Homestead Livestock

[miss_thenorth]

As posted on another thread, this thread is for all livestock questions that we might have, for whatever livestock we have. I currently have horses, sheep and a calf.




As many of you know, I have recently aquired a dexter heifer calf. She is five months old right now, and I absolutely love her!!

Now, for the question part, --I need to know what type of mineral supplement to give to her. My danish friend was over here today, and she said there is one supplement that cows need or they get some type of splay leg disease. She is not sure of the english term for it. I have searched online to no avail.

I have been thinking of supplements for her and my mixed herd, so far, I have loose salt and mineral block. I looked into sea kelp, but the cost is prohibitive, although if I need to, I will order it. (maybe even become a distributor.)

what is absolutely essential in the mineral world, for my calf. What do my sheep and horses need? Would sea kelp be the best answer for all of them? I truly want to provide the best for my critters, so what do I need to give them. tx

 

[Beekissed]

I'm not sure about the very best, but I will tell you that the sea kelp is what Salatin uses for his cattle and I have used it for my cow/calf and my sheep.

I bought a 50# bag for $50 two years ago and I've only used 2/3 of the bag! I mix it like Salatin....half kelp, half coarse salt.

The way it seems to work is that they eat ad lib as much as they need and then they only nip at it now and again. He wrote observations about how they eat quite a bit when you first use it~and then seem to taper off quickly as their mineral needs subside~ and he noticed they ate poor quality hay much better if this mineral is available.

He states he hasn't had a case of pink eye since starting with the kelp as the iodine seems to play a part in that particular disease.

I know when I forget to fill the feeder for a little while and I finally do so, they go crazy for it for a day or two. I guess animals know when they are deficient in something and will regulate their own needs if presented with a good mineral supplement.

The thing I like about kelp is the fact that it doesn't have any sweetener to make it more attractive....they only eat it when they need the supplement, not just because they like the taste. I worry about the ones laced with molasses and wonder if they don't regulate the intake as per need, but solely on taste.

 

[TanksHill]

 

[FarmerChick]

hey Miss
you really should google the mineral requirements for all 3 critters

calf and horse are kinda the same requirements but sheep do need copper etc....so knowing each animals limits of copper etc is very important when supplementing

geez I had my horse Willy on a natural supp (ah, what the heck was the name of that stuff in a big tub---geez I can't remember darn it, but he was on it when getting older and it sure helped in)----but anyway, the boarding stable was told to give him one small scoop (like less than 1/4 cup one time per day) they were giving him 1 cup per day. He went nuts. He was so high as a kite I could not go near him for about 3 days. He was dangerous and out of his mind. Not sure how long it took for him to go over the edge with them feeding that ----but when he went nuts, he went crazy lol

gist of all that is.....even a natural supp can make critters go insane or be harmful

so just google the requirements and limits of each and you should be fine

even in the critter world never does one food or supp fit everyone lol

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'm not sure about the very best, but I will tell you that the sea kelp is what Salatin uses for his cattle and I have used it for my cow/calf and my sheep.

I bought a 50# bag for $50 two years ago and I've only used 2/3 of the bag! I mix it like Salatin....half kelp, half coarse salt.

The way it seems to work is that they eat ad lib as much as they need and then they only nip at it now and again. He wrote observations about how they eat quite a bit when you first use it~and then seem to taper off quickly as their mineral needs subside~ and he noticed they ate poor quality hay much better if this mineral is available.

He states he hasn't had a case of pink eye since starting with the kelp as the iodine seems to play a part in that particular disease.

I know when I forget to fill the feeder for a little while and I finally do so, they go crazy for it for a day or two. I guess animals know when they are deficient in something and will regulate their own needs if presented with a good mineral supplement.

The thing I like about kelp is the fact that it doesn't have any sweetener to make it more attractive....they only eat it when they need the supplement, not just because they like the taste. I worry about the ones laced with molasses and wonder if they don't regulate the intake as per need, but solely on taste.

Hey Bee, I looked into the sea kelp youhad mentioned, and at this point and time it is too much $$. I n=might end up still ordering it, but...... ($$ since I' in Canada--I ight se if any other canucks have an iterest in it so we ccuod go in together for an order)

FC, I have searched and am not finding what I need, Therefore I come tho the homestead experts.

 

[Beekissed]

Miss, I didn't order online. I just requested it at my local feed store and he ordered me some along with his other feed orders from his wholesale distributor. Might be worth asking about this to avoid shipping costs.

I really like my local feed guy...although I never buy his chicken feed. There are so many commercial poultry operations around here that he formulates his feeds geared towards their needs.

 

[FarmerChick]

Here is a forum chat room for Dexter cattle

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oG7mng2...**http://dextercattle.proboards.com/index.cgi



if you throw out your question on this forum you should have tons of knowledgable replies real fast.

hey I didn't know you should never bred a short-legged Dexter to another short-legged Dexter.....huh learned something new lol

hope it helps you

 

[Beekissed]

Wonder why? Does this produce a Dexter with his transmission dragging the ground?

 

[Farmfresh]

Dwarfism and or death.

"Dexters come in two frame sizes, generally termed "long" and "short" legged, but more accurately as carriers and non-carriers. The difference between the two frame sizes is due to the chondrodysplasia gene present in the "short leg" or carrier Dexters and when a single allele is present produces a Dexter that has approximately a 2 inch shorter cannon bone. The carrier Dexters have a "dwarf" look, because they are in fact dwarfs, while the "long leg" or non-carrier Dexters are perfectly proportioned small cows. There is a breeding restriction for the carriers or "short legged" variety to prevent the production of "bulldog" calves (nonviable) resulting from two alleles of the chondrodysplasia gene. Tests for the chondrodysplasia gene are now available to assist breeders and buyers of Dexters to know what type they are breeding and purchasing, although generally one can tell chondrodysplasia from the phenotype." The Irish Dexter

Several other animals have the same fatal gene thing. Japanese bantams are another example of this problem of breeding short legs to short legs.

Other fatal genes are exhibited by true tufted tail less Araucana chickens, which have a VERY low hatch rate due to a double recessive gene that produces the lack of a tail.

Ovaro to Ovaro (a paint colorization) horses produce foals with Lethal white syndrome that always die shortly after birth.

 

[Beekissed]

So...who is in favor of adapting another category and unofficially renaming it and using it for homestead livestock until they develop one for us. Say....one of the energy categories?