryside and different habitats, as well as a method, indeed a vessel in which old traditions (not necessarily shooting) can continue and be passed down the generations.
Shooting has helped put Game firmly on the menu, with it being served in butchers and often supermarkets around the country. It has been served in high class London restaurants, and has been promoted by Famous chefs (Michel Roux, Brian Turner, Antony Worrall Thompson and Anton Mosimann).
When game is shot, the birds are nearly all retrieved, and put in a refrigerator trailer. They are not thrown away, or buried to rot. They are handed out fairly around the shooters and the estate larder and nearly every one of them is eaten.
Gamebird chicks are reared in huge numbers in cramped conditions:
Grouse chicks are reared on the moor, completely in the wild, so it is not applicable to them. Pheasant eggs are first hatched in large incubators, and then moved, as like any young chicks, to an area where the chicks are near heat lamps and plentiful food. Chick aggressiveness is not uncommon, but is usually cure when they, as poults, are released to the keepers across the country, to be grown in rearing pens. Of course, some keepers choose to rear their own chicks, and this is obviously slower than the other method.
In conclusion, I believe Gameshooting is justifiable and indeed, needed in today’s Britain, to put another form of healthy food on the shelf (Indeed it has been proved Pheasant is an anti-depressant!) , and that game shooting is less cruel to the Gamebirds than an abattoir is too cows.
by Paul Kennard

Farm Pets and the 4H

Most kids growing up in the city do not know what the 4H Club is all about and most all kids who live in rural areas or in the country know all about the 4H Club. Teaching kids and teens the values necessary to live a good life is very important. The 4H Club teaches responsibility, integrity and real life skills in caring for animals.
Raising an animal to compete in the County or State Fair is a big deal to 4H Members who consistently turn out prize winning animals year after year. If you have kids or teens and you do not know much about the 4H Club then perhaps you should learn and help your children get grounded in the realities of life and responsibility.
Not every kid is able to learn the importance or responsibility of growing up on a farm, sometimes if you live near a rural area you kids can also become involved and learn these old fashion values that helped to build our nation. Our ancestors did not build the great country through poor work ethic or excuses. They did whatever it took to keep going; they did not have a choice.
Instilling this level of hard-work ethic and dedication in your children at an early age can help them grow up to be the kind of adults that you want them to be. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.
by Lance Winslow

5 Simple Steps on How to Build a Backyard Chicken Coop

As you probably know, a chicken coop is an essential part of raising backyard chickens. It will provide your flock with warm shelter and a safe place to eat and sleep. However, not many of us want to invest in a pre-made chicken coop for many reasons such as: inflated cost and the hassle of delivery or bringing it home. Therefore, I have written this article to help you build a backyard chicken coop fast and easy. If you follow these 5 easy steps, you will be able to construct a strong and durable backyard chicken coop that will provide excellent shelter for your chickens and keep them safe from predators.
Step 1: Plan Ahead of Time.
If you want to build a backyard chicken coop with the least amounts of setbacks, you must PLAN ahead of time. Some things to think about before beginning your construction are: How many chickens will inhabit the coop?, What size are the chickens, large standards or bantams? How many nests will you provide the hens with? How many feeders and waterers will you have available? How many windows will your chicken coop require to give enough sunlight to your flock? Will you be constructing a chicken run with easy access into and out of the coop? You see, there are various questions that need to be answered before you build a backyard chicken coop because you may find out too late that the coop you built was not sufficient enough to keep your chickens happy and safe.
Step 2: Choose your Terrain.
Once you have answered all your pre-building questions, the next step is to choose a terrain where you will build a backyard chicken coop in. It is very important that you choose an area that is wide enough for your coop to fit with plenty of space around it for a chicken run or for you to maneuver around. You do not want to build a coop where you do not have easy access around its perimeter. Try to choose a terrain where it receives direct sunlight and far from heavy bushes or weeds where snakes, rodents, and other predators may reside in.
Step 3: Sketch out your Design on Paper.
When attempting to build a backyard chicken coop, do not go at it with a concept in your head. This can lead to disaster. Make sure you sketch out your coop on paper, even if you're not an artist, and cover every angle including a top view of the roof and a sketch of the inside. If this is your first time building a backyard chicken coop, you shouldn't go for an architectural masterpiece, but rather start out with a simple chicken coop first just big enough for your flock and as you gain experience, then go for something of a greater scale.
Step 4: Gather all your Materials.
Before you build a backyard chicken coop, make an effort to collect all the materials you will need so that you won't have to take unexpected trips to and from the hardware or lumber store. A good example of materials you will need are: wood (2 x 4), concrete cinder blocks, chicken wire or fence wire, insulation strips, and ofcourse nails, screws, saw and hammer. While these are your most common materials, only you will know exactly what you need when you complete steps 1 and 3 and actually plan ahead of time and sketch out your coop design from every angle.
Step 5: Build it.
It is now time to build a backyard chicken coop. You have done all your planning ahead of time. You have chosen a terrain convenient to maneuver around with excellent sunlight and free from predators. You have sketched out your chicken coop design on paper and you have gathered all your materials. Now all you have to do is put it together.
Some things to remember: Provide plenty of ventilation through screened windows, bury your outside chicken wire along the coop's borders about a foot deep to prevent predators from digging in, and if you live in cold climates, make sure to properly insulate the roof and insides of the coop.
I hope these 5 steps will help you build a backyard chicken coop with greater ease and success. However, these are only a few guidelines and there is so much more information you should learn before you actually build a backyard chicken coop.
by Dale Higgins

