Winter Weather and Livestock

We are in full swing winter here in the Barn!   Now is the time to be sure you know a few things about taking care of your animals during the harsh winter months.  I decided to write this piece since we had some super cold days and nights this last week. 

Pigs actually do very well during the cold months, much better than our goats do!  The main thing to remember about your pig and the snow is to make sure they have a dry spot for bedding - weather they are in a barn or out side.  If outside be sure they have a shelter so they can get out of the elements, wind is the worst for them.  If your temperatures drop below -45 degrees you may see little to no activity from your pig.  They will hold up in their warm spot until the temperatures start to improve.  Always make sure you keep them with plenty of food.  A sow will need roughly 7500 kcal/day to maintain.  They also really enjoy slope so make sure you keep them fed and plenty of water if you don't feed in a slope fashion.

 Goats .... They are bit more tricky when it comes to winter weather. 
Make sure you keep them with water at all times, they will not break through ice in a bucket so we suggest you use heated buckets.  Those have worked the best in our barn.  For the kids make sure to have heat lamps going if it drops below 30 degrees.  If you are in kidding season as we currently are, you have to keep a close eye on the nannies.  Once the kids arrive you will need to get them dried off so they have a good shot a surviving.  When using heat lamps make sure you are only using those approved for barns.  Heat lamps have been known to cause barn fires.  Make sure you keep your nannies supplied with plenty of hay and grain with minerals.  During cold weather make sure to increase by 15% to help them maintain.  If you have goats that aren't in a barn you may want to increase feed another 5% and always make sure they have a suitable shelter to get out of the elements.




Cows are the easiest of all of them!!!! They are built to withstand the cold.  Even when calving they do well in the elements.  They really only need a wind break, unless you are experiencing days of snow fall or cold rain they will have very few issues with the cold weather.  When dealing with maintaining your cattle during those cold months, remember to help the out with increasing their feed.  Ranchers usually recommend for every 10 degrees below 30 degrees you increase feed by 10-13%.   You will also want to be sure they have a water source.

  

We hope all these little tips and tricks help you out with your livestock during our winter months. 

We can't wait to show off all our little ones coming due this spring.  Make sure to keep checking back for updates and information.

Brad ~

Barn2Fridge

Stress On Show Animals

My livestock here in the barn experience a couple different kinds of stress.  Stress can occur with weather conditions or when transporting.  With fair coming up here are a few tips that have helped me control my animals health / stress.

Weather Condition Stress

Now that we are into the heat of the summer it can sure take its toll on your livestock.  It doesn't matter if your animals are for breeding, show or family pets you need to make sure you are doing a few things to help keep them less stressed.


1.  Water is the most important factor during our summer heat.  Make sure they have plenty of water.  I have to check water 2-3 times a day when it is hot to make sure they have plenty to drink.  It is always wise to change the water out each time so it is cool and clean.  Approximately 55% of a pigs body weight is water, imagine what damage can be done if they don't have enough water to keep them hydrated in this heat.



2.  Shade is so important in this heat.  For all the animals at the barn we make sure they have a way to get out of the heat of the day.  For those of you that don't know the heat of the day is considered those super hot hours in the afternoon before the sun starts to set.  If they can't get into a shady spot they will easily over heat and potentially become dehydrated.  We make sure they have shade from a building or a way to get inside the barn.  This is a little harder with the horses & cows, so we just make sure they are in a pasture that has some form of shade.


3.  Cooling barns, if you are able to set up a cooling system for your barn (i.e. swamp cooler or AC units).  Make sure you don't cause your animals the reverse effects from conditions too cold.  You need to remember while this seems really nice for your animal if you are taking it to fair .... there will not be any AC units at fair.  You also need to make sure your cooling unit is working properly and not blowing hot air onto your animals.  In my barn I just wet down the ground during those hot afternoon hours so they can cool down.  The pigs love this and will wait for me to show up.  I don't do this with the goats, horses or cows they have fur to help regulate temperature and it is best to keep them dry.

Fair Stress

The transportation to fair is where the stress begins .... from there it can go all down hill if you don't do a few things to help your animal out.

1.  Water ... Have I mentioned how important that is to your animals?  A pig can loose up to 5% of its weight when stressed and if it goes past 15% of its weight it could die.  I take water very seriously when it comes to transporting.   Make sure your animal has access to water up to the very moment you load and then again when you unload.

2.  Car Ride ... Or in our case truck & trailer ride.  This will cause stress the very first time you do this.  Anything you expose your animal to that he is not familiar with will cause anxiety for him.  But particularly the unsteady feeling on your feet feeling they have with their first ride.  We make sure to take all of our animals for at least one ride prior to hauling them to fair.  This helps calm the nerves and they know what to expect when it is all over. And what every you do don't over crowd the ride - don't haul all your animals in one load if they won't comfortably fit in the vehicle. Hauling your animal has always seemed to be much tougher on the goats than an of our other animals.

