Pampered Pets

In Australia, invasive weeds are among the most serious threats to the natural environment and primary production industries, and it is estimated that weeds cost the country’s agricultural production in the region of $4 billion each year.

Weeds are also a menace to farmers, often causing greater yield loss than insects, pathogens, rodents, birds etc. And to provide them with advice and assistance on the best way to tackle the scourge of weeds, many farmers turn to the farming supplies companies.

Many farm supplies companies have a range of weed killers and herbicides which can be used to control weeds, and the reputable ones will have experienced personnel with whom farmers can discuss weed management solutions.

An interesting point about weeds (and one which every farmer should know says Australian farm supplies company, The Farm Co), is that the risk of weed invasion increases significantly when there’s an environmental emergency, ie flooding or fire.   When there’s flooding, weed seeds can be carried into other fields and areas by the water, plus weeds can take advantage of the crops that will be stunted or killed by the flood event.

Many farmers manage this problem by implementing integrated weed management (IWM), which is a long term management approach involving several elements such as physical control and chemical control.  An online farming supplies company can help farmers with this plan.  For eg, the professionals at the farming supplies company can discuss which products would be best in certain situations as herbicides vary according to their chemical make-up.

A quick response to any weed outbreaks is vital and farmers should be able to trust their rural supplies company to deliver any chemical controls etc quickly and efficiently so that they can control and prevent the weeds from spreading, says The Farm Co.

Many hobby farmers find it more difficult than professional farmers to control weeds, but a new booklet in Australia called‘Weed Detection and Control on Small Farms’ which covers a range of issues such as suitable control methods, herbicide use, controlling large-scale weed outbreaks etc is a very helpful tool for them.

A flock of ducks brightens any farmstead. Ducks entertain us with their regimented ways and properly ordered lines. They love to eat weeds and can help out the farm by providing eggs. Instead of waiting till your ducks start laying, plan now for the best way to utilize their eggs.

In the kitchen, duck eggs run somewhat bigger than chicken eggs, have a larger yolk, and both the yolk and albumen are richer as compared to chicken eggs. Egg white recipes like meringues will fluff higher with duck eggs compared to chicken eggs. As stated by UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, baked goods made with duck eggs are going to be richer, fluffier and moister.

If your flock is large enough to generate sellable numbers of eggs, consider that Oliver’s promotion of duck eggs in cooking resulted in a 72% increase in duck egg sales at a single specialty food shop in the United Kingdom, in accordance with a report in the London Daily Mail. While your word may not carry the weight that Oliver’s does, a couple of tasty samples baked with duck eggs will generate sales at the farmer’s market. You might also consider quoting Oliver or playing the segment of his show in your booth. Package duck eggs in half dozens, so customers can give them a try without investing in an entire dozen.

In case you prefer your duck eggs develop into another duck, rather than a meal, you can incubate the eggs. Nonetheless, time of year is important for duck hatching. Ducks should reach sexual maturity at 7 months of age. If they are born between September and January, they’ll react to the longer days of summer by reaching sexual maturity up to 2 months prematurely. The resulting eggs will smaller and have really low hatch rates. Schedule your hatches from April through July to insure that your ducks are reaching sexual maturity as days are growing shorter.

For optimum hatch rates, your flock should have one male 6 females. If you’re selling eggs for hatching, collect the eggs early in the morning, handle carefully, storing with the small end down at a temperature of 55?F. Soiled eggs can be washed thoroughly, with water at 110 – 115ºF . Small, misshapen and cracked eggs should be discarded. Eggs can be held for about 2 weeks without a major loss in hatchability.

For the purpose of natural incubation, provide your ducks with a somewhat elevated nesting area which will stay dry. Nest boxes ought to be approximately 12″ wide x 18″ long x 12″ tall. Line the nests using wood shavings, straw, peanut hulls or peat moss and don’t take it personally once the duck rearranges it to her own style.

An incubator temperature of 99.5ºF and a relative humidity of 55% (84.5ºF wet bulb temperature) is required in artificial incubation. Turn the eggs a minimum of 4 times per day. In case your duck incubators have an automatic turner, set it up for hourly. A lot of duck breeds need 28 days to hatch out. At the 25th day turn the temperature down to 99ºF and the humidity as much as 65% (88ºF wet bulb) and stop turning the eggs. Whenever eggs pip, raise humidity to 80% (93ºF wet bulb). As the hatch progresses, little by little lower the humidity and temperature to ensure that whenever most eggs are hatched the temperature is 97ºF plus humidity is 70% (90º wet bulb).

Find out more information regarding duck egg incubation check out www.duckincubator.org.

