Recovering Your Stable After a Flood

   There have been all too many news stories recently about flooding in several areas of the country. I don't have to tell you how bad this is for all those affected. But after the waters recede, it is time for people to work together to get their lives back as normal as they can, and generally as quickly and cost effectively as they can. This is certainly true when it comes to your horses and horse farm. These same steps to clean up apply to any ranch and stable, as well as with any other livestock and barns.
   The Horse provides the following:

   "Your arena is not meant to be a water obstacle. Your barn is not a kiddie pool. And your fences should be high enough to keep your horses contained, not lost under quickly rising water. But Mother Nature doesn’t always play by the rules, especially when it comes to flooding.

   You’ve survived a flood and have surveyed the damage, and now it’s time to clean up. The home is where many people begin. But horse farm owners have another task at hand: getting their facilities back to normal so horses have a safe and comfortable place to, once again, call home.

   After the waters subside, you’ll likely be stunned by the extent of damage—it’s not just water rising and falling around stationary objects. Flooding presents a unique set of problems. Flood water is laden with mud and debris that ranges in size from small, relatively harmless items to large, heavy objects such as vehicles. The water can carry debris for some distance throughout the affected area."

   Read the full article: After The Flood: Cleaning Your Horse Farm

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Should I Raise Ducks or Geese?

   In addition to raising chickens for eggs, both ducks and geese can be great alternatives or to just add to your flock as well. Both of these types of birds have specific differences as well as definite benefits in addition to the eggs, such as their ability to get rid of garden pests, weeds and even sound the alarm when unwanted visitors arrive! Goose eggs can actually be a bit more valuable too. Their differences in personailities are worth considering as well. So which one is right for your flock?
   Mother Earth News takes a look at ducks and geese:

  "I’ve kept poultry for most of my life and waterfowl have always been an important inclusion.  Our farm currently has both ducks and geese, and both species are serving the farm in their own unique ways with their own special attributes.

Eggs

Ducks are year round layers and are much more regular producers than chickens.  Their large eggs are prized for high nutritional content and are the equivalent to about two chicken eggs.  Creamy, rich, and delicious, duck eggs are great for baking.  A female duck will lay consistently throughout the winter months when hens typically slow production, and they average around 180 eggs in a year.

Goose eggs are more unusual than duck eggs, and unlike ducks geese are very much seasonal layers.  They typically lay from May through September, but if you have a goose go broody during this time egg production will sometimes stop early.  Their eggs are huge, equal to three chicken eggs, and like the eggs from ducks they have higher nutritional value than chicken eggs and create a much fluffier mix when baking.  Because goose eggs are so unique, if you have a good supply of them you can often sell a single egg for $2-$5.

Read the entire article: Ducks or Geese as Farm Poultry

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Can You Grow Your Own Fertilizer?

   As most gardeners know, most soils do not naturally have all the nutrients needed for various plants to grow in them. Some nutrients do get depleted easily, and different plants have different needs. Over time, packaged nutrients became available in the way of fertilizers, both synthetic and organic. The key elements on a package of fertilizer are the Nitrogen (for green and growth), Phosphorus (for root development and blooms) and Potash (Potassium - for disease resistance and overall plant health). There are also micronutrients which typically include Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and more, each providing a benefit to the plants that you grow. We all know that you can always buy and add fertilizer - but did you know that you could also Grow It?
   Chiot's Run offers the following"

"There is also a group of plants we can grow that are described as dynamic accumulators. These plants have deep roots that pull up macro and micronutrients from deep within the soil. Oddly enough, many of these have been classified as weeds, so pulling dandelion, dock, and other weeds and adding them to our compost piles is a great way to increase the micronutrient levels in our finished compost. There are a few dynamic accumulators that stand out more than others, comfrey is probably the most widely known and my particular favorite. I use it as a mulch, animal feed, and I plant it under all my fruit trees. Comfrey is a great source of silicon, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron. Other high value dynamic accumulators are: dandelion, eastern bracken, kelp, nettles, watercress, and plantain. Next time you see dandelions blooming in your lawn, think about all the copper and iron it is adding to your soil, when you see plantain, think about the calcium it’s adding.”

Read the full article: Grow Your Own Fertilizer

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Which Fence Type Should I Use for Chickens?

