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How to Raise Turkeys

Turkeys can be a fun, profitable addition to a small farm or homestead. They are usually raised for meat, although some people like to keep a tom (a mature male turkey) around as a pet. Before you decide to add turkeys to your farm, here are the basics on raising them the right way.

Choosing a Breed
Broad-breasted Whites are the "modern" eating turkey, similar to the ones you find in the supermarket (but even this breed, raised on pasture on a small farm, will taste far more flavorful than the supermarket variety). Standard Bronze and White Holland varieties are also popular breeds for meat production. Broad-Breasted Bronzes and Whites are not actual breeds, just a non-standardized commercial strain used for meat, while White Hollands and Standard Bronzes are recognized breeds. Heritage turkeys include Bourbon Reds and Narragansetts, which are striking, medium-sized birds that excel at foraging and pest control. Royal Palm turkeys grow to a smaller finished size of roughly ten to sixteen pounds and are beautiful, different-looking birds.

Raising Turkeys From Poults
Typically, you will be starting with day-old turkeys in the spring, called poults. You will need to set up a brooder area (link) just like you would for chickens. There are lots of do-it-yourself ideas for brooder areas, from a feeding trough to a kiddie pool. Just like starting chicks, you will need to keep the brooder area between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week, then slowly lower the temp by raising the lamps, cooling it by 5 degrees each week. Many of the same places that sell chicks also sell turkey poults.

Housing and Fencing Turkeys
Many farmers let their turkeys live outside on range in a large fenced pen with a movable roost assembly, much like a movable chicken coop. The best range for turkeys is short grass, four to six inches long. Red clover and Kentucky bluegrass are especially good grasses to have on the range. For a flock of a dozen turkeys, plan to build a pen of roughly 75 feet square, or one-eighth acre. Make sure your fence is secure from coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and even bears - all of whom would love a free-range turkey dinner. Woven wire fencing is a great choice, as is electrified poultry netting.
Keep the pasture fresh by moving the portable roost to clean ground weekly. You can also rotate the location of feeders and waterers to prevent manure buildup.

Feeding and Watering Turkeys
For a dozen turkeys, you'll need at least 2 gallons of water every day, so consider an automatic waterer connected to your outdoor water spigot. A four-foot-long waterer will suffice for 12 birds. Many turkey farmers build a wooden range feeder with a little roof on top to hold the feed. A feeder that holds about 100 pounds of feed is a good size for 12 turkeys, as by the time they near maturity they will each eat a pound of feed a day.

Preventing Turkey Problems and Diseases
Learning how to prevent health problems before they arise - with clean pasture, movable roosts, and fresh, clean water and food - is the easiest way to handle raising turkeys. Still, sometimes things happen and you'll need to know how to take care of them. Give turkeys enough roosting space and pasture. Make sure to raise them separately from chickens. Ensure your turkey house has good ventilation. And protect your turkeys from predators.

Processing the Turkeys on the Farm
If you're keeping turkeys for meat, the time will come to slaughter and process them. The steps are much the same as slaughtering chickens. You will simply need a bigger killing cone and make sure the scalding pot is big enough for your largest turkey.

If you want to try to breed your own turkeys, keep one tom for every 10 hens. In the spring, your turkey flock will naturally expand. If you end up with extras, you can sell "trios" - a tom and two hens - to other local farmers and homesteaders.

Things you can do to help save bees

If we do not save honey bees what happens when all the honey bees disappear?

  If the honey bee disappears we will lose much of our world food supply.

We should help save honey bees because while grains do not require honey bees to flourish, virtually all of our non-grain foods are dependent on honey bee pollination to a large degree. Worldwide, there are 90 different food plants that depend almost exclusively on the honey bee. In the USA honey bees are considered critical pollinators of many fruits, nuts and vegetables. Your own diet will be changed dramatically if we lose our honey bees. 

What you can do to help save honey bees.

1. Stop using insecticides

2.  Plant Bee-friendly plants

3. Create natural habitat gardens

4. Find out more about bees

5. Support your local beekeepers
6. Make you own 'Wild bee' house

7. Become a beekeeper

8. Sign petitions banning pesticides

9. Encourage your local authority to do more to help bees

Silkie Bantam Chickens

Of all the ornamental chicken breeds, the Silkie Bantam is one of the most popular and beloved, and certainly one of the most entertaining to watch. Can't you tell why? They're the lap kitty of the chicken world, complete with hair-like plumage and an incredibly sweet temperament. 

We have heard it said that Silkies are like a "flock" of kittens... but unlike your other pets, your chickens can actually provide your breakfast! Silkies originated in the Far East, where they are still kept (and eaten) today. They have black skin and bones and 5 toes instead of the normal 4. 

