News

Molting: The Naked Truth

Molting: The Naked Truth

There comes a time in every chicken’s life (usually around 14 – 18 months old) where they start to lose all their feathers, look gangly and downright ugly. But don’t be alarmed! This is a natural process that occurs annually. This process is called molt. What is molt? Molt is the natural shedding of feathers and regrowth of new ones. This usually happens in the fall as day length shortens. It is the chickens way to refresh old feathers and grow new ones for the coming winter. Molt happens in an expected order, starting at the head, down the back, breast and...

Read More →

Dog Training Tips

Dog Training Tips

When you bring a puppy or even an adult dog home for the first time, the idea of training probably means potty training. But after they chew up that pair of shoes and run-away off leash for the first time, you realize there is a bit more training you need to do. Here are a few things to consider when training your puppy or adult dog: Establish house rules for the dog.  Just like your children have house rules so should your dog. Will you allow your dog on the couch when you are binging Netflix? Will they be allowed...

Read More →

When to Feed Ration Balancers

When to Feed Ration Balancers

While recently reviewing farms feed program, the manager explained that some of her horses only received 1 pound of grain per day. She felt their weight was good, but yet they appeared to be lacking something in their diet. She was wondering what type of supplements she could add. When we looked at the tag on her feed, the problem was obvious. Her feed was designed for to be fed at a rate of 0.5 – 0.75 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. This means that to provide proper fortification for a 1000 pound horse, she would need to...

Read More →

Biking with Your Dog

Biking with Your Dog

We all love to walk with our dogs. It is a great way to get exercise and to bond with your pet. However, some of us live in places where dogs cannot always get the exercise they need due to city living or small backyards. There are also many dogs that need more intense exercise than they can get just by walking. For most of us, running for a couple of miles with the dog is out of the question. The solution - consider biking with your dog. This way of spending time with your dog is becoming more and...

Read More →

Horse Feed With High Fat Content – The Evolving Role of Fat: The Omega-6 and Omega-3 Ratio

Horse Feed With High Fat Content – The Evolving Role of Fat: The Omega-6 and Omega-3 Ratio

The use of fat in the equine diet has a long history. A very old book, Horse Secrets by A.S. Alexander, published in 1913, points out that horse traders knew back then that adding fat to the diet was beneficial for gaining weight and improving hair coat. They may not have known why it worked, but they knew that it worked! Corn oil was an early oil source as it was available and palatable. Flax seed, boiled to both soften the husk and to eliminate anti-nutritional factors, was also used to provide both fat and protein. The use of vegetable...

Read More →