How to Build a Chicken Coop - 6 Crucial Elements on Building a Chicken House

When building a chicken coop, it is suggested that you follow the guidelines below for a successful endeavor.
Element #1. - Appearance and Design:
Sketch out your design on a sheet of paper before you do anything else. Think of the colors you will paint the roof and chicken coop walls. Always keep in mind that if your chicken coop is clearly visible to your neighbors, (unless you live in a farm it will most likely be visible to your entire neighborhood,) it shouldn't ever serve as a distraction or defacement of its utmost surroundings. So make sure to design an aesthetically looking chicken coop so that your neighbors do not complain of its detracting appearance. Once finished, always remember to remove and dispose of any types of garbage or weeds from around your chicken coop. Try to maintain an appealing landscape around it to enhance its overall appearance.
Element #2. - Using Sound Judgment:
When designing your chicken coop structure, you must use sound judgment in almost every aspect of the way.
For instance, you want to use building materials in which the cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be quick and easy. The doors you install should open inwards, not outwards. You don't want your chickens roosting on your windows, so it is best to install sliding windows.
A question many people ask is how to build a chicken coop who's floors are easy to hose and spray down without much puddling? Well the secret to that is to slightly slope the flooring toward the door. This way, when you spray out the chicken coop, the water will flow out, hence solving your puddling problem.
Element # 3. - Protection from Hazardous Elements:
So you want to learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum protection? Then listen up.
As you may know, a well built chicken coop will protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as bad weather (heavy rain, wind, hale, snow, cold climates, etc,) but they will also protect them from hungry predators, theft and injury.
So how do we accomplish that?
Easy. You want to build a draft free chicken house with windows and doors that can be opened and closed as needed. Make sure the windows and doors both have proper screening systems installed in them such as a heavy gage mesh wire. Building the chicken coop on a high yet well drained area with ensure the least amount of dampness of the coop. Be sure to build your chicken coop in an area that faces the sun which will help warm and dry the soil and coop itself after it rains.
To protect your chickens from predators, the best thing to do is to bury your outside runs with chicken wire all around the coop about 1 foot deep. This will prevent some very hungry predators such as raccoons, cats and even dogs from digging underneath it.
Strategy # 4. - Coop Ventilation:
You may be wondering how to build a chicken coop that will not only keep your chickens locked up and protected from bad weather and predators yet receive the proper ventilation it requires. If so, then you already understand the importance of draft free air movement from within the coop. Chickens, much like humans, need fresh air and oxygen. The same goes for the removal of unwanted excessive moisture and carbon dioxide. A chicken coop with ample air movement and proper ventilation will help remove the ammonia build up and dampness that may grow inside its walls.
Speaking of walls, the chicken coop walls should have proper insulation installed which will help keep the chickens dry. As long as chickens are dry, they can handle cold climates very well, but humidity plus cold weather will cause health issues for your poultry. Therefore, insulated walls are a must!
Strategy # 5. - Light Source:
If you want a good source of light and warmth for your chickens during the cold months of the year and a solid source of ventilation during the hot months, then be sure to install the chicken coop windows facing the southside where they will receive direct sunlight throughout the day.
On another note, if your goal is to raise chickens that will produce great eggs all year round, then you should look into an electrical source of light. You should be able to easily install an electrical light at the height of the chicken coop's ceiling which will help keep your chickens warm and help them lay better chicken eggs throughout the year. One ceiling light should be enough for a small scale chicken coop, for larger chicken coops though, try to install one electrical ceiling light per every 30 - 40 feet.
Strategy # 6. - Conveniently placed Wateres and Chicken Feeders:
Chicken feeders and waterers should be placed where your flock will have easy access to them. However, you have to becareful where you place them because chickens like to make a mess of everything they eat due to their chicken scratching instincts. I'm sure you don't want to see your chicken feed mix all over the coop floors so, to avoid this, place the chicken feeders at the height of the chicken's back. This way they will have to stretch their necks up to eat but won't reach the feeders with their feet. Same goes for the waterers. Just make sure to keep the waterers full of fresh clean water throughout the day.
There you have it folks. 6 quick and easy strategies that will show you how to build a chicken coop fast and efficiently. Whether you're building a large scale chicken coop or a small one, these tips should get you moving in the right direction.
Folks, did you know that the average american spends about $300 to build a chicken coop? Some even invest over 2 months of work trying to assemble the darn structure and in the end aren't even fully contempt with their product. Not very enticing is it? A great chicken coop plan can cut your time and efforts in half while saving you a vast amount money on building materials. To learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum benefits for your flock without investing a magnitude of your time and money , click here: how to build a chicken coop.
by Dale Higgins

