A hens’ optimal temperature is between 18-24 degrees, and when temperatures start to drop below and rise above these, it can affect them in different ways. Keeping them warm and healthy is important to your hens health and egg production.
As the sunlight hours begin lessen through the winter months, this will affect your hens’ production schedule. By providing a light or heat lamp during times that used to be daylight hours this will keep her on her regular laying cycle.
Heating sources are not always necessary, however. If your coop is well enough insulated to keep their water from freezing, and/or you have a small flock that is large enough to huddle with one another, then you may not require a heating source. Chickens are very adaptable and can tolerate colder temperatures!
Winterizing your coop
Providing infinite above freezing temperature water and clean, dry bedding will keep your chickens comfortable and healthy all winter long. Deeper bedding can keep their feet from being too cold. Dampness and draft will affect your chickens more than the plummeting temperature, and these factors of winter can quickly start the onset of frostbite. Ventilating your coop properly and ensuring it is always dry will keep your hens healthy through the winter months.
Summer months
As the temperatures start to rise in summer months this can affect your hens differently. Heat stress can be fatal to your chickens so it is imperative to find ways to keep them cool. Providing good ventilation in their coop, and perhaps with the addition of a fan to circulate air can help keep temperatures from rising. Providing shady areas in their run can help them regulate their body temperatures on a hot, sunny day. If your coop doesn’t have a shaded area for most of the day, it is easy to set up something that can provide a bit of shade for them.
Having an area where they are able to scratch into the dirt to lay on cool ground can also help them regulate their body temperatures. As always, providing clean fresh water is of the utmost importance. Sometimes in extreme temperatures if you notice your hens are distressed by the heat, adding an electrolyte can help to prevent dehydration which can be detrimental. If your hens become too hot for a prolonged period of time, the stress can inhibit their laying production and therefore it will sometimes slow down or even stop. Keeping them cool and preventing heat stress can avoid this cease in their cycle!
Feel free to visit us and ask us any questions you may have about your hens health!
Maintaining Your Horses Health
Yearly veterinarian checkups are highly recommended for every species of animal, horses included. Your vet can administer vaccinations to prevent illness, assess and provide insight on your horses’ condition and overall health, and evaluate their teeth condition and float your horses’ teeth when needed. Here are a few subject areas that are crucial to maintaining your horses health.
Floating Teeth
Floating the teeth is important for the overall health of your horse and to ensure its comfort. The process of floating the teeth is done to remove any sharp hooks made in the teeth by the horses’ way of chewing. These sharp hooks can cause sores within the mouth tissue. Signs that your horses’ teeth need floated can be that he is losing weight unexplainably or dropping food while eating.
Hooves
Horses hooves require trims every 6-8 weeks to maintain healthy feet. Hoof trimming can be done by a professional farrier or blacksmith, or can be learned by horse owners through hoof care courses or through the teachings of a professional. Healthy and cared for feet keep horses sound and happy. For most horses, when they are travelling over different surfaces or being used for sport, will require horseshoes to protect their feet from damage. Your veterinarian will have the best recommendations for local hoof care providers.
Deworming
It is important to deworm your horse regularly to prevent the accumulation of internal parasites. Rotating deworming products helps to provide full coverage for every species of worms. It is usually recommended to deworm your horse once per season, unless your horse develops symptoms of worms such as weight loss, rubbing of tail, diarrhea or constipation, rough hair coat or trouble shedding winter coat, and more. Talk to your veterinarian about your horses’ personal deworming schedule, or if you suspect your horse has a severe infestation.
Feed
A consistent feed program that provides maximum forage feeding options will have the best impact on your horse’s overall health. Your horses’ digestive health and general ability to meet his performance demands depend on the quality and quantity of feed provided for him. A diet of at least 1% of his body weight in hay or grass, with additionally a complete balanced feed supplementing his vitamins, minerals – and requirements of protein, fat, and fiber, will ensure he is at the top of his condition and capabilities.
Providing your horse with the best maintenance to support his health will ensure he stays healthy, sound, and happily performs his job properly for years to come!
