Animal husbandry and care

chamoisee · #61 04/08/12, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highlands

Huh?!? We live in the mountains of northern Vermont and typically get high winds, low temperatures and a snow pack of 4' (14' snow fall). We raise pastured pigs outdoors year round. They do great. We typically have 300 pigs on the farm at a time. This is how we pay the mortgage and earn a living so I'm pretty sure it works. Been doing it this way for almost a decade.]

(blush) I will freely admit that I know next to nothing about hogs! My friend told me they needed shelter and heat lamps or their babies would die, and seeing how that had almost no hair, I believed her. Sorry!

My point though, is that animals have different habitat and housing needs, and failure to do well under really poor conditions shouldn't be attributed to un-hardy animals which should be culled. I see a lot of this with goats in particular; people have very unrealistic ideas of what goats should eat, live in and endure and still produce a gallon of milk per day.

DamnearaFarm · #62 04/08/12, 08:47 PM

I sorta ran into this type of situation this past week. Ewe had been in labor LITERALLY no one knew how long because none of the animals (expecting goats, cows and sheep as well) had been checked on in at least 36 hours. They live on site and it's only 20 ares or so.
Anyway, I got the call about the ewe, dead lamb, afraid the ewe is dying too. I haul butt over there and the owner is in the house, eating a sandwich while this poor ewe is lying there, prolapsed and left for dead.

I did what I could, put the prolapse back twice (really didn't want to make the call to cull considering the circumstances surrounding the situation) and after I administered a shot of antibiotic I hear "What are you doing? We don't medicate our animals!" I growled "You do now."
Everything given is 'all natural' and honestly doesn't seem to work worth a flip- animals not in good condition and some even dying- many more than you would see in an average herd.

rboutdoors · #63 04/08/12, 09:05 PM

After being in the cattle business I can tell you that very few people are raising cattle to make the herd better. They are raising whatever sells best at the auction barn. Right now that means black calves some with white faces. Sure it gets up to 110 during the summer and any color other than black would do much better but oh well.

Also way too many people are afraid to cull hard enough to make a difference.

I couldn't imagine watching animals just walk around dying. Step up and take care of your responsibilities.

chamoisee · #64 04/08/12, 11:02 PM

Ugh, Rose! I have seen that sort of thing too, and I would call them in for animal abuse!
People who do that sort of thing shouldn't even own a goldfish.

lexa · #65 04/09/12, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanc

I did what I could, put the prolapse back twice (really didn't want to make the call to cull considering the circumstances surrounding the situation) and after I administered a shot of antibiotic I hear "What are you doing? We don't medicate our animals!" I growled "You do now."

Why would anyone "not medicating", even call a vet out?

haypoint · #66 04/09/12, 06:35 PM

Interesting how people change their tune in times of emergency. Folks like the sound of " we don't do antibiotics or other harmful chemicals, but when a week old heifer is dying,, most wake up and do what modern science allows for and save the calf.

I recall in the 1970s there was a movement for natural childbirth. That lasted until about the 6th hour of labor, then their convictions changed.

rboutdoors · #67 04/10/12, 10:00 AM

You also have to agree though that modern Meds have made it too easy to keep lesser quality animals in the breeding program for too long. Then people complain about medicine costs rising too high.

DamnearaFarm · #68 04/10/12, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexa

Why would anyone "not medicating", even call a vet out?

I'm not a vet

Just Dr. Doolittle that some friends and friends of friends call out in emergencies.

DamnearaFarm · #69 04/13/12, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

Interesting how people change their tune in times of emergency. Folks like the sound of " we don't do antibiotics or other harmful chemicals, but when a week old heifer is dying,, most wake up and do what modern science allows for and save the calf.

I recall in the 1970s there was a movement for natural childbirth. That lasted until about the 6th hour of labor, then their convictions changed.

She didn't want me to do anything that wasn't organic or natural to the ewe.

I'm sorry, when an animal has been in labor for God knows how long and has her insides on the outside.....it's time to put down the 'remedy' and do what you can for the animal.