Moveable Chicken Coops - A Chicken House on Wheels

So... you've decided to take on the fun filled hobby of backyard chicken raising?
Excellent!I'm sure by now you've bought a batch of baby chickens from your local pet store or expo center and brought them into your home with joy and excitement. Everyday you've fed them and played with them and enjoyed just watching them chirp and make a mess of themselves. For weeks you've sat there and watched them grow, but now you've realized that they are just too big to have inside your house in those empty milk cartons or fish aquariums that you were using to keep them in. You've figured it is time to build a chicken coop and I couldn't agree more.
The problem is...You have a mesmerizingly, fully landscaped backyard in which you've poured in every last drop of sweat to grow and maintain and the last thing you want to do now is destroy your lawn by permanently building a chicken coop that will tarnish the aesthetics of your home and garden. At the same time, your small flock of chickens are growing and becoming way too large to keep indoors and since you've become quite attached to the little chicks by now, it would be much too painful to give them away. Well, the answer to your problems is quite simple...what you need is a Moveable Chicken Coop.
The Moveable Chicken Coop Moveable chicken coops are like chicken coops on wheels. Literally. Though not so popular amongst the hardcore chicken breeders of the world which tend to build chicken coops of a large scale for hundreds of poultry and heavy egg layers, the moveable chicken coop was an invention my father created after a major storm, with hurricane like winds, hit our small town. After the storm knocked down some of our coconut trees and demolished most of our plants and livestock, my father needed to move the chicken coop to other parts of the yard in order to clean up the mess. Since it was an almost impossible task to actually lift up the coop with all its weight and relocate it elsewhere, my father came up with the genius idea of installing wheels to the bottom of the chicken coop so that it would be easily rolled to any destination in our yard. This idea was such a success in our everyday chicken raising lifestyle that from that moment on, every chicken coop we ever built was a moveable chicken coop.
Moveable Chicken Coop PerksWith moveable chicken coops, you will never have to worry about having a permanent structure in your backyard ever again. If you wish to keep your moveable chicken coop closer to your porch during the winter for easy access for feeding and cleaning, you can do so. If during the spring you would rather show off your beautiful sprouting garden to your friends and family without having your chicken coop in the way, tarnishing the beauty of your garden...no problem. Just simply roll your moveable chicken coop to another location in the yard where it's most fitting. Even if a major hurricane threatens your area, with a moveable chicken coop, you will easily be able to roll it to a safer position such as your garage if you have the space, or even inside your barn if you live in a farm house.
Wait!Don't go slapping a pair of wheels on your chicken coop and assume to crown champion at the next chicken coop drag race. An efficient moveable chicken coop is designed with utmost care and planning. Learn how you can construct a well crafted moveable chicken coop here: how to build a moveable chicken coop.
by Dale Higgins

Pygmy Goats as Pets

You cannot, not love, a pygmy goat. These highly intelligent beings appeal to all the biological imperatives that make babies and Webster beloved by all--despite their generally appalling behavior, excessive drinking and propensity to dirty diapers--well, Webster could be trained to change his own diapers, I guess, if it weren't for the excessive drinking. Pygmy goats have the out-sized head and feet, stumpy bodies and incalculable cuteness that flips our inner switches into "protect the baby" mode.
Its reward enough to simply sit, for hours, with a pygmy goat in your lap and stare into their eyes while they regurgitate the ingesta from their rumen and ruminate on it. Sheep and goats produce 10-15 liters of saliva per day to assist in the digestive process; along with 5-10 liters of belched gas an hour. You laugh, but compare this to a cow--these excessively larger animals produce over 100 liters of saliva per day. The lovability spit limit is about 50 liters of saliva per day. Less than this and an animal is cuddly, more than fifty and an animal simply becomes too special to be hugged for extended periods. This saliva limit essentially divides the animal kingdom into pets and table gravy.
Still, these statistical invariants do define the limit of the pygmy's inherent pet-ness. They consume prodigious quantities of cellulose to drive this belching, spitting engine at maximum efficiency and, somehow, the results of this digestion must come flying out somewhere. Imagine. Just don't imagine the pygmy goat taking up residence next to you on the couch.
Fortunately their pellets are quite small and quite hard; little round objects that are easily swept off the back deck; not so easily plucked from the shag carpet. They cannot be housetrained because they are proud animals and proud of their output. Dogs will kick grass over their effluent and run away, goats will sleep on it. In fact, male goats urinate on themselves during the mating season as the smell drives the ladies crazy--in a good way.
Also, keep in mind that pygmy goats are prey animals; dogs and cats are predators. This distinction drives much of the goat's behavior. Goats are Zen-like in their calm alertness, but stoic and controlled in their responses. Their tails wag when they're happy, like dogs, but once they've signaled happiness they return to that state of quiet observation that defines much of their being. They don't keep wagging the stupid tail for hours on end, constantly demanding that the whole world know they're the happiest thing ever in the history of happiness and if you're not quite as happy as they are because you don't have a real job and your car needs new tires that you can't really afford, well, they just don't care. And the damn tail just keeps wagging even when you try to catch it under the rocking chair or stomp on it with your foot. Soooo.
Because goats are prey animals they always try to hide their feelings. Even when you love them so much it hurts and you just want to make a connection, any connection, but they just stare back at you. This prey psychology means that they will not tell you they're sick until its almost too late. A goat that acts sick is on death's door. If you're not really experienced, get them to the vet immediately because you only have a few hours before this beloved pet, who just won't share their emotions or acknowledge the depth of your feelings, is going to die any minute. Why are you waiting, get the car keys, grab the goat, run for the door, but know; it's already too late. You tried, but you'll always have that nagging doubt, did you try hard enough--just like your last marriage. You know it was her fault, but was it really?
Anyway, enjoy your pet. Pygmy goats, like babies, are wonderful.
Steven Grant is the co-author of Meet the Goat Kids and The Goat Kids Explore the Woods. After 25 years of comparatively successful work as a Fortune 500 corporate executive he is now making his living as a writer. "Living" being loosely defined as using up your savings while waiting for the application at 7/11 to be approved. A night job at 7/11 could provide a chance to establish a broad network of potentially lucrative future contacts amongst the working poor, many hours of zero activity (after carefully re-stacking the spoiled food among the unspoiled food) within which to write, perchance to dream, and next month's rent. Please visit our website at http://www.goatkids.net/ and buy something or those incredibly cute pygmy goats are going to be schmoo pancakes once we run out of feed. Or visit the website and read something so compelling that you just have to sign me on to do your next screenplay or ghost write your next novel. After all you now have more money than time, just like I used to have, and dammit you know you'd like to stamp your imprimature on the arc of history.
by Steven Grant