3.  Exposure .... What do I mean by this?  Well several things.  When they arrive at fair they are going to experience all types of exposures - to other animals, hoards of people, city water and a new pen.  Stress city is going on inside your animal during this time.   At the barn we always have people out looking at the animals - this helps with the people exposure.  We also change them up in their pens at the barn - this helps them not stress when they leave their current roommate.  Sometimes they have to spend a few weeks next to the pigs or by the cows.  This helps everyone not freak out when their situation changes.  There are a couple of tricks to the city water dilemma I will share with you a bit later.  New pen,  make sure you bring something familiar with them too their new pen. For me it is a watering device or feed dish.   Also, I like to take them to a jackpot or 2 - this really helps calm the nerves when they get to do it again.

This is Lunch Box - at a jackpot in Colorado I went to in June.

Stress Tips

1.  Water, Water, Water -  Make sure they have some.  Make sure it is clean and cool.  Give it to them before and after transportation.  Check it frequently.  Your animal can go without food for a day or two but lack of hydration will kill him.

2. Exposure - Make sure you don't keep your animal in an isolation room.  Let him see what is going on in the world before you thrust him into the fair world. 

3.  Electrolytes - What?  This is my secret ingredient for all the animals.  For the pigs we start electrolytes in their water about a week or so before fair (this also helps with the city vs. well water issue).  With the goats we do the same.  I don't show my cattle so I have never had to worry about this.  Below is what we use for electrolytes - 

Pigs - Gatorade -  you may need to try different flavors but most of my pigs just love the stuff.  Or you can buy an over the counter type of electrolytes.

Goats - Home Made - half gallon hot water / 2-6 TBSP un-sulfured blackstrap molasses, 1-2 TBSP sea salt, Epsom salt, baking soda or table salt / 1 cup apple cider vinegar - mix well and serve.  You can also use over the counter electrolytes that come in paste of powder forms.  With goats you can drench them with the electrolytes.

When and how do I do this.  I usually start a week before the fair but at the very least the day before.  I make sure they have some on board before loading, then I make sure they get them when we arrive.  This way when they start to stress it doesn't cause more damage to their digestive tracks and they remain hydrated.

Hope these tips help.  Can't wait to see everyone at fair.  Make sure to follow me on FaceBook, I will be posting fair highlights as we go. 

From My Barn to Yours -

Bradley







Goat Showing Tips

Goat Showmanship is pretty easy if you follow these 10 simple steps

1. Practice walking your goat before the show.  Don't wait until the day before, you should start walking them daily on a halter then switch to a show collar months before fair.  Practice, practice, practice because he is just as nervous as you are so the more work you do together the more he will trust you when you get to the ring.


2. Properly  prepare /shear your goat about a week before the show.  Look at the rules for show to make sure your goat is uniformly clipped / sheared for the show.  A good rule of thumb is 3/8 inch or closer if the show doesn't have any rules listed.  You can leave hair on the legs up to the knee / hock and a little tuft at the end of the tail.  Some shows will have you tip the horns if your goat has horns.


3.  The day of the show clean and groom your animal.  Make sure not to forget to trim the hooves so the judge can see he walks correctly and doesn't have defects of the foot / leg.


4.  Next get your self ready.  Dress appropriately.  Make sure to check on the dress code for the show.  Many shows will not allow you to wear blue jeans.  I usually wear dress slacks and a long sleeve button down shirt.


5.  You are now ready for the ring.  Make sure to keep eye contact with the judge at all times.  Smile and look like you are really enjoying yourself even though you may be nervous inside.  Make sure to follow what the judge tells you to do.  Don't talk with your neighbor, it is rude.


6.    Keep your goat between you and the Judge at all times.  To change sides do a roll turn, remember to always change sides at the head.  Move to the front of the goat when the judge is viewing the goat from the rear.


7.  Keep his feet set to display his muscle.  Set the leg closest to the judge first.  It is ok to reach over your goat to set the legs.  Make sure his weight is evenly distributed.  Avoid slapping the legs, pick them up and place them.  To set your goat, you can brace from the front with your inner thigh.  When the judge is looking at the front, hold his head high and step to the side to show off his chest.


8.  Remain calm even if your goat is misbehaving.  Even though you have worked with him, he may become scared or bored and start acting out.  Don't hit, drag him or treat him in a rough manor.


9.  Do what the judge asks.  You will typically start the show by walking the goat clockwise around the ring.  Keep your goat under control and by your side.  Don't drag him,  if he won't move you can grab his tail and give a little encouragement to move forward by lifting his tail.  Once the judge asks you to stop, set your goat.  At this point you will stand or squat with your goat at this head.  If you are much taller than your goat, you may want to work on squatting with your goat in his stance.  Make sure to pay attention to the judge at all times and wait for your next request.


10.  Be a good sportsman.  Make sure to shake the judges hand when he has completed his rankings.  Make sure to congratulate other winners. 

More Than Just A Barn....

Here at Barn 2 Fridge we are about more than just a barn for the animals I raise to sell.  It is about sharing our knowledge and helping others start a project. 

 

I would like you to meet Morgan .... and his 2 kids (Bruce & Willy)

Morgan and the kids are part of another opportunity I offer here at the barn.

