Feeding Farm Animals

Baby cows need to be fed if they cannot nurse, if they are removed from their mothers at birth or if they are weak due to dehydration from scours. Sometimes the calf can suck a bottle nipple, but...

Good calf weight gain is important when calves are first born, when they're putting on fat reserves for winter, and when they're being prepared for sale or slaughter. Cattle growers want calves to...

Farm animals need minerals to maintain health, produce meat and milk, and for reproduction. Major minerals are needed in large quantities by the body. Trace minerals are minerals needed in small...

Designing the proper hay feeder for your animals can save some serious headaches down the road. If your design does not take into account what animals will be eating from the feeder, you can end...

Colostrum, the first milk from a cow after birth, is a nutrient rich yellowish fluid that will help the calf become strong and give its immunities a boost. Whether you feed colostrum from a cow...

Earthworms need moisture taken from the surrounding soil to breathe, according to "The Worm Book." Moisture allows oxygen to dissolve and pass into the worm. The red wiggler worm, Eisenia fetida,...

Large bales of hay, whether round or square, are much more cost effective to feed livestock. Large bales can be a bit overwhelming when it comes to feeding them out because they are heavy and...

Cattle health and profitability are dependent upon achieving and maintaining proper body weights. Weight loss or slow gain can indicate health problems such as pests and parasites, or the need for...

Deer seek sheltered areas to live and to raise their young. Homes out in the country or in rural or wooded areas are often located in the vicinity of places that deer frequent. In recent years,...

Poultry feeders can be made from recycled materials that are already in use or being stored somewhere around your house. Pie pans, buckets, scrap pieces of wood, tin or plastic can all be made...

Backyard flocks are growing in popularity as people take control of their personal food supply, but it's important to remember that the nutritional requirements of a broiler chicken are very...

The moisture content of stored hay can affect the quality of the livestock feed and how well it can be stored. High-moisture hay is prone to forming mold, which leads to an overall loss of feed...

Oat hay is extremely nutritious and primarily consumed by horses and other animals. The Kentucky College of Agriculture says oat hay is especially recommended for older horses because it is high...

Molasses attracts deer with its sweet smell and taste. The molasses will help create a hard food block that the deer will enjoy. Sold by companies that manufacture deer feed, deer food blocks...

Feeding wildlife is something you might be able to do in your backyard. Birds, deer, foxes, squirrels, and many other types of wildlife reside in the country, and will travel to suburbs in lots of...

Although the U.S. is tightening regulations for using animal byproducts in cattle feed, critics contend there are too many opportunities for error. The culprit appears to be diseased organs and...

The quality of nutrition from hay depends upon the amount of foliage in the hay. The more leaves present in the hay the higher the nutrient content.

In some cities, hearing chickens clucking and scratching is becoming commonplace, because more people are raising a few chickens in their own backyards. According to the New York Times, the...

Whether it's a backyard chicken coop or a large-scale operation, it is essential to know how to properly feed laying hens. This will ensure their health and a high yield of quality eggs. If the...

Chickens eat mostly grains and pellets, and should be fed every day. The easiest way to feed chickens is to scatter the food in the area where they commonly spend their time. They will peck at the...

Chickens are known as being cheap and easy to feed. In fact, the popular expression "they pay him chicken feed" originates with how inexpensive it is to feed chickens. Raise healthy chickens by...

According to researchers at Mendel University, a hen must deposit 25 mg of calcium on the developing egg surface every 15 minutes during the 20-hour period in which the eggshell is formed. A...

A calf will consume 1 to 2 gallons of mother's milk a day. If you are raising a dairy calf that has been pulled from its mother or a beef calf that has been orphaned or abandoned, there are two...

Laying hens require a special diet to promote egg production and develop strong shells. You can buy feed through dealers in premixed formulas that contain the proper nutrients for each stage of a...

Donkeys are members of the equine family along with horses, zebras and mules. You can feed them a diet similar to horses but in lower quantity and consisting of low-protein grasses. Donkeys...