Multiple Uses Of Goat

Goats are truly useful both when they are alive and even after death, offering meat and milk as the skin offering hide. A charity is involved in providing goats to poor people in Africa. The main advantage was that goats are easy to manage than cattle and have multiple uses.
Meat
The goat meat is called chevon, which is similar to that of lamb meat. However some believe that it has a similar taste to veal or venison, it just depends on the age and condition of goat. It could further be prepared in a variety of ways with stewed, baked, grilled, barbecued, minced, canned, or even prepared into sausage. Goat jerky is another well-liked variety. In India, the rice=preparation of Biryani uses goat meat to produce rich taste in rice. In terms of nutrition, it is lower in fat and cholesterol. It carries more minerals and lowers the total saturated fats than any other meat.
Other parts of the goat including organs are actually evenly edible. Special delicacies comprise the brain and liver. The head and legs of the goat are smoked and used to make exclusive spicy dishes and soup.
Milk and cheese
Goats' milk is more easily digested by humans and is mostly recommended for infants and people who face difficulty with cows' milk. The cured prepared with goats milk is much smaller and more digestible. Moreover it is in nature homogenized as it lacks the protein agglutinin.
Goat's milk when handled properly, from clean and healthy goats, in a best sanitary manner and cooled as soon as possible, the flavor is unremarkable and inoffensive. Further, it is required to separate the strong smelling buck from the dairy does, as his scent would rub off on them and would taint the milk. Goats' milk is then used to make well-liked cheeses such as Rocamadour and feta; anyhow it could be used to make other kinds of cheese.
Fiber
Cashmere goats produce best fiber, Cashmere wool is one of the best in the world. Cashmere fiber is extremely fine and soft, and grows under the guard hairs. Cashmere goat has been particularly bred to create a much higher amount of it with fewer guard hairs.
The Angora breed produces lengthy, curling, shiny locks of mohair. The locks continually grow and could be four inches or even more in length. Goats do not have to be slaying to crop the wool that is instead sheared in the case of Angora goats, or combed, in the case of Cashmere goats.
In South Asia, Cashmere is known as pashmina (Persian pashmina = fine wool) and these goats are known as pashmina goats. Since these goats in fact belong to the upper Kashmir and Laddakh region, their wool came to be called as cashmere in the West. The pashmina shawls of Kashmir with their complex embroidery are very famous.
Skin
Goat skin used today to create gloves, boots, and other products, which require a soft hide. Kid gloves are trendy in Victorian times, and are still made today. The Black Bengal breed, local to Bangladesh, offers high-quality skin. The skin also used in Indonesia as rugs and local instrumental drum skin named bedug.
Other parts of the goat are also evenly useful. For instance, the intestine is used to create catgut that is still the favored material for internal human sutures. The horn of the goat that signifies wellbeing (Cornucopia) in too used to make spoons etc.
by Tamil Selvi

