As summer approaches, you’ll want to make sure that your pigs are protected from the hot summer sun or they may get sunburns. Pig sunburns can be painful and scary to deal with. I wanted to find out how to best protect pigs’ skin from the sun so I called up one of my friends […]
Pig Sunburn: How to Help Your Sunburned Pig Read More »
Dealing with 650 lb of an angry pig is no joke. It compromises the welfare of other pigs within the herd and endangers anyone involved in handling those animals. Our first boar was so aggressive that we slaughtered him when he reached market weight. Before that, he bit several people, including myself. In contrast, our
Are Pigs Aggressive? 8 Keys To Safely Handling Aggressive Pigs Read More »
It’s heartbreaking to suddenly hear your pig squealing from pain, being unable to walk while dragging their back legs behind them. Dippity pig syndrome (also known as bleeding back syndrome) is an awful skin condition that young pigs develop along their backs and hind quarters. Pigs with Dippity Pig Syndrome usually squeal frantically and have
Dippity Pig: The Mysterious Disease That Strikes Healthy Pigs Read More »
As the summer approaches, it’s important to be prepared for bug bites on your pig. Insects can spread illness, cause irritation, and downright annoy your pig. The other day, my pigs swatted at flies with their tails. Even though I keep several fly traps to reduce the number of flies by my pigsy, it seems
Itchy Pigs: Help! My Pigs Have Bug Bites! Read More »
When we purchased Blake, our gilt, I did not expect to deal with pig allergies. But almost immediately after Blake arrived at our house and go situated, she started sneezing and coughing. Overnight, she became more irritated. I wondered if she was suffering from an allergic reaction. I called one of my friends and long-time
Pig Allergies: Are Pigs Allergic to Things (What to Do) Read More »
Haematopinus suis (the pig lice) is another culprit of severe itchiness and scratching in pigs. These pesky parasites hide amongst the hairs on your pig’s skin. The louse is yellowish-brown and usually found in the fat folds around your pig’s neck, inside (and outside) their ears, legs, and flanks. Each louse feeds off your pig
Pig Lice: Is Your Swine Herd Lousy? Parasite Control Read More »
Sarcoptic Mange, or pig mites, is a parasitic disease also known as scabies. Unfortunately, it’s commonly underdiagnosed and should be one of the first causes you investigate when your pig is scratching. Sarcoptic mange is caused by either the Sarcoptes scabiei or Demodex phyllodes mite. Scabies is highly contagious and spreads from direct skin-to-skin contact
Pig Mites: Pig Sarcoptic Mange and What You Can Do Read More »
The first time my Ameraucana hen laid an egg, my kids went crazy! Undoubtedly, one of the most fun things about having a varied chicken flock is getting different colored eggs. We hand-selected chicks in the spring to get as many colors of eggs as possible while balancing with a few heavy egg layers that
Ameraucana Chicken Breed Guide: Eggs, Identification, Personality Read More »
One of the trickiest decisions a farmer has to make is keeping older cattle in their herd. While you may feel an affinity toward your older cows, keeping non-producing cattle for years is costly. The decision of whether to cull an older animal or keep it in your herd can be difficult and emotional. It’s
Age to Breed Cattle: How Long Do Older Cows Reproduce? Read More »
My neighbor has an older cow that can’t produce anymore and asked me how long cows live. He doesn’t want to sell it at auction because his kids are attached to it. But keeping a cow year after year can get expensive. Of course, most cows in the U.S. don’t live to a natural death
Cattle Lifespan: How Long Do Cows Live? (Dairy, Beef, Steers) Read More »