In addition, Silkie hens make wonderful brooders and mothers, and are even known to adopt baby ducks if given the chance!

Selecting quality wheat seed

While there is most definitely reason for concern over next year’s seed quality, availability, and price, there is no reason to panic. As long as we take time to look at potential seed quality and use some judicious precautions (listed below) we should be able to ensure that our seed is worth keeping and planting.

There are several questions a person should ask before keeping or purchasing seed this year, including:

• Does the seed look healthy? Plump seeds with good color are ideal. Large, plump seeds contain more energy and thus result in better plant stands and early season forage growth, than smaller shriveled seed. In addition, larger seeds are more forgiving on deeper planting depths and provide better seedling vigor. Keep in mind when comparing seed size that some varieties just naturally produce a larger seed than others. Always compare seed size of the same variety.

• What is the test weight (bushel weight)? Test weight is a good initial indicator of seed quality, but is not an absolute. If the bushel weight is below 58 pounds, this warrants further investigation into seed quality. If you are purchasing certified seed, the seed tags should state the test weight. Also, be aware that small shriveled seeds can sometimes have a high test weight due to being more densely packed into a given volume (pounds per bushel). So, test weight should always be considered along with seed size. Below is an example of the importance of test weight on germination, emergence, and yield.

Does the seed have good germination? Unfortunately, a germination test should not be conducted immediately following harvest because winter wheat has a natural seed dormancy mechanism that prevents the seed from germinating for about 4 weeks after harvest (some varieties even longer). 

What To Feed Your Chickens

What chickens eat and what chickens should eat are not always the same thing. Chickens are omnivores. That means they’ll snarf down just about anything, or at least try to! I’ve seen a hen catch and slurp down a snake like spaghetti. I’ve seen a chicken snatch a toad by it’s leg and all of the other hens go in a raucous chase after it, only, at the end to discover that a toad is not good eating. Chickens also eat less exciting foods, like vegetables, fruits, flowers and grass. They eat grains and seeds. They scratch the ground and find bugs and specks of things that we can’t see.So, the question isn’t really what chickens eat, but what the right diet is for them.

In the 19th century most chickens were barnyard scavengers. They hatched out under their mamas and were taught to look for grain in the horse stalls, and for bugs and greens in the garden. The farm wife tossed stale bread and kitchen scraps to the hens. Chickens destined for the table were fattened on sour milk. Sometimes, in the winter, they’d be given a handful of grain. The hens back then laid only a few eggs a week. This haphazard diet was enough sustenance for them. But, flocks became larger and more confined. Chickens were bred to lay more and more eggs. Instead of 90 eggs a year, a hen now might lay over 300. With the increase in egg production came an increase in the nutritional requirements of the flock.

Commercial laying hen pellets (or crumbles which are the same thing but smaller) are designed for today’s productive hens. Creating a daily egg is depleting. The pellets have the right proportion of protein, minerals and energy for the chickens. These pellets should make up the bulk of your flock’s diet. Your chickens should have access to the pellets all day long. They should go to bed with full crops (the crop is the pouch in their throat where the food is first stored after it is swallowed.) It takes over 25 hours to create one egg. During the night, as the hen is sleeping, she is still building that egg. She gets the materials for making that egg from digesting food. If her digestive tract is empty she can’t make the egg. So, let your hen eat what she wants from sunup to sundown.

How to Raise a Baby Horse

Raising a baby horse can be difficult and overwhelming if you aren't familiar with horses. Raising a baby horse is a big job! If you've decided to keep your baby horse to train and ride one day, it's important to work with your baby horse as you raise them from a young age. The most important thing to remember is that manners learned when you are raising foal will carry into maturity, and bad habits that are cute for a baby horse can be deadly when that baby becomes a 1100 pound adult horse.

Suckling Age:
One of the best things you can do to help responsibly raise your baby horse is to work with them regularly. Commit to work with your baby horse 3-6 times a week- the more the better, although short, positive session work best. Get the baby horse used to being brushed and touched all over their body. Teach them to pick up their hooves for you when you ask. Get your baby horse used to having a foal-sized halter put on.

Leading and Tying:
It is much easier to teach a small baby horse to lead and tie than it is to teach a large animal. Teaching a baby horse to lead will require the assistance of a helper. A baby horse will naturally want to follow where his mother goes- therefore, a few times a week, have a handler lead your mare around as you lead the foal behind the mother. Do not let the foal rush ahead or lag behind, gently encourage and reprimand, and praise for walking by your side. If done regularly, you will save you and your horse from the dangerous experience of halter breaking an adult horse.