Losing a Horse

No, I don't mean lost in a pasture or stolen in the night, although those are bad things too. I mean passed on from this world, no longer here on the planet. If you like horses enough to spend a bunch of time with them, then chances are, at some point, you might have to deal with losing a horse too. A lot of riders start out with older horses. Some older horses are the best teachers of all.
Here is part of the process that can happen:
Step 1: Make extremely good friends with a horse that you take lessons on or lease or own. Spend countless hours over several years caring for them, feeding them, riding them, admiring their strength and beauty and wisdom.
Step 2: Get the phone call that they colicked severely while you were out of town and had to be put to sleep.
Step 3: Arrive to the barn the next day knowing that there will be no whinnying and nickering as you approach. Your friend is not there. You walk down the barn aisle needing to see the empty stall for yourself to believe that it is true. Today, there’s no buckets to fill, no stall to tidy, no coat and tail to groom, no hooves to pick, no hungry mouth to feed, no idle legs to exercise, no soft nose to breathe on your shoulder, saying, "Hey, hi." The stall is empty and quiet. There is nothing more to do here.
Step 4: Experience many days, if not weeks, of loss and emptiness, sometimes as if someone kicked you in the stomach -- or the heart. Your mind rolls backwards to try to find the memories, the pictures, the mementos of the good times, but you can't think properly. Eventually, the pain will ease up, but nothing replaces the huge whole in your heart. You have lost a horse friend.
So, what can you do? Well, first of all, cherish the horses in your life while they are there. Take that photo, buy that halter or saddle pad you want them to wear, go to that schooling show or trail ride you wanted to try but were a little scared to, spend that extra time grooming or just staring at them. Enjoy them while they are there.
But what to do afterwards? No other horses are exactly the same. You cannot replace a lost horse, or dog, or person. But you can still have other horses in your life. Talk to other people who have lost horses, even if it is hard. Honor the horse you have lost. Maybe frame a nice picture of the horse and keep it near by. Remember or write down all that you learned and went through with this horse and thank the horse for his time. Keep something that belonged to the horse - maybe a horseshoe, a show ribbon, a lock of hair, something from the tack room. Remember that although the horse is gone from this world, part of them is still with you.
Visit other horses when you are ready. Find another horse you can ride. If you are still not ready, then visit the web sites on the Internet for grieving horse owners. Search on Horse Loss Support to get started. This might not have been a horse that you owned, but if you loved them and spent lots of time with them, it is the same thing. A part of them was yours.
How long do horses live? Well, that can vary just like anything else. Horses kept in good conditions with good medical and dental care and regular exercise and no other health issues seem to be living longer and longer. Most seem to live into their mid-20's and many make it to 30 and over. Colic and further complications can often be the final decision-maker about when it's time. No one can predict when it will be time.
by Jennifer Allbright

Selecting a House Cow

Selecting a house cow is usually a pretty personal preference. Some people want a lot of milk, so they would be looking at something like a Friesian. They give quite a lot, often more watery than creamy. Although having said that individual cows give different types of milk Me, I always liked a Jersey. Only the one bucket of milk with a very good cream content. Enough to make my own butter, have some buttermilk to use for cooking and good rich milk for the children to drink. Also had enough cream to make pure cream icecream. Kept the neighbours in milk as well. Any left over went to the pig. A housecow is a very good investment. She will give you all the milk, butter, cream you want plus she can raise a calf for meat at the same time.
Regardless of what cow you are going to buy, there are certain attributes that are the best "buys". A good straight back, the saying is a square looking cow. However, you need to think of a rectangle more than a square with four feet. The udder is very important. After all, this is what you are buying. Preferably square (that word again) meaning it hangs evenly. Four teats, I know you are saying like right they all have four teats. Not so! Some have extra teats on the udder, not that they work, but they do get in the way sometimes of milking.
The next thing to consider is who is going to be doing the milking. If it is a man, then he will normally prefer a cow with good size teats as most men have larger hands. That means a bigger cow usually than a jersey as they usually have little teats. I have small hands, so the jersey suits me down to the ground whereas the others I have trouble getting my hands around. We had an AIS (Australian Illawarra Shorthorn) that we named Dolly after the singer. She was generously endowed and had teats like toilet rolls. She could feed her own calf and two others. Now that was a lot of milk!
Now the way not to do things!
When we first started out, I enlisted the aid of an old cocky (farmer). He was a Friesan man through and through and couldn't understand why I wanted to buy "that jersey". She was quiet and would just stand there to be milked. This was true, just not in a shed. Put a bucket of dairymeal in front of her and you could milk her anywhere in a paddock. Not great on rainy days! He wanted us to put the calf up for auction at the end of the sale. I asked how old the calf was and he said about a day. My mother's instinct came to the fore. After giving birth, she was to lose her calf? No fear! We took cow and calf. This was a blessing because if you didn't want to milk you could leave her with her calf and you didn't have to worry. Good if you wanted to go away for a couple of days.
However, it was our first cow and the only ones I had seen were at the Royal Show in Sydney. They wore halters and were led around. So I gave Vic a headcollar and told him to put it on. He came back saying he didn't think she wanted it on as she had tossed her head and him at least three times. She never wore a headstall.
Okay, lets get serious again!
Now as she had only just calved we need to leave her so that the sting went out of the milk. In our area they called this beestings. This can take about 5-7 days.
After that you can start milking your cow. Some come broken in to a head bale, some are not. All our cows used to just stand there munching their dairymeal. We didn't leg rope them either. Some people tie the leg on the side you are milking back. We have had various cows and all of them have their own little habits. Quite a few would only milk on one side. After being threatened with a kick, I would try the other side to find that suited the cow. One we tied around the neck to start her, as she wasn't broken in to milk. We didn't have a bale, so we just tied her up and started milking. She messed up sometimes and put her foot in the bucket of milk but after awhile, she would keep it back. I always felt that it was better to lose a few buckets of milk than leg rope her. Interestingly enough, when we were doing some riding camps, a little lass offered to milk her for me. She was an experienced milker as they had their own cow. I said okay. Next she came back to say that Delilah (we called her that because she was so beautiful) kept putting her back leg up and moving her hands away from the udder. It wasn't me, so no one else was going to get her milk!
They are all characters and like all animals each an individual with certain preferences.
Happy milking!
by Rose Rushton