   There are many, many types of fencing on the market today, and they generally have a main purpose or use for each type. It might be to protect a garden, or stop deer, or keep your goats contained, but when it comes to chicken keeping, it can be a bit confusing. If you are building a chicken coop, or chicken run, it is critical to use the right type fencing to protect your flock. Chicken wire, poultry netting, hardware cloth, welded wire and more. It gets difficult to decide on what would be the best choice. 
   Fresh Eggs Daily explains the differences in this article:

  "Keeping your flock safe from predators is something important to consider if you are new to chicken keeping, or building or buying a new coop, chicken tractor or run. Keeping your garden veggies safe from marauding bunnies, deer and wild birds is always a struggle. Not all fencing options are created equal - and using the wrong type of fencing can lead to heartbreaking losses.

Chicken Wire

My grandmother, a lifelong chicken keeper, always told me that chicken wire wasn't good for anything except keeping chickens in (or out, as the case may be). And she was right. A dog, fox or raccoon can rip through chicken wire in no time. Another danger is that often baby chicks can squeeze through the holes. Chicken wire is made of galvanized wire and usually comes with 1" or 2"-sized hexagonal holes.

Chicken wire should never be used on coop vents, openings or window. And it shouldn't be used for your run if you leave your chickens in the run all day when no one is home.

About the only thing I might use chicken wire for around the run area is to cover the top to keep aerial predators out during the day. It won't stop a raccoon or weasel that might climb the side of your run or keep it out forever, but it would at least slow one down a bit. So if you're home all day, the run is visible from the house, the chickens only use it during the day and are locked in their coop at night, and you're mainly worried about hawks, then chicken wire is an affordable option to cover the top of your run."

Read the full article: Choosing the Right Fence for Your Chicken Coop, Run or Garden

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How Should You Buy and Store Your Hay?

  Horses and livestock animals depend on having an available source of quality hay. The quality, size and cost of hay bales or rolls can vary tremendously, Once you purchase or harvest your hay, it is important to prevent your hay from getting moldy. It is also crtical to keep your hay from getting too hot, as that can cause a fire hazard. Proper drying of hay is also key to keeping internal temperatures down during storage periods. It becomes critical to know how to buy and store your hay. 

   The Horse provides an in depth look at Hay Storage:

  "In much of the United States hay only grows during temperate months. The best quality is obtained and the best prices achieved by putting up a supply that will last until the next harvest. To keep stored hay as fresh and palatable as possible, focus on preventing mold development, heat buildup and combustion, and nutrient deterioration.

   Proper hay harvesting and drying is important to control "respiration," a naturally occurring process that produces heat and bacterial growth. Michael Collins, PhD, former professor of agronomy at the University of Kentucky, describes some of the science behind hay production: "Hay crops generally contain around 80% moisture at the time of cutting; field curing reduces moisture to levels (at which hay) can be safely stored. Hay cured to less than 16-20% moisture stores well with minimal problems of heating or mold growth. However, if baled with too much moisture (25-35%), microbial activity generates significant amounts of heat. In extreme cases, hay can reach spontaneous combustion temperatures." Hay heated to 150-175°F has the potential to burst into flames, posing great danger to a horse facility.

In the initial weeks following baling, moisture and heat combine to maximize combustion risk. Thus, Kathleen Crandell, PhD, of Kentucky Equine Research, advises horse owners to monitor moisture levels (keeping them below 14%) and heat for two weeks after stacking new hay. They can achieve this by inserting an electronic probe (Delmhorst, for example, to measure moisture) and a temperature probe into bales to ensure temperatures remain below 120°F. If you come across hotter bales, remove them from the stack and spread them out in an area protected from rain to allow drying."

Read the entire article: Horse Feed Storage and Preservation

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Grow Your Family's Needs in a Bucket Garden!

   There are many people that want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, but due to physical or other limitations, their options may be more limited than someone lucky enough to have plenty of land to plant. Along these lines, using economical or recycled products to fulfill some of your needs not only saves you money, but it also helps reduce your environmental footprint. So if you are challenged on space, or it is difficult to phsyically tend to a garden, but you want to be more self reliant, then what can you do? Maybe a Bucket Garden is what you have been waiting for!

