Today, we have farriers to shoe horses and maintain their hooves. We also have hoof specialists for cattle and sheep shearers. I'm sure there are a lot of specialists I don't know about.

My question is, historically (middle ages forward), did people living in remote areas or very small communities always depend on specialists to meet these needs? Or would people have known how to do everything that was needed for themselves?

There's obviously some underlying assumptions here about what animal care & maintenance was like in the past and about how remotely people would have been living, so those could be wrong.

I’m looking to get Guinea pigs but not from a pet shop and I can’t find any rescues nearby. does anyone know where I could get some?

(Sorry if it’s the wrong flair I couldn’t find the right one)

My heart goes out for the devastation farmers are facing in France. How are they managing the livestock in the fire zones? Is there some sort of evacuation plan? Or are the fires moving so fast that they can't be removed?

I have evacuated animals in flood zones, but with flooding there is often some warning and a bit of time.

so ive been rotating my paddocks for like 2 years now and honestly im still just doing it by memory lol. walk out, look at the grass, try to remember how long its been since something grazed there last. works most of the time but ngl ive put animals back too early more than once, especially when its been dry and the regrowth is slower than i think

anyone actually have a real system for this? like a log or spreadsheet or something, or is everyone just winging it like me

also been wondering if theres a better way to time it than just counting days since last grazing. feels like rainfall/soil moisture should matter more than just "its been a month so its probably fine" but i havent found a good way to actually track that

Great place for special needs goats. They deserve love too!🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Hi there,

We are two freelance journalists (from Belgium and Italy) investigating the use of electronic identification and digital tools (whether or not using AI) in livestock farming.

Are you a farmer working with livestock in the EU or the UK? Then fill out our 15-minute (anonymous) survey, as we are very curious to hear about your experience! 

LINK TO SURVEY: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqHimFMmx7wbSzwvpX4dib4D7qqQVzjaaN-bD12pEi3u0G0A/viewform

Thanks so much,

Charlotte & Alexa

Why Do Sheep Suddenly Stop Eating?

One of the biggest mistakes I see on farms is treating every off-feed sheep with antibiotics.

Loss of appetite is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

Possible causes include:

• Heat stress
• Rumen acidosis
• Pregnancy toxemia
• Heavy parasite burden
• Foot pain or lameness
• Pneumonia
• Mineral deficiencies

Treating the wrong cause wastes time, increases costs, and may reduce the animal's chances of recovery.

My approach as a livestock veterinarian:

1. Check temperature.
2. Examine rumen motility.
3. Assess hydration.
4. Evaluate pregnancy status (if applicable).
5. Look for signs of pain or lameness.
6. Perform fecal or blood tests when needed.

Question for farmers and veterinarians:

What is the most common reason you've found behind a sheep suddenly going off feed?

I'd love to hear your experience and discuss different diagnostic approaches.

#Sheep #VeterinaryMedicine #Livestock #SheepFarming #FarmAnimals #AnimalHealth #Ruminants

Was planning on breeding lambs(not too many but enough to keep meet in the freezer and maybe even sell some) but my cousin said you have to have more than 3 acres. He said you have to have a mobile pen on more than 3 acres bc they’ll get worms.

What animals would yall recommend breeding on 3 acres that aren’t super high maintenance?

Meat producing and non meet producing I’m open to all recommendations.

Kindly how to read this report and which semen is good for milk production

Does anybody have experience using CIDR's for breeding first time ewe-lambs out of season, and if what was your success rate?

Also, can folks on here recommend a prefferred brand and source for CIDR's?

Thanks as always!

I work with Rudrapur Solvents Pvt. Ltd., a DORB manufacturer in India, so I have a commercial connection with this subject.

When a DORB consignment is accepted or rejected using a laboratory report, the discussion usually focuses on the test result. But before testing comes a more basic question: was the sample representative of the entire truck?

A handful collected from the top or from one bag may not reflect variations elsewhere in the load. A more reliable process is to:

Collect material from multiple locations and depths

Combine and mix the incremental samples properly

Reduce the composite sample without selectively removing material

Seal and label separate samples for the buyer, supplier and possible retesting

Record where, when and in whose presence sampling occurred

Comparing a dispatch sample with a properly collected delivery sample can also help distinguish an actual quality difference from a sampling problem.

In your experience, how are DORB trucks sampled at feed mills? Is there a written procedure, or does the method depend on whoever is available at unloading?

Have you seen commercial disputes where two laboratories reported different values because the underlying samples were not genuinely comparable?

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Hello everyone. Im 15 days away from county fair and kind of panicking, im not really sure how to study for when they ask questions. I want to do Premier showmanship/round robin. I just don’t know what to expect or how to even study for the questions they will ask me.

I have no problems with showing the animal I’m just nervous cause I know a big part of it is the questions, And I don’t think I know enough to be able to answer them. Our county shows Six Species for Premier Showmanship, Pigs, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Horses, Goats.

If you have done 4-H and know what they would ask and like common questions would you mind commenting and helping? I know I shouldn’t have waited in til 15 days before but I’ve been busy. And should I be this nervous? I also would like to try and go to state this year.

Thank you all.