Small Scale Farming May Be Courting An Indefinite Sun Set

Samoe has decided to leave crop cultivation for good! Once bitten, twice shy. He has been bitten many times. He has now decided that he was going to become a small scale cattle farmer. He had fenced their family farm, exhausting his savings. So he could not immediately start rearing cattle. He decided to try a hand in writing, an occupation that was familiar to him. Samoe is just among many young people abandoning small scale cultivation to try their hands in other things. Many factors are driving people away from their farms. Small scale farming is no longer a viable occupation and farmers in the third world do not have the resources to venture into high-tech and mechanized large scale farming. Small scale farmers now need support than ever before, if it is to become an attractive occupation and support the exploding population.
As many countries in the third world, especially Africa emerged from colonialism, many young people went to school to be able to get a white collar job and join the elite club that was emerging immediately after independence. And this was true for some time until the job market became saturated and industrialization stalled. One would think that since industrialization had stalled, agriculture was going to be the only alternative, but NO!
Agriculture in most of the third world countries is an economic sector that lack incentives. While countries in Europe and North America benefit from subsides and support in case of crop failure due to natural factors beyond control of the farmer, no visible support is forthcoming in third world countries. This leaves agriculture as a fragile occupation, especially with global warming phenomena. Heavy rains have come pounding for as long as 6 months, at a time which is supposed to be characterized by short and light rains , and sometimes rains are not forthcoming when it is expected. Samoei had planted onions in 1998 but heavy rains made weeding to be a nightmare, and he had planted beans towards the end of the rains but were scotched by the sun towards flowering. He had also tried planting tomatoes for several years later but had been completely destroyed by rains that went on pouring hard so long as the tomatoes were still alive, and stopping immediately the plants had completely rotten. After having used all the scarce funds trying to spray the tomatoes, Samoe's shoes had become worn out completely. As if that was not enough, he had remained with a completely tattered trouser and one fairer one. A curse indeed! When Samoe felt into the same misfortune this year, he decided packing to leave farming to become a scribe, the only visible occupation after a contract he had been given in a college came to an abrupt end, yet it was supposed to mature into a department.
Even if jobs are not forthcoming, small scale crop cultivation is not going to be the only saviour. Young people in the third world are trying creative arts and the information technology sector. They are singing, acting, reparing computers and running computer cyber cafes. And still some are joining the relatively new, mysterious and fragile multilevel marketing which in most cases deals in drug products and promises fourthnight riches. At least some young people are succeeding in entrepreneurship. And a question is inevitable. Who will continue courting peasant farming yet it is apparently ugly? Perhaps it may blossom to become Mrs. Earth Beauty. I doubt!
Apart from unfriendly climatic changes, crop farming is competing for attention with other sectors of the economy and it is loosing. While few organizations may consider funding agriculture, land title deeds requirement may become a hindrance since young people who may want to try farming do not have. Most parents do not entertain the idea of loans. And due to many prohibiting factors, it becomes hard to confidently write an agricultural business plan to be given to a funding institution that may have reluctantly listened. Even if agricultural extension officers turn to become inspirational and motivational speakers, trying to tell people that farming is profitable, experience says otherwise. Perhaps small scale farming may be courting an indefinite sunset.
by Samwel Kipsang

Millions of Wild Mustang Horses For $125!

Once upon a time there were millions of wild mustang horses roaming the Western plains. Today there are fewer than 50,000 wild horses roaming. Despite government regulations designed to protect them, due to limited resources, their numbers continue to decline.
In 1971 the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act was passed by Congress to preserve wild mustangs, but it has had little effect. Despite the fact that these horses have survived through hundreds of years of harsh winter, having a very high birth rate, and few natural predators, their numbers continue to decline.
Unfortunately, the numbers grew too fast for the land to support them. There is only so much government land to support these horses and that is why, at certain times surplus animals are rounded up and adopted. The cost to adopt a wild mustang horse is $125 at a government auction.
Sadly up to 25% of these mustangs never find homes and are put in government sanctuaries in Kansas and Oklahoma. Only after not being adopted through five rounds of auctions, they are put in government sanctuaries. These government sanctuaries are full of older horses and are often overcrowded due to limited resources.
Fortunately there is at least one private sanctuary that is capable of caring for surplus horses. It is located in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and called Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. It is now home to over 400 wild horses.
It is very expensive running this private sanctuary every year. Some money is brought in by tourists, numbering 11,000 every year. Another way they keep the costs low is with the help of dozens of volunteers, and the sales of colts.
An American icon, the Wild Mustang horse is starting to go away, but thanks to some private sanctuaries, and volunteers, many of there horses are finding homes. There are many ways for you to help preserve these horses, the first step is educating yourself about the problem.
by Chris Suckow