The size of the properties isn’t the only difference between rural and urban living…think of the shopping !. That’s why when farmers choose their farm supplies company, they choose them carefully.

A rural supplies company should be like a partner to the farmer.  They should be supportive, knowledgeable, understanding, professional and on hand to offer expert advice on a wide range of issues affecting that farmer…because it’s not as if the farmer can go around the corner to the next shop!.

A livestock farmer for example, should have their farm supplies company on speed dial when it comes to getting advice on optimum animal health and nutrition.  The rural supplies guys should be able to give the very latest information on disease management, optimising productivity and should be up to date on any new products that have been released.

In fact, the best farm supplies company to use is one which is staffed by people who’ve been farmers themselves.  Because they have first-hand experience of farming – they appreciate just how important the farmer/rural supplies company relationship.

In a hot, dry country like Australia, they will have first-hand experience of just how critical water management is, and will be able to offer advice on irrigation, water collection and storage etc – plus they’ll have a comprehensive range of products such as hose fittings, spray nozzles, water fittings and poly fittings to support your water equipment needs.

Having lived and worked in a rural environment, they will understand the way of life and will appreciate their customers’ needs far better.

So, whatever your industry, whether you’re into livestock, dairy, horticulture, equine, crops…your rural supplies company should be your personal partner, not simply an impersonal website or faceless telephone operator taking your order for animal feed, hose fittings or spray nozzles!.

We’ve had an interesting few weeks in our new roles as chicken farmers – and it’s taught me quite a lot about the whole farming supplies industry.

Well, truth be told…we’re not really chicken farmers in the true sense of the term…unless a few chooks in the garden count?.  Having said that however, we have still needed to learn a lot of new stuff about chicken farming (albeit on a tiny scale) and make sure we do the best for our ‘flock’.

And in doing the research, I discovered quite a lot about the different farm supplies companies.

Being novices, we needed a lot of help – and surprisingly, we got that help from some of the farm supplies professionals.  But we did find out quite an interesting thing about  the rural supplies companies that were the most helpful – they were the ones that had the most accessible, friendly, welcoming and personal websites.

The organisations that resonated with us were the ones who had websites that were welcoming, that had a personal touch and that provided an insight into how the business operated – whereas the ones that appeared to be large organised only concerned with doing bulk deals, didn’t get our vote.

We found that we were more likely to buy our chicken coop from a farm supplies company that was run by people who had been farmers themselves, like the FarmCo in Western Australia – because they had actually used the products and understood them, whether it was chicken feed, vitamins, abrasives or brass fittings.

We also found out that even if you’re a farmer in the middle of nowhere, you can still get your farming supplies delivered….depending on who you buy from, of course.

And now that we’ve had a host of professional advice – we’re off to show everyone that we’re not chicken, we’re chicken farmers!

Running a farm or a collection of farms is just like running any other business – every aspect of the business has to be considered as part of the whole and in terms of its contribution (or lack thereof) to the profitability and productivity of the enterprise.

That means getting the best value out of all their resources, including their staff, their equipment, their technology and in the case of the farmer, their farm supplies company.  By keeping a firm and vigilant hand on these services, farmers and business managers will be strongly positioned for success.

For a farmer, their choice of farm supplies company is possibly one of the most crucial business decisions.  Farming supplies could be anything from abrasives to animal feed, poly fittings to shearing supplies, hose fittings to diesel tanks – but the  quality of the services that the rural supplies company provides is as important as the quality of the products.

For eg, when a farmer is in the market for new water fittings or a water tank, the farming supplies company should be able to provide expert advice and guidance which enables the farmer to choose the best possible product/s which will meet their individual needs and deliver the best possible outcomes.

In a lot of ways, a rural supplies company acts as a strategic partner to the farmer.  In fact, it’s a good idea to choose a farming supplies company that is run by people who have either owned or managed farms successfully themselves, because then you will be assured that they will share their knowledge, make practical and value-for-money recommendations and provide strategic advice that will enable farmers to achieve their strategic goals.

Your farming supplies company should have an in-depth understanding of rural conditions, and should be your first port-of-call when it comes to buying the small stuff like abrasives, water fittings and spray nozzles to the big stuff like shearing equipment and diesel tanks.

As a farmer, your job is to make sure that your crops or your livestock are cared for in the best possible way to get the best possible outcomes.

And that’s why, when it comes to farming supplies, that you choose a supplier which has your best interests at hand.

It is vital that they have an in-depth understanding of what you are trying to achieve on your farm, so that any rural supplies that they provide you with are the most appropriate ones to help you meet your objectives.

