Last spring, the weather was crazy. Within a single week, we had rain, followed by a searing heat, followed by icy sleet. The craziness in the weather caused my goats to come down with Pneumonia. Fortunately, we acted swiftly and were able to nip it before it became too severe or life-threatening. Pneumonia is one […]
My Goats Are Coughing, Sick: Treating Pneumonia in Goats Read More »
This article is the second part of a 2-part series on Horse Hoof Care. To see how to prevent hoof issues, check out Part 1: Guide to Horse Hoof Care: Preventing Hoof Degloving. When you look at a horse’s hoof, you only see the surface of a hoof. The hoof wall or capsule is
Degloved Horse Hoof Injury: Treatment and Cure w/Images Read More »
There is an old saying among many horse people: No hoof, no horse. This is a timeless truth. A horse with bad hooves that are overgrown or badly worn or whose hooves are cracked will inevitably go lame. If the damage is severe enough, such as a serious degloving of the hoof capsule, you
Guide to Horse Hoof Care: Preventing Hoof Degloving Read More »
Before ever deciding to breed your goats, you must make a difficult decision about the horns of their kids: should you disbud them? Most goat owners feel quite strongly one way or the other, so if you ask around, you’ll probably hear both sides of the argument. The disbudding process requires an experienced person to
Should I Disbud or Dehorn My Goats: Pros and Cons of Horns Read More »
For an experienced rider, a hyper horse can be a welcome challenge. An unfocused or skittish one, however, can be a danger to themselves and everyone around them. I’ve had horses bolt, rear, spin, and buck with me while leading a trail. This resulted in scattering my clients’ horses in the process and upsetting the
10 Reasons your Horse is Skittish: Handling Horse Spook Read More »
In the past, I believed that only bad, abused, and neglected horses bit. After all, I have been around horses for many years. I’m no beginner; I have fixed bucking, rearing, and running away behavior. Even shying and the ninja-style kicking of my gelding proved no issue. But, when I ended up with a
Stop Horse Biting: Understanding Why & Preventing It Read More »
Humans and donkeys have lived together and worked side by side for 6,000 years. In many depictions of them, donkeys are stubborn, thick-headed, and especially stoic. When I got my first donkey, I wondered; “Are donkeys as stoic as they appear, or are they able to express their emotions?” Do donkeys show emotions? Donkeys
Everything You Need to Know About Donkey Body Language Read More »
If you’re thinking about raising goats, one of the first decisions you’ll want to make is whether or not you want goats with horns. The decision of horns or not is a very emotionally charged decision for many people. If you‘ve decided on having goats without horns, you have a few choices I will cover
7 Goat Breeds That Are Naturally Hornless Read More »
Goats can get into all sorts of trouble and even more so if they have horns. Getting their horns stuck in fencing is common. They can also accidentally stab you with their horns when you are working around them. As a result of these risks, many goat owners are searching for hornless goats. Are there
Polled, Disbudded, Dehorned: Understanding Hornless Goats Read More »
Maintaining good health in your flock is extremely important whether you have a backyard flock or a commercial farm. Ensuring the health of your flock includes administering the correct vaccinations at the right time of year. What vaccinations do chickens need? Most chicken owners apply three vaccinations that protect flocks from the most common diseases:
Chicken Vaccinations for Backyard and Professional Raisers Read More »