More about Goat and Sheep

Goat is one of the smallest domesticated ruminants that have served the mankind former and longer than the cattle and sheep. It is controlled for the production of milk, meat, wool and may other products, particularly in arid, semitropical or mountainous countries. In temperate zones, goats are kept frequently rather as additional animals by petite holders, while commercially cows or buffaloes are especially kept for milk, cheese and other meat products, and sheep for wool and meat production. Nonetheless, there are more than 465 million goats worldwide currently producing more than 4.6 million tons of milk and 1.3 million tons of meat as well mohair, cashmere, leather and also dung; and more people drink milk and milk products from goats all-inclusive than from any other animal.
Goats could love on bushes, trees, desert scrub and other aromatic herbs when sheep and cattle would starve to death. Goat herders frequently have deserted a balanced numerical stability among goat numbers and sparse vegetation. Over-grazing has smashed many tree and the woodland areas that were blamed then on goats other than man, and this has caused extensive ecological and political worries, erosion, desertification and as well ban on freely grazing goats in some of the world famous areas.
Swiss goat breeds are the world's selected for milk production. Indian and Nubian resulting goat breeds are dual-purpose meat and for milk producers. Spanish and South African goats are top recognized for meat producing ability. The Turkish Angora, Asian Cashmere and the Russian Don goats are reserved for mohair and cashmere wool production. In addition, there are Pygmy goats from Western Africa of growing interest as laboratory and pet animals.
Goat milk casein and goat milk fat are more simply digested than from any cow milk. Goat milk is appreciated for the elderly, ill, babies, children with cow milk allergies, patients with ulcers, and as well favored for raising waifs and strays foals or puppies. Fat globules in goat milk are slighter than in cow milk and stay dispersed longer.
Breeds of goats differ from as little as 20 lb grown-up female body weight and 18 inches female shrivels for dwarf goats for purpose of meat production up to 250 lb and 43 inches shrivels height for Indian Jamnapari, Swiss Saanen, Alpine and Anglo Nubian for purpose of milk production. Some Jamnapari males might be as tall as 40 and above inches at shrivels. Angora goats weigh may be among 70 to 100 lb for grown-up females and are about 25 inches tall. Birth weights of female singles are among 3 and 9 lb; twins being frequently a pound lighter and males 1/2 lb heavier.
by Asai Thambi

Teach Your Goat to Lead

Every animals need to at least learn to walk on a lead. It’s much easier to mover individual animals from one paddock to another, if it walks silently – not fighting you every step of the way. It’s better to put an animal on a trailer or truck when you sell it if you’re not pulling and jerking, or worse lifting and carrying it. In case, your animal requires medical attention, your vet would greatly appreciate having a well-trained goat to treat.
Once the goat learns definitely we are not going to torture it again and again. You can put a lead on the goat’s neck and tie it to a fence or gate. Remember never, ever leave your tied goat unattended; this could lead your goat with broken neck. While tied, you need to brush them, make them familiar to being handled. Further do rub your hands on their backs, up and down legs, and give them a good feel by tickling their bellies. You could also gently rub the neck the shoulders; this has a very cheering effect on the goat.
For smaller goat, you can put two pans of food on the ground about 30 feet apart. Walk up to the goat to the first pan of food. Just allow him to eat for couple of seconds and then take the food away and walk the goat to second pan. Repeat the same trip for few times, after that take a longer route from one pan to another. The advantage of this process is not to force the goat to go among the pans but to get them to want the reward. And through this process they learn how to walk.
When the training is over for the show and after the goat has mastered the art of walking, you can walk several yards then stop the goat and “set it up” so that it is standing “square”. Through this you make you goat familiar to have others check their bite or inspect udders. Another technique is to put a long leash or rope on the goat permitting it to run from you with and you following. This is somewhat easier than dragging your goat behind you if you could keep up with the goat. Once the goat get used to you tagging along behind, slowly shorten the lead until the goat walks next to you.
Yet another technique is to use a big trained goat and let it be a trainer to a smaller one to lead by attaching the two together. To us, this is the anyhow a least effective method of training. If you try this technique, don’t never leave your goat alone while tethered; they would get into all sorts of problem that may lead to injury or death. Once your goat is broken to lead, it does not forget. Teach them when they are young, and hold them when they are old.
by Asai Thambi

Take Your Goat's Temperature

Sometimes your goat may not behave normally, in such cases the first thing you need to do is to take its temperature as that is the first thing your vet may ask you when you call for a treatment. Even if your goat is not running of a high or low temperature, this would give a clue to your vet as to what the actual problem could be. The normal temperature of a Boer Goat is 101°F to 103°F in the winter, spring, and even during fall. It is usual that your goat may have been basking in the hot sun all day and having 104°F temperature, anyhow it needs to drop rapidly once the goat gets out of the sunlight.
Taking a goat’s temperature is same as taking a temperature of human baby body. You can use both digital and traditional glass thermometers, which may range from $3 to $6. The glass thermometers have a comfort loop in the external end for attaching a string. You need to be careful while using it because it has more chances of breaking it. For baby Boer goats, the most comfortable position is to just lay them across your lap. Do not force the thermometer into a goat, it need to slide easily when lubricated. Lubricating the probe end with oil or petroleum jelly would help ease insertion into the rectum. The position of thermometer needs to be inserted to half its length and hold it in the place for a minimum of two minutes. Digital thermometers would give you an alarm when it is through.
For larger kids, it’s good to have somebody else holding the Boer goat in a standing or reclined position as you can take its temperature. For adult Boer goats, particularly ones those are not very tame, it might be easier to secure them with a lead or collar and rope to a gatepost, you might even need somebody’s help to steady them until you insert the thermometer and obtain its reading. If in case your Boer goat’s temperature is very high, your vet might prescribe the injectable product Banamine to lessen the fever and pain. For baby Boer goats it is best to crush baby aspirin into a powder and mix with a little amount of water. This helps to lessen the choking factor of a dry pill. Its one best thing to fight with a high temperature, but it’s essential that you find out the reason for fever. A familiar cause of very high temperatures is respiratory infections (sometimes pneumonia). If you desire to save your goat, you need to treat both the temperature and the infection. Some antibiotics are very much accessible across-the-counter’s goat supply stores - the most frequently used products are oxytetracyline and penicillin. Some causes of infection need to be treated with more costly prescription antibiotics such as Nuflor or Naxel. It’s best to ask your vet for the right product and amount of dosage rather than just to experiment with over-the-counter products. We cannot complete this article without mentioning two more things about goat’s temperature. First is that the high fevers lead to dehydration. It’s significant to manage electrolytes to keep the goat hydrated. Second, a Boer goat kid with high fever need to be taken off milk until the fever is cure, till then keeps your goat hydrated with electrolytes. Electrolytes are significant for organ and muscle function, blood flow, and the removal of fluid waste.
Caution
A thermometer needs to be cleaned properly with an alcohol wipe after each use and secured it in its case. Do not use a dirty thermometer - even if several goats look to be suffering from the same sort of problem. Don’t make the error of inserting an unclean rectal thermometer into a doe’s vagina. Thermometers need to be stored at room temperature. Glass thermometers should to be "shaken down" before and after each use. Digital thermometers need to be rearranged according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
by Asai Thambi