For example, a livestock farmer may want to treat minor health problems in their stock without having to call a veterinarian – and an experienced farm supplies company would be able to suggest which basic medical treatment would be appropriate.  For eg, they should carry a full range of vaccines, parasite treatments and of course, supplements and feeds to help you to optimally manage the overall health of your stock.

It is also important that your farming supplies company maintains close relationships with key providers so that they have access to the most up-to-date thinking on animal health, disease management and nutrition – and they can pass on this information directly to you.

And when it comes to crop farming – a good rural supplies company should be able to provide you with quality agronomy services, expert advice and guidance on things like fertiliser plans, crop protection products, fertiliser and general rural merchandise such as the appropriate spray nozzles or water fittings for optimum water management.

They should also have experience of your local conditions – so that they can make recommendations and offer advice on farming supplies and services that meet your unique needs.  There’s no debate…they should be your farming ‘partner’ and not merely a faceless supplier – and whether they’re helping you with a livestock nutrition programme or supplying some simple water fittings – your farm supplies company should always be on your side.

A growing proportion of farmers are using mobile telecommunications to make their lives easier.

From ordering farm supplies over the phone to weather forecasting, from predicting yields to pesticide records, from fertiliser data to buying hose fittings, mobile technology (ie tablets, mobile phones, iPads etc) is making the lives of the farmers simpler, easier, more convenient and importantly, more productive.

The website Agriculture.com reports that research conducted by Successful Farming magazine shows that farmers are quickly adopting smartphone technology – and are using their mobile devices less for entertainment and more as a working tool.  The report says that over 70% of survey respondents said they accessed ag-related information and services on their phones, with around a third saying they used their phones to access the internet daily.

Whether it’s an ordering service for farm supplies or an email to a neighbour, the simple truth is that farmers are benefiting from mobile technology in ways they never dreamt about.

Consider this…a farmer in the Australian outback sees that he needs to replace several hose fittings (and remember, that he could be hundreds of miles from the farmhouse because some farms down under are bigger than some European countries !).  You know you must order more when you get back to civilisation.   Later in the day, you notice your diesel tank is in need of repair and you need to order more brass fittings….another mental reminder.  The list will probably grow as the day goes on…which means more to remember – and more to forget!.

That’s where mobile technology has changed everything.  From ordering farming supplies to buying those new hose fittings, from receiving emails to connecting on social media, from browsing the web to downloading relevant agricultural applications – it’s no wonder that so many farmers are embracing mobile technology to improve productivity.

A person who wants to earn some extra money and who does not mind caring for animals may want to consider purchasing some egg laying hens and raising them in a DIY chicken coop. However, a person who intends to raise a few chickens and then sell the eggs should know exactly what he or she is getting into. Chickens are similar to pets in that they need care and attention. It is also important to realize that the local vet will probably not know what to do if the chicken gets hurt or sick.

A good question to start with is “How many chickens do I need?”. The fact is that the more chickens one has, the more eggs he or she will have available to sell. However, it is never a good idea to buy a large quantity of chickens if this is your first time raising these animals. Never start off with a large brood of chickens; the odds are that you will regret it. First off, you will want to check your city’s zoning laws and make sure you are allowed to raise chickens in your backyard, and if so, how many. Some cities allow a city dweller to keep up to eight chickens, while other cities only allow one to have three chickens. You should also see how much space you have in your backyard for a chicken coop.

Before investing in chickens, take into consideration that the law will not allow you to slaughter the chickens and sell or eat the meat. Once you have the chickens, you are pretty much stuck with them, unless you know of a farm outside the city that would be willing to take them off your hands if need be. Keep in mind that you do not need large numbers of chickens in order to profitably raise chickens for their eggs. Some breeds of chickens, such as Light Sussex chickens, lay hundreds of eggs every year; even if you only have three chickens, you will be earning a fair bit of extra money.

A wise buyer will always make sure the chickens being purchased have been “sexed”. This ensures that you do not accidentally get one or more roosters in the batch. You do not need or want roosters, as hens can lay eggs without them. Furthermore, roosters crow and will annoy the neighbors, who may then complain to local authorities.

A person who wants to make a bit of money on the side should consider buying a few chickens and raising them.  It is fairly easy to build a chicken coop with a decent set of chicken coop designs.  While one cannot slaughter the chickens and sell them for meat, it is quite possible to raise egg laying chickens and then sell the eggs as they are laid. You will want to start with just a few chickens; you can always buy more if you want but it is hard to get rid of chickens that you have already purchased. Consider local laws, as you can get into trouble if you buy more chickens that are permitted under your city’s zoning laws. However, in most cases buying three chickens to start off with is a good idea, as these chickens can be cared for relatively easily and have the potential to help one earn a decent amount of money.