Livestock Bedding Options
When it comes to providing your livestock with bedding, making sure it’s clean, absorbent and comfortable is a must. There are several options for materials that you can use to place under your animals in their enclosure to ensure overall well-being. Organic materials are usually best, as they contain lower levels of bacteria counts, resulting in better air quality and less discomfort (and will consequently result in less sores and other harmful ailments). While the type of flooring, animal breed and population density of animals in the enclosure matter when choosing the right bedding, here are a few good organic options to consider when making an informed decision for your furry friends.
Vegetable Litter for bedding
Plant litter is arguable the least harmful option for the environment, as it’s ecological and biodegradable and can be a great solution for your poultry flock! It’s mainly composed of natural elements, like wood chips, hay or pellets and is mainly used for animal enclosures.
Ripe wood
If you opt for a wood-based litter, it’s recommended to use soft wood that’s specially treated for composting purposes if you want better absorption quality. Like wood shavings, which are both absorbent and comfortable for farm animals. An interesting aspect of plant litter is that it doesn’t produce much dust, which benefits the respiratory health of the animals.
Hay and straw
Hay or straw are also materials used to create bedding for farm animals. Hay is cut and dried legumes and or grasses and is commonly used for feed, but lower qualities of hay are great for bedding purposes. Ensuring the quality of the hay is not palatable so animals don’t consume it.
If you’re considering using hay or straw, it’s important to know that there’s a bit more upkeep required due to the lower levels of absorbency than some other litter options. Another thing to consider is to ensure the quality of the hay or straw is older and dry when you are spreading it, as old hay may give off dust, resulting in potential respiratory damage in animals. When they have a high level of humidity, the risk of mold increases which rapidly grows bacteria that can be harmful to your animals.
Peat moss
Within the vegetable little category, you can also find peat moss as an option. This type of litter is becoming increasingly popular, as it tends to be more absorbent than wood or hay and it helps eliminate the amount of flies in facilities. Peat moss has a controlled PH, which helps to reduce odors and the amount of ammonia in the litter. This bedding has even been known to help improve areas of animal health, including udders, legs and airways.
Sources:
https://monvet.com/fr/fiche-informative/85/differentes-sortes-de-litieres
https://www.zoomalia.com/blog/article/quelle-litiere-choisir-pour-mon-chat.html
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liti%C3%A8re
https://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/Bedding%2008-05.pdf
https://www.meunerievicto.com/fr/
https://www.meunerieacadienne.com/quoi-mettre-dans-les-enclos/
Animal Welfare During a Heat Wave
On hot days, it’s important to think about our four legged friends because chances are, they are probably hotter than you are. This article offers a few tips and solutions to help you keep your animals comfortable and cool during hot weather. Be sure to think about animal welfare during a heat wave!
Keep your pet well hydrated
No surprise here! Like their owner, animals must stay hydrated at all times and even more during hot periods. Make sure to give your pets water as often as possible during the day. The same goes for animals on farm. Think, for example, of cows, pigs or even horses, who drink large amounts of water on a normal day. Add a heat wave or drought in there and their water needs significantly amplify. Offer several areas on your property that allow for animals to have easy access to water, either on the ground, around the building or in your home.
Place ice cubes in the water to keep it cool. One trick to encourage your pet to drink more frequently: put bowls of water throughout your house, instead of having one spot they can go to drink. When going out with your pet, bring more water than you think is enough for yourself and your companion. Also, try to avoid going out in peak heat times (afternoon) and aim instead to go in the morning or the evening when the weather cools down.
If the pavement is too hot, consider putting booties on your pet so they don’t injure or burn their pads. If the weather is too hot, indoor activities are best. Consider playing games to develop the animal’s mental faculties, to allow them to burn energy while avoiding the hot sun.
Avoiding the sun
Close curtains and blinds to prevent the sun’s rays from entering and heating the house. For bird owners, try as much as possible to keep them away from the windows. If allowed, installing a small shaded kiddie pool can prove to be the perfect refreshment tool for dogs who love the water and swimming.