   Old World Garden Farms  discusses this in detail:

  "The goal was simple.  Design an attractive, inexpensive and functional container garden that anyone of any age could plant. It needed to be simple to create, maintain and harvest – and conserve on space. It also of course had to produce enough that you could grow some serious food!

Last year, we trialed tomato bucket containers.  We built wooden frames with scrap lumber that went over the top of 5 gallon buckets or nursery containers. We then attached a 4’ high x 16” wide wire frame to the inside of the wooden frame for a built-in, heavy-duty trellis. It was a take off of the Stake-A-Cage that we use in our main garden – and it worked incredible – all at a cost of about $2 for the wire trellis. If needed – we could have even made that from scrap lumber for free.

The higher level bucket allowed for easy watering and maintenance.By screwing in the trellis to the box – it provided a perfect support for the tomato that was easy to reach and tie up the plant as it grew. The bucket provided more than enough room to establish a deep and complete root system – and the cover not only made the planter attractive, but helped to insulate the plant’s base from harsh winds and helped to conserve water. It also made harvesting a breeze."

Read the entire article: Creating the Any Age, Anywhere Garden. A Small Space with Big Yields!

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Should You Raise Ducks? In Surburbia?

      Do you love duck eggs? Many people do. Did you know that some breeds of ducks will actually lay several hundred eggs per year? Whether you want more ducks eggs for your family so they can be "farm fresh", or even if you want to sell extra duck eggs to bring money into your homestead, keeping ducks may be the right thing for you. There are some things to know and learn about raising ducks. For example, experts recommend at least 3 square feet of indoor space per duck and at least 50 square feet of total living space per duck, including both inside and outside. But what happens if you do not live in the country, but instead live in a surburban setting? Should you raise ducks - in surburbia?
   Countryside Network gives us an indepth look at this question:

   "Even though I didn’t know this when we started, I’m sort of amazed at how simpatico the duck is to our cul-de-sac residing, SUV-driving lifestyle. For one thing, ducks are more like feathered dogs than you might imagine. They listen, they learn, they let you direct them where they need to go. Even at barely eight-weeks-old, our teenaged ducks figured out how to leave their temporary home in the garage then waddle across the driveway to the backyard play area. We showed them once and the second day, with very little motivation, they managed it on their own, without scattering or hiding. Try that with five cats!

Getting them out of the pen is easy, you might say, and that’s true — breakfast is a great motivator — especially for me! But even though we sometimes have to pick up a straggler, most nights, bedtime is also straightforward. Often our group even put themselves to bed—it’s hard work foraging among the hydrangeas all day and they can’t always wait for me to finish the dishes.

In practical terms, this tractability means you can share waterfowl supervision with others. Even my husband, a life-long cat person, can handle pen-up duty from time to time. Some folks strike deals with their neighbors, swapping duck eggs for duck-sitting. For those longer-term situations, however, i.e. vacation, I prefer to get professional pet-sitters who come twice a day while we’re gone. “Easier than dogs,” one of our regular caregivers pronounced after his initial stint. And dogs can’t give you breakfast!"

Read the full article" A Beginner's Guide to Keeping Ducks in Surburbia

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Arthritis and the Senior Horse

   Just like it is with people, Arthritis can become a problem in senior horses. I suffer from premature arthritis and have for the past 5 years or so, and I can tell you it is not pleasant. It is very important with senior horses, and other pets for that matter, to recognize the signs of arthritis and learn what to do about it. Better nutrition and medicine is helping senior horses to live longer and fuller lives, and treating arthritis will be important for your senior horse in the aging process.

   Horse Nation offers the following:

   "First, let’s talk about arthritis.

When a horse is younger than two-years-old, tissue growth is greater than tissue breakdown or cell death. It’s called an anabolic state. From two to fifteen, the tissue replacement is roughly equal to tissue breakdown. After fifteen, the general trend is overall tissue breakdown. This is called a catabolic state. It affects all tissue in the musculoskeletal system including joints and is most accelerated by a decrease in the horse’s ability to digest nutrients and thyroid and pituitary gland dysfunction.

The general warning signs are:

• ·         Puffiness around the joint, especially lower legs
• ·         Stiff, choppy gaits, which usually improve after warm-up
• ·         Resistance to perform"

Read the full article: Aging Like A Boss: Arthritis   

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