As you raise him, teach your baby horse to tie - after he begins to understand leading. For the first time, tie in a stall or small corral, with mother nearby. Feed your leadrope around a sturdy pole, hold the end, and leave some slack in the line, allow the horse to realize he is tied. Your foal will likely pull back, do not release the rope unless the foal becomes tangled. The baby horse must learn struggling will not release him. When he stops pulling on the line, praise him and turn him loose. This skill is much easier to teach a baby horse than an adult horse.

Weaning:
Somewhere between four and six months your baby horse will need to be weaned from its mother to allow the mother time to recover from nursing. Weaning can be traumatic but try separating mother and foal a few hours a day, in safe pens or stalls so they can still see each other. Gradually extending the time and distance apart is the safest way to wean a foal. If your baby horse can have another foal as a companion or even an older gelding, he or she will do much better.

After the baby horse you've raised is a weanling the fun of ground work can begin! Again, keep sessions with your still-baby horse short- but do it regularly or you'll be faced with an unruly, unmanageable adult! If your baby horse is a male, 6 months to 1 year is an ideal time to geld and save yourself the attitude and hormones of a stallion around. As you raise your foal from 6 months to 2 years you should work with your baby horse regularly. Take the baby horse for walks in all sorts of environments, teach your baby horse to load in a trailer, to take bathes and be sprayed by the hose, to stand for the farrier to trim and shoe their hooves (you can practice this by having them lift their feet as you mess with their feet and gently tap their hooves with a small hammer) to walk over tarps and not be afraid of plastic bags. Teach your weanling and yearling to yield to pressure all over their body- for instance, when you touch their side, to sidestep away. As a yearling, begin teaching your baby horse to wear a surcingle and allow it to be cinched up. And acclimate the horse to having ropes tossed over, under, and around their body without shying.

What are the benefits of raising rabbits !

Raising rabbits are much cheaper, more efficient, and more productive than raising chickens.

1) A doe can produce up to 1000% her body weight in food per year.
2) Rabbits can be raised in confinement, whereas chickens need much more space.
3) Chicken reproduction is "light sensitive", whereas rabbit reproduction is opportunity sensitive.
4) It is much easier to raise food for rabbits than it is food for chickens.
5) Since rabbits are raised in confinement, it drastically reduces the threat to your herd from predators.
6) You can skin and butcher 5 rabbits to every chicken given the same amount of time.
7) Rabbit fur can be a separate barter item.

Rabbit meat tastes good too, some people say that it taste much like poultry.  Rabbit meat is mild and savory, never gamy. It is extremely lean, making it perfect for cholesterol-reducing diets. Cooking with liquids keeps rabbit dishes moist and tender. If you're not minding your fat intake, you may want to choose recipes that use oil to maintain juiciness. You can look for rabbit recipes in wild game cookbooks, but most of these just rehash the familiar methods of stewing, frying and baking.

Besides providing you with meat, rabbits produce dung, which makes a good fertilizer. Rabbit skins and fur have many uses.  A rabbit can be a source of instant cash in an emergency. 

How to Build a Hay Feeder for Your Goats

If you're new to raising goats, you may not know that goats are terrible hay wasters. Having a hay feeder can help both to reduce that waste and to attain your goal of living a green lifestyle. The simple hay feeder outlined here will feed about 10 goats.

You need at least one commercial box feeder for every four goats. Often, one or two goats drive others away from a feeding area, so you may want to make hay available in at least two locations in each goat area. That way everyone gets to eat.

The simple feeder shown here is easy to make, easy to use, and holds enough hay to feed 8 to 15 goats (depending on their size) for several days. You probably want to use it for only 10 goats or so, however, because they may start fighting when eating in such close proximity.

The only problem with this hay feeder is that the goats sometimes tip it over when it's empty, and every so often three goats (kids, usually) stick their head through the same panel and get stuck when they try to pull back at the same time. You can attach the feeder to a wall or post to prevent goats from tipping it over, but doing so limits the number of goats that can feed from it because they don't have access to the part of the feeder that's against the wall.

You can make a 38-inch-diameter circular hay feeder from a cattle panel. If you want a larger one, use a longer section of cattle panel. Remember that the goats have to get their heads to the hay in the middle, so don't make it too wide.

You need only a few tools and materials for this hay feeder:

A 16-foot section of cattle panel

Bolt cutters

A metal file or a grinder

Heavy wire, fasteners, or zip ties

Follow these steps to put together your hay feeder:

Using your bolt cutters, cut a 10-foot length from the cattle panel.

Make sure to cut at the end of a section so that no metal ends protrude.

