For more than 100 years Purina Mills has been helping people raise poultry. In fact, poultry feeds were among the very first products we sold. For fresh eggs to farm-raised chickens, you can count on Purina to provide products that will help ensure the health and well-being of your flock.
Purina has a poultry feed that’s perfect for each stage of development. See the chart below for recommended guidelines:
Source: Purina Poultry
There are two major behavioral problems that poultry owners must tackle at the first appearance. Both can be caused and cured.
Egg-eating:
Egg-eating generally occurs when a hen finds a broken egg, tastes it, likes it, and begins searching for broken eggs. Then she learns to break them herself. Broken eggs occur more often when there is inadequate litter to cushion them, inadequate nutrition (either via improper feeding or heavy parasite or disease challenges) that results in weak egg shells, and infrequent gathering. The longer an egg lays in the hen house, the greater the chance it will be broken. So frequent gathering is your primary weapon against egg-eating. Broody hens can increase the likelihood of broken eggs because they constantly occupy a nest and they cause increased traffic in the other nests. Bright lights in the nesting area are a stressor that can increase nervousness and picking behavior. Scaring hens out of nests can also result in broken eggs. Always approach hens quietly and encourage gentle movement.
Finally, if eggs are being broken, you must find the perpetrator and get rid of her. Hens that learn to eat eggs must be culled, as they will never give up the habit and they will teach it to other hens. However, before culling, make sure the culprit is, indeed, a hen. Egg-eating hens will usually have dried yolk on their beaks and heads. If your hens are clean, suspect another culprit. Snakes, rats, weasels, even domestic pets all enjoy eggs. Be sure your hen house is well-barricaded against predators and unwelcome visitors.
Cannibalism:
Cannibalism is a vicious habit that is upsetting and costly. It can occur in fowl of any age, breed, strain, or gender. It is almost always caused by stress related to poor management. Once stressed, birds begin picking at the feathers, vent, comb or toes of another bird. Once blood is tasted, this terrible habit can spread like wildfire through the entire flock. Unless you eliminate this problem immediately, it rapidly gets out of control.
Stressors that can cause cannibalism include:
If you experience a cannibalism outbreak, closely review all your management and environmental circumstances. Darken your facilities with red or low-wattage light bulbs, remove injured birds, lower the pen temperature if possible, and apply “anti-peck” ointment or pine tar to damaged birds. Identify and remove overly aggressive birds. Do not return to normal lighting, etc., until serenity has returned to the flock, and then do so gradually!
Source: Purina Poultry
Almost every flock will experience an outbreak of disease or parasitism at some time, but good management and biosecurity measures can go a long way to protecting your flock and minimizing problems. The first thing every bird owner should do is find a veterinarian familiar with poultry and work with that person to establish a strong flock health program. Your veterinarian will know which vaccinations may be needed in the area where you live and can assist you with a vaccination program appropriate for your flock. Many small flock owners never vaccinate because they think their birds will not be affected. However, anyone attending shows, working with 4-H members and their birds, or bringing in outside birds should vaccinate. Many diseases are very easily transferred by other humans, and birds that appear to be the picture of health can be carriers that constantly shed viruses. Some diseases, such as Marek‘s disease, can never be thoroughly gotten rid of – once your premises are contaminated, they are considered to be contaminated forever.
Always get a veterinarian‘s recommendation first, as vaccinating for one disease may cause another to become worse. Symptoms of some diseases may be confused with other conditions, so a serology test is needed for confirmation. Some diseases affect all poultry, others only some. Again, work with a veterinarian to establish a solid flock health program.
Source: Purina Poultry
Summer is near and your spring chicks will be approaching puberty. Assuming they’ve enjoyed good food and care, the young hens, called pullets, begin laying sometime between their 16th and 24th week of age.
You can anticipate the arrival of eggs soon! Discovering a hen’s first egg from your own hand-raised chicks is a thrill. Pullet eggs are tiny and look like gems in the nest.
If your pullets are over 16 weeks of age, now is the time to switch them to a Nutrena® layer feed, as laying hens need special nutrition. Producing eggs places great nutritional strain on a hen’s body. Just think of the calcium she is giving up each time she lays an egg! Nutrena® brand layer feeds have the minerals, vitamins, protein and other nutrients needed to help keep your birds healthy and productive. Now would also be a good time to supplement calcium by putting oyster shell out or sprinkling it on the coop floor for hens to discover and eat.
Are your pullets ready to lay eggs? Here’s how to tell:
To check if the hen’s pelvis bones have begun to separate, cradle the hen between your side and arm with the hen facing your back so you see its rear end. Carefully hold the bird’s feet so it can’t kick. Place your other hand gently on the hen’s rear end. If three prominent bones are close together, don’t expect eggs for a few more weeks, but if the bones have separated, expect eggs soon!
Pullets like to lay eggs in privacy, and it’s important to have nest boxes in place before the first egg arrives. These can be purchased or made of lumber and should be approximately 10-12 inches square and about 18-inches deep. Install one nest box for every two hens and place them from one to three feet above the floor. Line the nests with straw, dried grass, wood chips or even shredded paper to help keep the eggs clean.
Source: Nutrena Poultry Knowledge Center
As you reach the third month, your chicks are continuing to grow, maturing weekly and becoming quite independent. They become sexually mature between 4 and 6 months of age and with proper care and excellent nutrition the first egg is laid soon!
Source: Purina Poultry
The first few weeks of a foal’s life can be the highest risk period in the life of a horse. There are several gastrointestinal disorders that can quickly drain the health of your foal and cause failure to thrive. Here’s a look at some of the more common GI issues to be aware of in foals.
This is a bacterial infection that can affect foals from several days to three months of age. It is caused by a type of bacteria that produces toxins that damage the intestine.