If you are on a farm, try to have a few places on land where animals can shade, like a shelter.
Identifying heatstroke in your pet
It is crucial to know how to recognize heat stroke in a pet! In case of heatstroke, the animal should see a veterinarian without delay. Here are some important symptoms to watch out for:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Bright red gums
- Disorientation
- Body temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius
When transporting your animal to the vet, cool it with a cold towel over their body. Do not use ice cubes.
Also, watch out for dogs with flat noses, older animals and young people. They are more at risk of having difficulty breathing during heat waves!
Other tips and tricks
Here are some additional hips to keep your pets cool at all times:
- Freeze a bottle of water and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Then place the cold bottle near the places where you pet is resting. Your animal should stay near it to cool down.
- Brush your pet often. A tangle free coat will be more comfortable for your pet, especially on a really hot day.
- Leave a cold water base in the bath so that your companions can soak their paws from time to time.
During periods of extreme heat, get in the habit of observing the behavior of your animals and make sure they don’t lack any water or shade. Thanks to these tips, you now have some handy tools up your sleeve to make the hot days more pleasant and much safer for your animals!
What You Need to Know About Your Dog’s Paws
Believe it or not, the pads of your dog’s paws are similar to the palms of your hands, while we humans know what we need to do to keep our hands and skin healthy throughout the changing seasons, our dogs need some extra help from you to do the same to ensure a better quality of life.
The pads
To prevent your pup’s pads from cracking and drying out, applying a pet-friendly moisturizer (yes, they exist!) or preventative can be so helpful when it comes to protection against even minor weather conditions. It is important to get into the habit of examining your dog’s paws and pads after every outing to double check for small rocks, cuts or scrapes that may have occurred after an adventure. Pay close attention to your dog’s walk to make sure he or she is not limping, which may be a sign of a recent ailment.
Additionally, during the summer months, it’s still important to take the extra minute to do a quick rinse of your dog’s pads after every outing with water and patting them dry. You can never be too safe! Whether the outside temperature is hot or cold, you can take additional precautions with your pet by using boots to add an extra layer between the pavement and your pet’s pads.
In the summer, asphalt can be more dangerous for your pet than you may think. Even if you think the air is comfortably warm, the ground can get much hotter than the surrounding air as it absorbs heat quickly. An easy way to test if the pavement will be too hot for your dog is to do the “seven second test” by simply touching the pavement with the back of your hand for seven seconds. If you can’t hold it for the duration of seven seconds, you can guarantee the pavement is too hot for your dog’s paws. Try to keep to the grass when outdoors, and stick to either morning or evening walks when the temperature is more comfortable for your pet.
Claws
How often do you trim your dog’s claws? If your response isn’t “regularly”, you may need to do it more frequently. Settle your dog in a calm environment where he or she feels comfortable. Be sure to have lots of treats on hand to give them during the trim as a reward. It may be beneficial to get them familiar with the tools required for trimming, such as the clipper for example. Although it may be tempting to trim their claws while they are sleeping, surprising them in such a way will make your dog associate the clippers negatively, making it increasingly more difficult to keep them calm when they are in need of a trim!
When you are trimming the claws, it’s important to trim them roughly, no need for them to be perfect! It’s also worth noting that you should be careful not to cut them too short. Make sure that the vein (pink part of their claw) is not affected when you are trimming. One way to ease your dog into this is by getting your dog used to you handling his or her paws. Pick them up, take a look at their pads and claws and keep giving them treats for good behaviour while you are getting them used to the contact.
One tip to keep their claws in good condition: play with your dog on a hard surface, such as asphalt or concrete (when the temperature is safe, of course!). This will allow the claws to file down naturally, allowing a bit less maintenance. For optimal comfort, it’s recommended you trim your dog’s claws at least once a week.
Taking care of your dog’s paws will greatly improve their mood and comfort, remember to check them often and always contact a veterinarian if a problem arises!
Sources:
