The life of a show pig isn’t always an easy one. Although producers and exhibitors go to great lengths to care for their animals, pigs go through a lot of transitions in their short life, and with each change, stress occurs. Consider the fact that the average litter size is 10-12 pigs, the little piglet […]
Category: Feeding Strategies
It All Starts With Good Help and a Great Mineral
In an era when fads come and go and trends change with the seasons, Greg Beatty believes in keeping the basics of livestock nutrition at the core of his feeding program. Beatty Club Lambs, located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, flushes about 30 ewes in the late summer and fall, prioritizing a flush program to generate consistency […]
Overcoming the Commingling Conundrums
If you are a parent, you understand about the ‘back to school sniffles’ and even though most kids return to school in the heat of summer, they are likely to show up with some type of cold or congestion within the first few weeks of school. They are in a new, enclosed environment with countless […]
Anxious Animals :: Reducing Stress in Your Show Animals
Your palms are sweaty and your mouth is dry. It’s your first time giving a speech in front of a crowd this big. You’re prepared, but your anxiety rises and your stomach flips and flops as you walk on the stage with all those spotlights shining on you! Or think about when you started a […]
Making the Transition: Preparing Your Gilt to Be a Productive Sow
Any exhibitor of any species is going to maximize the animal’s true genetics to make it look its very best in the show ring. This includes feeding and exercising, conditioning the skin and hair and making sure that the animal looks spot-on each time it walks into the show ring. But, have you given thought […]
Considerations for Creep Feed
To creep, or not to creep? That is the million dollar question for many producers. When determining whether or not to creep feed, a producer must assess financial variables with production goals to determine what creep protocol (if any) is the best fit for their production scenario. Prior to weaning, a calf’s diet consists of […]