Importance Of Mineral Supplements For Cattles

We have to protect animals that provide us with a living and provide the world with a safe, high quality food supply. They require a number of dietary mineral elements for normal bodily maintenance, growth, and reproduction. These requirements are based on the type, weight and age, as well as the rate of performance expected of the animal.
Mineral imbalances and/or deficiencies can result in decreased performance, decreased disease resistance and reproductive failure which results in significant economic losses. Mineral supplements are not uniformly palatable. Other than dry matter intakes, daily water consumption and satisfying salt intakes, cattle have no known inherent ability to satisfy daily intakes of other nutrients including minerals.
Selecting the correct mineral supplement is important for maintaining healthy animals, and optimal growth and reproduction. Since high-quality forages and/or grains can furnish a large portion of the required minerals, producers should select supplements that will meet animal requirements and avoid excesses that reduce profits and lead to unnecessary mineral excretion.
Minerals essential to cattle nutrition are classified as macrominerals or microminerals, depending on whether they are found at levels greater than or less than 100 parts per million (ppm) in the animal’s body.
The macrominerals required by beef cattle include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine and sulfur. There are 10 microminerals required by beef cattle. Seven of the 10 microminerals have established requirements and include iron, manganese, copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt and iodine. The microminerals chromium, molybdenum and nickel do not have an established requirement and are not normally added to mineral mixes fed to beef cattle.
by Indu Nair

Fact About Raising Goats

Goats should be given many acres for roaming purpose in order to stay disease-free. Goats with restricted area will become unhealthy or may even die soon. You may not be successful in feedlot goats; they would not take stress and crowding. Unexpected problem would surely occur. Illnesses, climatic problems, broken fences, and these problems may occur at most inconvenient time as well, may be when you are totally exhausted. Do not breed for all markets it would generally results in failure, unless in case you have lots of acreages, cheap labor facility, and ton of money, you would not be able to produce quality breeding stock, show goats and slaughter animals. Each category is of specific kind and mutually exclusive for each other. If making the enormous dollar is your driving force, you are damned from the start. Focus on quality animals and sincere business dealings and the money would surely follow you.
Show goat and meat goats are two different type of animal. If in case you desire to raise meat goats, do not take any nutrition or management suggestion from show-goat people. Similarly do not try to make show goats into breeding stock or any commercial goats. If you find a deal which cheap bred does is in dead winter, then that deal is too good to be true. It is really tough to move them across the country under such conditions. Goats requite time to adapt themselves to new surroundings. You further need to use common sense when transporting and relocating them. Goats are delightful and very intelligent animals, but you need to remember they are not created to live inside the house with you. Forget the urbanite approach of raising goats. They prefer living outside and having a different social pecking order. A goat with big rumen should not necessarily be fat. A big rumen would have a good digestive factory. A goat is pot-bellied animals. Fat on a goat layers around internal organs and also forms "pones" or "handles", which you could grasp with your fingers at place like where the chest meets the front leg. If you could further pinch an inch of flesh at that particular point, the goat is likely fat.
Everybody should know that goats are not little cattle. Both goats and cattle are ruminants and that’s the only similarity between them. A male goat always desires to reproduce his species in general and his lineage in particular. A buck in rut is called as a dangerous animal. He would look cute only when you were bottle feeding him. You really need to be careful around and always esteem the danger potential of breeding bucks. Bred does would kid in the bad possible weather. When sunshine changes to storms and the heat drops below freezing, the kidding process would then begin. Goats are mostly creatures of habit. If you have a goat, which frequently hangs its horns in fencing, that goat would stick its head in the same place time after time unless and until you fit those horns with a PVC pipe secured by duct tape. Goats are group animals. More so than any other stock, goats rely upon living together for safety. They have few usual defenses and many predators. Their line need not be perpetuated. Sell off the best of breeding stock and eat the rest.
by Asai Thambi