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We are a far cry from a fancy operation with four horses on my property to manage. The horses in our herd live outside in one of two paddocks with fulltime access to a run-in shed which is divided in half. They get rotational turn out onto the pasture whenever possible. With the variety of horses we have, our little operation is anything but simple. And oh how they vary! One is a 32-year-old hard keeping Arabian mare with a princess complex who has progressively lost dentition efficacy in the last few years. Next is her 14-year-old gelding son who...

It’s disappointing to find broken eggs in your coop. If you are looking to learn about some of the causes and what you can do to prevent them look no further. Twain Lockhart, Nutrena Poultry Expert will help you understand what might be causing this phenomenon and how you can prevent it.

Flock expansion can be an exciting endeavor, especially when you are looking to add a new species or two. It can be a fun and challenging task to meet the needs of a multi-species flock of chickens. Here are a few tips and recommendations to consider if you plan to take your flock to the next level. There are three main areas of focus before caring for a multi-species flock: Coop Cleanliness Living Space Management Techniques Coop cleanliness Providing your multi-species flock with a clean home is of the utmost importance in preventing sickness. Keep the coop clean and dry,...

It seems we hear more and more about the danger of ticks every year and the havoc they wreak on humans and pets alike. Ticks are not insects. Having eight legs, they are arachnids, more closely related to scorpions and spiders than insects. Ticks are ectoparasites (parasites that live on the outside of its host) and live by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Lifecycle of a Tick Ticks have a four-stage lifecycle. They begin as eggs in a cool, moist environment. The eggs hatch into six-legged larva that congregate in groups around vegetation...

Egg binding is a commonly cited problem on online forums, but what is this condition and how can you treat it? More importantly, how can you prevent it? Egg binding occurs when a hen has been straining to lay an egg for several hours. A stuck egg prevents fecal matter and other eggs from passing out of the body, and the hen will eventually die from shock or infection. Causes There are a number of factors that may cause egg binding. Eggs form with the pointy end facing the vent opening, but they are laid blunt end first, which means...