Information and Articles

I am often asked if its really worth raising a beef steer for home meat consumption, so when we had a steer butchered a few weeks ago, I decided to weigh  all the cuts of meat and calculate the value of the product versus the approximate cost to raise the steer, so that I could work out if it was worth doing.
Costs

Chickens are a great addition to the family and will contribute in many ways, such as producing eggs, fertilising your garden and devouring food  scraps.

The most trouble-free chickens are bought from a reliable commercial supplier and are vaccinated and at the point of lay (16–18 weeks).

Chickens need to be kept in a well-drained and well-ventilated pen and it’s vital to make the pen safe from all potential predators. 

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A member recently contacted Farmstyle to tell us she had been visited by representatives from the Australian Communication and Media Authority in Canberra. The ACMA had received a complaint about television and radio interference and our reader’s electric fences were thought to be to blame.

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 DPI Animal Health Officers have investigated an increased number of lead poisoning cases in cattle across Victoria in recent months.
DPI Warrnambool District Veterinary Officer, John Gibney said within the south-west region alone, four separate outbreaks of lead poisoning have been detected.  
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Livestock and pets are prone to many different intestinal parasites. Some of these can cause ill thrift, scouring, anaemia or even death.

Nematodes (such as the deadly barbers pole worm)
Common nematodes found in livestock include the roundworms, black scour and barbers pole worm. These hook into the wall of the stomach or small intestine with specialised mouth parts, make a small cut and then proceed to feed on the blood of the host animal. Each cut creates a small scar, which cannot absorb nutrients. The more scars an animal has, the more it needs to eat to get the same amount of nutrients from the feed. If nematode infestations continue untreated, the animal becomes anaemic and will eventually die. 

Barbers pole worm burdens can build up quickly to deadly levels in sheep and goats. The worms become active after the first spring rains, when the weather starts to warm up. Within 21 days after ingestion, the parasite begins laying 5,000-10,000 eggs per day.  

Barbers pole worm accounts for more livestock deaths in sheep and goats than any other parasite in Australia.

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 With summer upon us, livestock producers are reminded to ensure horticultural by-products fed to their animals are fit for purpose and free from  unacceptable chemical residues. Horticultural by-products used as stock feeds can jeopardise valuable livestock markets if they are contaminated with  chemicals not intended for livestock consumption.

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 Developed by MEA, Australia's soil moisture monitoring specialists, the GDot is a simple visual display to help you know when to irrigate. No more  guesswork!

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 With summer fast approaching, now is the time to start thinking about summer drenching of cattle as part of your strategic roundworm control program. In  south-eastern Australia, Ostertagia ostertagi (small brown stomach worm) is the major cause of production losses from worm infections in cattle.

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With a new hay season around the corner it’s time to clean out the hay shed and remove spoiled or stale hay in readiness for the new supply. Even with well-kept hay there will always be a certain amount of wastage; there may be anything from a pile of sweepings to several bales that might have been affected by damp and are suitable for cattle to eat, but not horses.

While burning gets rid of this quickly, a hay bonfire is money going up in smoke while adding carbon to the atmosphere, and a valuable resource is being wasted.

There are many ways to recycle and re-use old hay. First and foremost, it is a key compost ingredient and a marvelous mulching material.

Spreading biscuits of old hay around the base of trees, several centimentres away from the trunk, as summer mulch, will reduce the amount of water the tree needs. Water-in the hay once it has been placed. 

Making garden beds out of old hay

Farmstyle is delighted to introduce Carol Layton as a contributor of articles focusing on managing horses on small properties. Carol brings a lifetime of  experience and considerable expertise in horse matters, particularly in equine nutrition management and training.
Laminitis symptoms and causes

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