 

Morgan showed his doe goat last year at fair.  When he didn't want to sell her he asked for my help in starting his own breeding project.  We brought his doe to the barn and bred her with Roger (see my previous post).   Now Morgan has his Nanny goat to show in breeding class and 2 amazing little kids to show in market class this year.  It was so amazing to see the excited look on Morgan's face when he got to see his baby goats for the first time.  I look forward to helping him again this year.

 

 

 

GOAT CLINIC

Knowledge is only beneficial if you share it, And that is what I am doing here in the barn.

I had my first Goat Clinic of the season on April 23rd.   We vaccinated the kids, placed ear tags (for scrapies) and banded the males.   When that was done they learned how to put a halter on their goat and how to start working with them for showing.

 

 

  

  

 

 

These clinics are about a little more than just me sharing my knowledge .... They are about giving children who live in the city an opportunity to learn how to raise an animal and prepare it for showing at the Laramie County Fair.  This year we have 3 members of the Barn 2 Fridge goat clinic / goat showing opportunity.  All 3 children got to come to the barn and select their kid.  Each week they come out to the barn and learn new skills, participate in cares and attend educational clinics.  This year will be the first year for each of these kids (Mik, Anthony & Caden)  to participate in fair.  As this experience progress I will do my best to keep you all updated of everyone's progress.

 

I'm really looking forward to this years fair prep in the barn.

 

~Brad~

Boer vs Texas Genemaster Goats

We have been getting some questions as to the different appearance of our 2 sets of goats.  So, I thought I would take a minute and explain the different breeds I am producing here at Barn2Fridge.

Our first group of babies were produced from Boer parents.  Both the dame and sire are registered Boer.  Below is little Bobby he was our first male born in the first group of kids.  My plan is to keep him for breeding this fall.

Boer

 

Boer goats were developed in South Africa in the early 1900's.  There primary purpose was for meat production.  This has made them a very popular breed for 4H show goats.  The name Boer is a Dutch word meaning farmer.

 

 

 

Texas GeneMaster

 

 

Texas Genemaster are 5/8 Boer and 3/8 Kiko.  This breed has been bred to be superior because they have the bulk of a Boer goat but the hardiness of a Kiko goat.  Studies have shown that Texas Genemaster kids will grow and be heavier at a much more rapid rate than purebred Boer or purebred Kiko goats.  The development of this cross breed was started on a ranch in Texas in 1995.  It has been trademarked by the Onion Creek Ranch.

 

 

 

Last summer after purchasing 2 bred Boer Does I started to do research on market meat goats and came across the Texas Genemaster.  I found a ranch in Colorado that produced these beautiful goats. We went and visited this ranch and learned how they run their breeding operation.  They run 300 breeding nannies with a year round operation.  It was very interesting, they gave us many great tips and tricks for starting a breeding operation.  They are who we purchased Roger from (pictured above).  We bred Roger with  5 Boer Does last fall.  Our newest arrivals Cinnamon and Grace are 

his kids.  We have 3 more does due any day.

I plan to track the growth of all of the babies and will keep you posted on their growth rates.

Thank you for your interest in my project.
Brad~

The Babies Are Coming!

A little update.....


We have several animals due to give birth right now.  We are all very excited and can't wait to see what the next deliveries bring us.

As you know we have already had 2 goats kid - giving us 4 very healthy kids (3boys & 1 girl).

Just as soon as the first of our next round of babies arrives I will keep you posted.


Thank you again for following me.


Brad

Welcome to Barn 2 Fridge

Thank you for checking out my blog site. 


This is a little about me and why I started Barn2Fridge.


My name is Brad and I started my journey with livestock at a very young age of 5 when my sister bought her first pig for a 4H swine project.  I personally started showing animals at the age of 8.  I’m now very active in 4H & FFA and have shown ducks, chickens, turkeys, goats and pigs.  Though all my efforts of showing animals I have built a network of people who contact me annually to buy my home raised animals to feed their family.  This started me think …. Why not make this a business.


With the buy in from my parents at the age of 14 I started Barn 2 Fridge.  In doing so I expanded our basic operation into several breeding projects so I could better meet the needs of my customers.  Over the first year I increased my number of chickens from 12 to 21 for a more stable supply of eggs.  I purchased 9 turkeys for 2015 Thanksgiving season and successfully sold all of them.  I then purchased 4 head of cattle; 1 bull & 3 heifers.  My first calf is due in Spring 2016 and I’m so excited for this.  I purchased 6 nannie goats (2 of them I showed at fair last year) and a Billy goat.  Thus far I have birthed 4 amazing kids and have 4 more nannie goats due between March and April.  Last but not least; I followed my sister in her swine breeding projects and she and I have 2 gilts and 1 boar together.  We are expecting our first liter of piglets in early summer. 


This is all keeping me very busy for sure.  I started this blog to share my experiences of what has worked and what hasn’t worked for my farm and agricultural experience.  I hope you enjoy following my experiences along the way.

Thank you
Brad