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Flock expansion can be an exciting endeavor, especially when you are looking to add a new species or two. It can be a fun and challenging task to meet the needs of a multi-species flock of chickens. Here are a few tips and recommendations to consider if you plan to take your flock to the next level. There are three main areas of focus before caring for a multi-species flock: Coop Cleanliness Living Space Management Techniques Coop cleanliness Providing your multi-species flock with a clean home is of the utmost importance in preventing sickness. Keep the coop clean and dry,...

Flock expansion can be an exciting endeavor, especially when you are looking to add a new species or two. It can be a fun and challenging task to meet the needs of a multi-species flock of chickens. Here are a few tips and recommendations to consider if you plan to take your flock to the next level. There are three main areas of focus before caring for a multi-species flock: Coop Cleanliness Living Space Management Techniques Coop cleanliness Providing your multi-species flock with a clean home is of the utmost importance in preventing sickness. Keep the coop clean and dry,...

It’s easy to think about feeding mineral during breeding season. Some people also think about it before calving. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to forget about the needs of your herd during the rest of the year. Maybe it’s because other tasks are prioritized ahead of putting out mineral. You’ve got to get your bulls tested. Those heifers need to be synched for that expensive semen you bought. The calves need to get their first round of vaccinations. The cows need to be preg-checked. There is just one problem with that prioritization scheme. All four of those other tasks, along...

Although this years’ set of antlers are what they are, in the fall we start to build for the next set of antlers. We need to keep body condition up to help the buck get through rut in good condition and post-rut. We need to make sure the buck has a well-balanced diet to ensure repletion of bone mass, minerals for next summer’s antler growth, and body mass, as well as the amino acids needed to support antler growth next year. Mature white-tailed deer will sometimes go days during the rut without eating and can lose up to 30% of...

It seems we hear more and more about the danger of ticks every year and the havoc they wreak on humans and pets alike. Ticks are not insects. Having eight legs, they are arachnids, more closely related to scorpions and spiders than insects. Ticks are ectoparasites (parasites that live on the outside of its host) and live by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Lifecycle of a Tick Ticks have a four-stage lifecycle. They begin as eggs in a cool, moist environment. The eggs hatch into six-legged larva that congregate in groups around vegetation...