The primary cause of viral diarrhea in foals is rotavirus. It is extremely contagious. It is caused by a viral organism shed in the feces, which can persist in the environment for up to nine months.
Your vet will identify the virus by testing fecal samples
Supportive with intravenous fluids to prevent or treat dehydration.
Most foals will recover with early treatment if not in a prolonged state of electrolyte imbalance or dehydration.
Disinfect stalls before foaling and quarantine new arrivals before introduction into the herd. Vaccinate broodmare during the eighth, ninth and tenth months of gestation.
The key to avoiding life threatening GI issues is early intervention. When a foal displays a lack of appetite, diarrhea, depression or lethargy you should seek prompt veterinary consultation. Because of the vulnerable stage of life in early foals waiting until tomorrow could be serious, even fatal.
Source: Lone Star Horse Report
Don’t forget to shop for mom! We have a great selection of flowers and plants in our garden center that your mother can enjoy far beyond Mother’s Day. But don’t be one of those last minute shoppers. We’ll be closed on Mother’s Day, so stop in early.
Like the human body, plants will limp along despite poor nutrition, but they will thrive and grow best with optimal nutrition, which is why we fertilize—to add nutrients. Fertilizers typically include the soil-supplied nutrients that plants use in largest quantity. Ideally, all these nutrients would be in the ground, but perfect soil is rare. If you improve your garden plot over time, you may eventually achieve an ideal soil, but in the meantime, you can supplement your plants with nutrients from a bag or a bottle.
The Three Main Nutrients That Aren’t in the Bag
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the three largest components of plants, but these are not available from fertilizer. These come from the air and from decomposing organic matter. That’s one reason why it is important to have good, rich soil with enough pore space to hold water and air (for hydrogen and oxygen) and enough organic matter to break down and supply the carbon.
The guaranteed analysis on the bag is where you can get a close look at what is in the bag, how much is in the bag, and what sources it is derived from.
The Three Main Nutrients That Are in the Bag
A fertilizer has three numbers printed on the package that state the percentage (by weight) of the three main plant nutrients—nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). For example, you might see a bag labeled 4-7-6. The first number (4), refers to nitrogen, the second number (7), refers to phosphorous, and the third number (6), refers to potassium. Common fertilizer formulas you may see sold for vegetables are 4-6-6, 10-10-10, or 14-14-14. Until recently, these three numbers were required by law to always be prominently placed on the front of the package; however, the law changed, allowing manufacturers to move these numbers to back or side panels of the package, so you may have to look a little harder for them. Often they are listed in a section called “Guaranteed Analysis,” which is required by law to list each and every nutrient in the package and the percentage of each. This is where you can dig deeper to see all the nutrients in the bag, allowing you to compare products and prices.
Look for the three-number formula on every bag of fertilizer. Just remember NPK, which stands for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The formula represents the ratio of these three ingredients always in that order.
What Nutrients Do
Minor, or trace, elements are nutrients used by plants in very small amounts but that are still essential to plant health. Iron (Fe) is the one you will commonly see added to fertilizer because it is often lacking in poor soils; it aids in the conversion of sunlight to energy and helps plant foliage maintain a dark green color. Manganese, boron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum are sometimes present in fertilizer, too. Chlorine and cobalt are also needed for plant growth but are rarely added to fertilizer.
How do you know if a fertilizer is organic? Most of the time, the package will say organic, and you can be sure if you see the OMRI logo, which stands for Organic Materials Review Institute, a body that certifies products as organic. This is voluntary and involves extra paperwork and expense for the manufacturer, so not all organic products will have this certification.
One of the benefits of adding compost made from a variety of garden and kitchen scraps to your garden is that it is likely to supply many of these trace elements.
HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION
In a nutshell, it is wise to know what your plants need and what you are buying when you purchase fertilizer. If your soil is too low in one of the essential nutrients not included in the fertilizer that you buy, you will still have problems. You can get your soil tested through a service offered by your regional Cooperative Extension service to analyze the nutritional content of your soil. This is not always necessary, but it is a good thing to do for a “baseline” reading of your garden.
The needs of most vegetables are usually met by a complete fertilizer containing a good balance of the three major plant nutrients and often a few other nutrients. Fertilizers with higher N-P-K numbers, such as 14-14-14, indicate a more concentrated product, which means that you need to use less of them than you would use of a fertilizer with a lower number such as 8-8-8. Organic fertilizers usually have low numbers, such as 4-7-6, but they often contain plenty of other nutrients, and they support the health of soil microbes and other components of the soil food web.
When using organic fertilizers, always mix them into the soil thoroughly and then water the prepared site before you set out your plants; this is essential because organic fertilizers depend on soil microbes to break them down into a form that can be taken up by plants. In contrast, most synthetic and liquid fertilizers are quickly available to plants. Most blended organic fertilizers that you buy in packages at garden centers will not burn plant roots when applied correctly, but high-nitrogen sources such as alfalfa, cottonseed meal, feather meal, chicken manure, and other “hot” agricultural by-products can injure plants if they come into direct contact with their roots.
Finally, don’t forget to add compost to your soil each time you plant. Over time, the fertility of your soil will improve, and you will need less fertilizer to grow a healthy, productive garden.
Source: Bonnie Plants
It can be tricky to get hummingbirds coming to your yard, but once you have the right environment you’ll have the visiting and coming back for more! Here are the top 8 things the hummingbird society recommends for success:
Provide a place for bathing:
Nesting:
Spoil Them:
Source: Hummingbird Society
Now is the time to get your hay crop seed. We have over 40 types of seed including 3 Way Cross Sudan Seed and Bermuda grass seed. We also have bagged and bulk fertilizer available. Stop by J & N Feed and Seed or call us for delivery at (940) 549-4631.