File or grind any sharp parts.

With another person helping, roll up the section of panel until the two edges meet.

Secure the ends together with zip ties, strong wire, or metal fasteners.

Place the feeder in the desired area, fill it with hay, and watch your goats go for it!

Biggest And Smallest Horses

Poe, a 10-foot-tall, 3,000lb Canadian Clydesdale, is said to be the world’s largest horse. Here are some other huge, and not so huge, animals from around the world.

Lucy, a four-year-old Shetland pony, was just 19.5 inches tall when measured in November 2008.

Owner Sandra Ponder said: "I wasn't expecting Lucy to be so small. She was about 15 inches when I got her at three months - that's a normal size for a Shetland foal.

"She's not your average Shetland pony - I've never seen anything like her before."

Rare Half-Goat, Half-Sheep Born In Ireland, And It's Adorable

Paddy Murphy, a farmer and pub owner in Kildare, Ireland, found that he had a half-goat, half-sheep on his hands two weeks ago, when his ewe gave birth.

“It had all the hallmarks of a goat. I knew a goat had gotten in among a few of the hoggets, I didn’t know what would turn out," he told the outlet. "They were all normal lambs apart from this fella. He looks like a goat, trapped in a lamb’s body, a Geep I think it’s called! He even has horns like a goat and he is very quick on his feet. He’s perfectly healthy and thriving away."

Murphy said he's never seen anything like it before. A spokeswoman for the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said the live birth of a geep is a rare occasion, as most die during pregnancy or are stillborn, according to the BBC. The UFU does not know of any others currently in Northern Ireland.

Mix of crop and animals in farms helps increase income

The ability to extract maximum returns from a small area and making use of the available resources and technologies are key factors in improving income for farmers.

If some animal components can also be added to the crop production schedule, the chances of a better income increase.

The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore is implementing a pilot project called “Holistic development of schedule caste and schedule tribe farmers for livelihood improvement” of resource poor farmers in highly populated taluks of Southern Karnataka, covering around eight thousand farm families.

Aim

“The project aims to strengthen the livelihood of vulnerable farm families through diversifying crop production and reducing input cost,” says Dr. K. Jagadeeshwara, Dean and Principal Investigator of the project, College of Sericulture, Chintamani, Chickballapur district.

The project seems to have been able to create a positive impact on the farmers’ lifestyle.

The average income in the region before implementation of project was roughly about Rs. 20,549 a year from crops and Rs. 9,447 from animals for a farmer.

But after implementation there has been an increase of Rs. 44,718 in crop production and Rs. 54,630 from animals in a year according to the Vice Chancellor Dr. K. Narayana Gowda. Mr. Ravinaik, one of the beneficiaries, is a young, uneducated farmer from Hosakoppa village located 20kms from Davanagere city and owns about five acres. His entire family of six members was totally dependent on the income from this area.

Major crop

Paddy was the major crop grown, with vegetables in a small area. Just when he was contemplating to migrate to the city in search of a job he came to know that the University was implementing a project for farmer families through his village community leaders.

He decided to take part in the project as one of the beneficiaries and attended several training programmes like vermicompost production, cattle and sheep rearing, etc

Besides providing technical inputs, Mr. Ravinaik was given timely inputs, particularly high yielding paddy seed varieties in the region, since the farmer mainly cultivated paddy as his major crop. As per the advice of project staff Mr. Ravinaik adopted the package of practices like SRI method and doubled his yield, according to Dr. Jagadeeshwara. From his vermicompost unit he was able to generate about 1.5 tonnes of vermicompost worth Rs. 4,000 which he used as manure for his paddy crop grown in an acre.

After harvest in five to six months he got a net income of Rs. 15,000. From one HF cow given to him through the project he was able to get a net income of Rs. 16,632 for six months by selling the milk and from three bannur sheep his net income was Rs. 18,140 in a year.

Net income

“In 365 days I got a net income of about Rs. 46,500 and I was contemplating to leave this work and seek a manual job in a garment factory for Rs, 3,000 a month,” says Mr. Ravinaik.

Similarly, another farmer Mr. Narashimaiah was supported by providing him with hybrid seeds, horticultural plants, vegetable seeds, a cow, three piglets and three sheep. He was guided to plant in such a way as to cultivate always a combination of annual and seasonal crops along with animals. In addition the farmer also planted high quality mango and sapota trees in 20 cents and adopted organic mulching. A water storage tank was profitably used for fish rearing.

The farmer got Rs.13,000 to 14,000 from crops ( mixed croping groundnut, maize and ragi) and Rs. 18,300 from his cow, Rs. 8,245 from his pigs, Rs. 7,450 from sheep. In total he got average of Rs. 47,000 to 48,000 a year.

