Swine Probiotics Improve Weight Gain, Reduce Manure

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest that feeding pigs a probiotic could mean less manure to manage.

Pig producers supplementing livestock feed with dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and other coproducts generated from biofuel production have found the hard-to-digest fiber increases the production of manure.

In their study, microbiologists at the ARS Agroecosystems Management Research Unit in Ames, Iowa, fed pigs either a typical diet or a high-fiber diet. The high-fiber diet contained 10 percent soybean hulls and 20 percent corn DDGS.

The pigs were also given bacterial supplements the scientists developed from different strains of Bacteroides ovatus, which had been obtained from human fecal samples and cultured in fiber-rich media.

Pigs that received the bacterial supplements reduced their manure output by 20 percent. These pigs also gained more weight and had improved blood cholesterol and glucose levels, both indications of an improved energy status, compared to pigs not given probiotics.

The probiotic could improve pig performance and reduce manure volumes, which in turn would increase producer profits and reduce the environmental footprint of pork production. Probiotics can be fed in a liquid supplement or possibly freeze-dried and mixed with feed.

Sources: Journal of Animal Science; Agricultural Research

Artwork: Image Number K9441-1
Probiotics and Prebiotics for Pigs
Animal Husbandry and Livestock Books
Farm Supply
Feed & Hay

Keeping Cats Indoors

While many cat owners have heard that feline pets allowed to roam free outdoors are a threat to bird populations, there are more reasons to keep cats indoors than preventing bird kills. Disease, cars, and predators dramatically shorten the life of most outdoor cats. The lifespan of an outdoor cat is two to three years, whereas an indoor cat will average 12 to 15 years, and often live to 20 years.

Vaccinations don't protect against all the diseases of concern in outdoor cats, but they are just as likely to succumb to dogs, coyotes, cars, and parasites as they are to die from disease.

The idea that "keeping cats indoors stifles their nature" is not true. Indoor environments can be complex enough to provide the stimulation cats need with elements like cat trees, catnip sources, and toys.

As for the birds, feral and outdoor cats are responsible for hundreds of millions of birds kills every year in the United States, according to the American Bird Conservancy. Where populations are already dealing with wild predators, the devastation on the birds is often lessened because the birds may have natural defenses to protect themselves. Nevertheless, cats are a major predator that is often harmful to any bird population.

Many people think that placing a bell around the cat's neck will cause birds to disperse. The sound of a bell, however, does not trigger an alarm response in birds and often birds do not respond.

Source: Dr. Kenneth Welle, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
               
Artwork: Cat and Prey
Pet Supplies
Cat Furniture
Pet Toys
Catnip and Cat Grass

Broody Breeds

Rhode Island Red 

Not every hen is willing to be broody and hatch eggs. Broodiness means your hen wants to set on eggs for the next twenty-one days, until they hatch.

Because hens stop laying eggs when they are brooding, breeders have selected hens that don't get broody. Broodiness is a behavioral trait that doesn't appear in the show ring, so unless breeders want it, they may select against it.

Bantams are more likely to be broody than large fowl. It's a traditional trait that allows flocks to replenish themselves, so heritage breeds should be good broody hens. Heritage breeds that brood well include Ameraucana, Aseel, Barnevelder, Brahma, Buckeye, Chantecler, Cochin, Cornish, Cubalaya, Delaware, Dominique, Dorking, Dutch, Faverolle, Hollad, Japanese, Java, Jersey Giant, Kraienkoppe, Marans, Nankins, New Hampshire, Old English Games, Orloff, Orpington, Polish, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Silkies, Sussex, Welsummer, and Wyandotte.

All games are usually good brooders. Madagascar Games, also called Malgache, are reported to be willing to adopt chicks from other broods and of different ages. Males also sometimes adopt chicks.

adapted from 

The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens:

Chicken Breeds for Your Home Flock

by Christine Heinrichs

Artwork: Rhode Island Red
Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance
Living With Chickens

Frost Seeding

Livestock producers looking to renovate pastures should consider frost seeding, a low-cost method which increases yields and improves quality with little commercial nitrogen.

Frost seeding involves broadcasting a grass or legume seed over a pasture and letting the natural freeze/thaw cycles of late winter and early spring move the seed into good contact with the soil.

The best time to frost seed is usually from mid-February to the end of March.

Continued in... Frost Seeding

Home Grown
Farm Supply
Growth Spurts
Artwork: Spring Seeding

Farm and Garden Picks: Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs

From the large-tailed Karakul sheep to the floppy-eared Gloucestershire Old Spot pig, North America is home to an extraordinary array of livestock.

Storey’s Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle, and Pigs features full-color profiles of 163 livestock breeds. Whether you’re looking for a gentle domestic backyard animal or are hoping to introduce a rare heritage breed on your farm, you’re sure to find an animal that’s perfect for your needs.

If you need solid, up-to-date information on common domestic animals or you are hoping to introduce a rare heritage breed to your farm, this definitive guide has the information you need on the animals that interest you.

Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs
163 Breeds from Common to Rare
by Carol Ekarius
Storey Publishing, 2008

Animal Husbandry Books
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Farm Direct: Raising Meat Goats

Increased market opportunities have led many folks to consider raising meat goats, but many are unfamiliar with modern production techniques. And because the interest in meat goat production is new, there are few experienced goat producers in most areas to help newcomers in their desire to learn as much as possible.

In addition, importation of new breeds has stimulated a breeding industry which needs herds to produce purebred breeding stock as well as animals for exhibition.

The commercial goat meat industry is almost entirely ethnic, (Muslim, Hispanic). It is affected by the dates of various religious holidays shown below plus others. The dates for most holidays change from year to year. Islamic holidays change by 11 days each year.

Continued on the Tip Sheet: Raising Meat Goats

Farm Direct
Chevon
Artwork: Boer Goat

Controlling Varroa Mites in Bee Colonies

Varroa mites are a voracious threat to honey bees in some areas. If left untreated, they can build population levels that will destroy a populous colony.

"There is no chemical or management procedure that will completely eradicate this pest, so individual treatment regimes must be developed," writes James E. Tew in The Beekeeper’s Problem Solver. "One method is drone brood trapping. Drones require approximately 23 days to mature, while workers require just shy of 21 days. Apparently due to the longer development time, Varroa mites preferentially seek out developing drones. You can therefore use drone combs to attract mites away from other areas of the brood nest."

Once the comb is filled and the drone brood is mostly capped, it should be removed and placed in a freezer. Both drones and mites will be killed, and the comb can be reused.

During warm months, Tew suggests performing this eradication procedure about every 18–20 days.

Artwork: Beehive Kit
Animal Husbandry and Livestock Books
The Beekeeper's Problem Solver