Articles on Home Maintenance, Farm and Ranch, and Animal Care.
Spring has officially sprung! Remember that sudden forage changes in your horse’s diet may trigger digestive issues. Feed hay immediately before turn-out to help him or her from overeating on lush, green pasture. Restricting grazing time will also help minimize risks. Here’s a rule of thumb: allow 30 minutes of grazing once or twice a day [...]
Cold winds and changing winter weather may not seem like contributing factors for equine colic. However, these conditions can foster changes in routine and eating habits that may affect the well being of your horse. “A common winter time equine health concern is colic,” notes Dr. Glennon Mays, clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College [...]
Cold weather presents horses with some specific nutritional and management demands. As winter approaches it is a good idea to evaluate horses, housing and feeding programs to insure that horses get through the cold weather in good shape. All warm-blooded animals have a critical temperature. This is the temperature below which the animal must produce additional [...]
Now that winter is approaching and the temperature is dropping, horse owners need to consider how to winterize their horses. During the cold season, horse owners must make sure that their animals receive proper feed, water and shelter to stay healthy and comfortable. Further, since riders usually put a lot of time and effort into [...]
Unfavorable weather conditions last fall and winter meant more hay was fed than normal causing last year’s hay supplies to be running short. Unprecedented weather extremes through the spring are affecting the quality and availability of new hay for 2011. Whether you are suffering through the extreme drought in south Texas, excessive rainfall in the [...]
Nutritive value key to overall efficiency for beef cattle intake COLLEGE STATION – An inexpensive hay test can offer the best guidance as to how much supplemental feed is required for a beef cattle herd, and at the same time, save ranchers money, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Considering the historic drought conditions that prevail [...]
Autumn is a good time to make sure everything in is in tiptop shape for the cold weather that’s just around the corner. The preparations you make now can have a long-term impact on the health and comfort of your goats, so here are a few fall tips: • Even hardy animals like goats need a warm, dry [...]
Saving valuable landscapes – even successfully adding some new plants – depends on the length of one’s hose and depth of one’s commitment, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service gardening expert. “It’s the season. People are going to want to plant,” said Jayla Fry, AgriLife Extension Master Gardener program assistant in College Station. “ By [...]
Body Condition Scoring allows you to monitor the health and condition of your deer. Optimal Body Condition in bucks will allow for greater antler growth. Does will be more fertile: produce more high-quality milk, resulting in healthier, faster growing fawns. The Purina Mills Body Condition Scoring System allows you to visually score your deer based [...]
People often want to feed deer what is handy, which might be sheep, goat, dairy, or even horse feeds. The problem is these feeds are not formulated for deer, do not meet their specific needs, and may even cause problems. Sheep are very intolerant of dietary copper, so sheep feeds and, traditionally, most goat feeds contain [...]