Alpacas produce different types of wool than other animals and are sought after for a uniqueness. They are camelids and are of the similar family as ones own larger cousins your llamas. They may be bred with llamas producing young called huarizo. While camels and llamas are generally used for load up animals or transportation this can size, alpacas become more compact and are bred for their fiber and sometimes with regard to meat.

There are virtually no wild alpacas in the modern world although the more compact vicuna is reported to be a wild ancestor in the alpacas. One with the reasons they are generally preferable over various fiber animals is a area needed to raise them is small. Ten alpacas is usually successfully raised a acre (0. 4047 hectare). This is partly due to your habit they need of not soiling their grazing area with waste. They are willing to use a Armageddon Paydays Review communal dung pile that could be away from their grazing area. Often when one alpaca goes to the pile to help urinate or defecate, others in the herd will stick to and stand in line to use the pile. This behavior has become used to the advantage of farmers who have got actually housebroken these individuals.

Alpacas are native to high mountain ranges and tend to be accustomed to very cold temperatures and robust terrain. Their fibers are typically more densely packed on the animal than various fiber animals as they are sometimes softer compared to standard sheep’s wool as a result of lack of lanolin. Since there is no lanolin, alpaca fiber is accepted as hypoallergenic but this downside is that very easy naturally repel h2o. It is flame resistant which is graded by the diameter for the fibers and the sum of vegetable matter that is submitted with this sample.

Even though alpacas are occasionally raised for animal products and their status to be a delicacy in some areas make sure they are a black marketplace target, mostly they’ve been raised for ones own fiber. They are sheared yearly accompanied by a nail and pearly white’s trimming. Often they are sheared by visiting professionals who create a circuit of facilities and ranches to help you the farmers at the time of annual shearing. Since they need not be SEO Link Monster killed so as to produce their materials, they are your renewable resource and they are often raised as a cash crop to help farmers and ranchers across the world.

There are finished eighty natural colors of alpaca fiber classified worldwide. This range around natural colors makes other forms of wool that are standard white, gray, brown, or ebony less competitive.

Whilst the primary professional of Joe B. Stable can be an animal skin broker, selling such goods as sheep themes, he occasionally provides animal by-products like raw greasy wool. This entails a knowledge of wool testing and the different kinds of wool, as well being a understanding of the characteristics of a merino fleece.

Resource: http://www.seolinkmonsterr.org/

The question of “What table scraps can I feed chickens?” is an important one to address. Many people think that chickens should only have a limited diet consisting of grass and feed; this is not actually the case. The fact is that chickens are pretty resilient animals and are not picky about what they eat. Chickens living on a farm do not only eat grass and feed but will also eat weeds, small bugs and many other things as well. While there are some table scraps that are unsafe for chickens to eat, they can in fact eat most of your table scraps.

One should hold off on feeding chickens meal scraps until they are three or four months old. A person raising chickens should not only feed them with table scraps; the chickens will still need to eat feed as their main source of nourishment. No matter how many table scraps the chickens eat, they will still need to eat feed in order to grow properly. Some people recommend only giving chickens chopped vegetables, but one does not have to be bound by this rule. Chickens can and will eat bread scraps, small pieces of cooked meat, little bits of fruit, corn, grain oatmeal and peas.  It is also very easy to use chicken coop plans from the internet to put together your own chicken coops.

There are some table scraps that chickens should never be allowed to eat. Foods that are rotten or spoiled should be thrown out, along with foods containing chocolate, raw potato peels, avocado pits and avocado seeds. Other foods that chickens should not eat include raw meat, processed foods such as fast food, pizza and TV dinner leftovers, coffee grinds, foods with a lot of salt and raw meat. You can feed your chickens foods with lots of garlic or onions but it is not advisable. Foods with a strong taste can affect the taste of the eggs, although this is debatable.

Each chicken is different and has its own unique likes and dislikes. Not all chickens like all table scraps; they may eat some and then leave others. Uneaten table scraps will rot and should be removed right away if the chickens are not interested in eating them.

Chickens are much like goats; they can and will eat a wide range of different types of foods. If your chickens are three months old or older, then feel free to give them the healthy table scraps of your choice. However, it is important to make sure that the scraps are suitable for the chickens and will not cause them indigestion and food poisoning. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables and cooked meats are ideal table scraps for grown chickens. As long as the chickens also eat plenty of feed and the scraps are not going off, one should have no problem feeding chickens healthy table scraps.