Important aspects

“One of the important aspects in this project is that it has been able to prevent urban migration to nearby cities for livelihood security. The beneficiaries have been encouraged to continue rearing animals and also grow the fodder for them in their own fields. By doing so the soil gets fertile from their wastes, farmers get income from the animals and there is no shortage of food for the animals,” says Dr. Jagadeeshwara.

What are the benefits of raising goats?

You get a lot from keeping #goats. #Raising #goats can help you achieve a sustainable lifestyle. You can #milk them or eat their #meat, use their #fiber and their skin for making clothing, and even use their dung for fuel (if you are so inclined).

You may want to raise goats for a variety of reasons:

Becomingmore self-sufficient: Goats can give you milk to drink and food to eat, and even help you carry your belongings when backpacking.

Cuttingyour dairy bill: If you raise dairy goats, you might not have to buy cheese or milk ever again. Your goats need to have kids to give you milk, and then you can milk them throughout the year for up to three years without re-breeding.

Raisingyour own meat: Goat meat has always been popular in the developing world because goats are much more affordable and use fewer resources than animals such as cows. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the demand for goat meat is expected to continue growing.

Growingyour own fiber: Some of the finest fiber comes from goats: Angora and Pygora goats produce mohair, cashmere goats produce cashmere, and crosses between the two breeds produce a fiber called cashgora.

If you raise fiber goats, you can spin your own yarn and make hats, blankets, sweaters or other products. You can also sell the fiber to spinners or to companies that make these products.

Harnessinggoats' power as living weed whackers: Goats are well-known for their ability to wipe out weeds. In fact, some people have made businesses out of renting out their goat herds to cities and other municipalities to clean up areas that are overgrown with weeds or blackberry bushes. These leased goats decrease the need to use herbicides, improve the soil's fertility, decrease the risk of fire, increase the diversity of plants in the area, and control weeds in hard-to-reach areas, such as steep hills.

Breedingand selling: Unless your goats are just pets or brush eaters, you probably want to breed them. If you have dairy goats, you need to breed them to keep a good supply of milk flowing. And you need to replace any goats you sell or slaughter.

Keeping goats as pets: You can leash train goats and take them on walks throughout the neighborhood or around your property, which provides exercise for all of you.

Usingyour goat for packing: Goats are social animals and, after you establish a relationship with them, they love to spend time with you. They enjoy going for hikes and can carry your belongings; they find plenty to eat right there in the wilderness.

Raisinggoats as a 4-H project: Getting children involved in raising goats is a good way to teach responsibility. Keeping goats requires twice-a-day chores. Children quickly learn that the goats depend on them. They also find out about the cycle of birth and death and get outdoors to get regular exercise.

Caucasian Red Deer will be reintroduced in Armenia soon

WWF Armenia under the patronage of RA Ministry of Nature Protection and with the support of WWF Germany, Orange Armenia, Transboundary Joint Secretariat (TJS) and Prometey Bank launches a project on reintroducing the #Caucasian #Red #Deer in Armenia with the main goal to set up a breeding group of the species in Dilijan National Park.

The project activities include preparation of a breeding center in Dilijan National Park, purchase and transportation of 4 #male and 11 #female deer to Armenia, training of the breeding center staff, keeping and #breeding of #animals with further release and monitoring in the nature.

“This is an unprecedented project for Armenia since there hasn’t been any disappeared #species reintroduced in Armenia so far, said Karen Manvelyan, the director of WWF Armenia

The project is funded by WWF Germany (25,600,000 AMD) and Orange Armenia (10,000,000 AMD).

The Caucasian Red Deer is one of the most endangered wildlife species in the South Caucasus. This species, once largely spread in the #forests of Northern, Eastern and Southern Armenia, was disappeared a few decades ago due to poaching and habitat destruction. Now it is considered as a species which accidently enters the territory of Armenia from neighbouring countries.

Currently the Caucasian Red Deer is included in the Red Book of Armenia as “Critically Endangered” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Major threats are poaching and habitat destruction.

Panda overload! 14 cute babies cuddle in a crib !

An adorable series of images of more than a dozen artificially bred #panda cubs was released Monday from the Chengdu Research Base of #Giant #Panda Breeding in China.

The giant panda, an endangered species, is native to China, and biologists and zoologists in the world’s most populous country have worked to make sure the adorable #animals don’t go extinct. Roughly 80 percent of the approximately 1,000 pandas left in the world live in Sichuan province, where Chengdu is located.

The panda cubs in the photos were born between July and September, and this marks the first time they were put together as a group since they were born.