According to the University of Florida Agricultural Department, "Water plays a very important role in digestion and metabolism of poultry ... Water softens feed in the crop to prepare it for...

Feeding hogs can be done by hand by throwing the feed on the ground or, to save time and keep a supply of food available for the hogs, a hog feeder can be bought or made. Making a hog feeder...

A good way to fatten your show steer is to add cooked corn. By cooking the corn, it makes it easier for your steer to digest it and they utilize every bit of it in their system. It will also work...

Pigs are by nature foraging animals, rather than grazing animals. In their natural habitats of forest and heavy cover they eat an omnivorous diet. This made them a useful domestic animal for...

A cow's close-up dry period begins 21 days before her estimated calving date. An effective feeding program for close-up dry cows can help reduce the incidence of metabolic disorders, improve feed...

Most stores selling food for agricultural animals stock food for chickens but not ducks. The consensus among people who raise ducks is that while ducks can eat chicken feed, they have different...

If you are a caregiver for live chickens, it is important to feed them properly. These birds will be providing eggs and meat for human consumption, and must be healthy and well developed.

Deer have numerous food choices in spring, once plants begin to wake up from their seasonal sleep. To attract them, you need to offer items they prefer over what they can forage in the wild.

Lambs require complete nutrition to become healthy and strong. Several varieties of milk replacers for lambs can be used if a person needs to feed a young lamb. The best milk replacer is high in...

There are several types of chicken feeders available on the market and are made for specific needs and uses. They can be large to small and made from a variety of plastics and metals. Common...

Minerals are essential for animal health, production and reproduction. Trace minerals are only needed in small amounts. Minerals needed in larger quantities are often referred to as...

Rabbit owners have a plethora of choices when selecting the right foods to keep their rabbits healthy. Unsalted black sunflower seeds are an excellent source of protein and nutrition to feed a...

Once the chicks hatch, take each chick and dip its beak in drinking water. Once the chick puts its head back and opens and closes its beak quickly, you can let it go. Most chicks will almost...

Fertilizing a pond increases the amount of fish. Adding the correct amount and type of fertilizer promotes the growth of small green plants called phytoplankton. Fish will eat the green plants and...

Although widely known as a fiber crop, the seed from cotton has been used as a feed ingredient in farm animal diets for over 150 years, providing a natural source of protein, fiber and energy.

Silage is composed of grasses that are cut when the moisture content of the plant is high and then stored for later use. The grasses ferment and are normally kept in a silo or stored in fields...

"Feed a calf, it'll grow into a cow." There's no secret to increasing a heifer's weight: simply feed her. However, the way she is fed will determine how soon she'll gain enough weight for...

The ultimate cause of overfed farm animals can always be traced back to the humans responsible for the animals. Overfed and overweight or obese livestock are not happy animals and, in most cases,...

Pigs have been a staple of the human diet for thousands of years. As long as people have been domesticating pigs for consumption, they have also been developing better ways of managing , breeding...

Raising chickens can be both a rewarding personal experience and a worthwhile investment of time and energy, as they will provide you with a year round supply of fresh eggs with proper care....

Healthy food makes a healthy chicken. Luckily, chickens eat just about anything. Whether you are raising hens for eggs, meat or just good company, consider carefully what you feed them and be sure...

If you have a yard with grass, raising a few organic chickens for eggs or meat is not really a very complicated matter. And as long as you sell less than $5,000 a year worth of organic chickens,...

Only the best of the young female pigs are selected and kept as breeders. Farmers search the growing litters, looking for fast growers with strong legs, well-defined ham, and lower than average...

To raise prime beef, begin with young cattle bred specifically for beef production such as the Black Angus or Hereford breeds. These beef breeds tend to fill out and achieve ideal weight for...

Farmers who raise their pigs on turf enjoy a number of benefits unattainable by those who choose the more conventional concrete method of trough feeding. Pigs raised in the pasture require less...