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How to Switch to a Chicken Layer Feed

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024

Switch laying hens to a complete chicken layer feed when they start laying eggs around 18 weeks of age. Choose a complete layer feed that includes all the essential nutrients laying hens need to lay strong and stay strong. Then make the transition gradually over one week.

When you turn 18, you can do a lot of new things. You can vote, buy fireworks and even try your luck with the lottery. The magical number means welcome to adulthood.

For backyard chickens, the number 18 means the same thing. Eighteen weeks is the age when laying hens are considered adults. Most excitingly, it’s the time when many chicken breeds will start laying eggs. At this key milestone, switch your hens to a complete layer feed.

This feed switch is an essential step down the road to farm fresh eggs because hens require different nutrients to produce eggs as compared to when they are growing.

To produce an egg each day, hens need high levels of calcium, vitamins and minerals. Hens transfer many of these nutrients directly into their eggs, so the nutrients in layer feed play an essential role in egg production.

Consider the following steps when transitioning to a complete chicken layer feed:

1. Choose a chicken layer feed that matches your goals.

The best chicken feed for layers depends on your flock goals. Select a complete layer feed before the transition begins. Ideally, make your layer feed decision by week 16, so you’re ready to make the transition at week 18.

First, look for a complete layer feed. This means the feed should be formulated to provide all the nutrients laying hens require without a need to supplement. Choose a layer feed with the Purina® Oyster Strong® System to help your hens lay strong and stay strong.

Which layer feed Oyster Strong® System is right for your flock?

Purina® Layena® pellets or crumbles Our most popular layer feeds
Purina® Layena® Omega-3 Includes added omega-3 fatty acids for your health
Purina® Layena® High Protein Includes 19% protein and black fly soldier fly larvae
Purina® Organic Layer Feed Certified USDA Organic

Each of these chicken layer feeds is made with simple, wholesome ingredients, 16 percent protein, at least 3.25 percent calcium as well as key vitamins and minerals. They also include our exclusive Oyster Strong® System to ensure your laying hens achieve a balanced supply of calcium through a blend of oyster shell, vitamin D and manganese. These three ingredients work together to help your chickens produce strong-shelled, delicious eggs each day.

These are just the essentials, though. Additional ingredients in Purina® complete layer feeds help bring hen health and egg quality to the next level.

A few next-level ingredients to look for include:

For rich, yellow yolks: Marigold extract
For strong shells and healthy hens: Oyster Strong® System
For immune and digestive health: Prebiotics and probiotics
For vibrant feathering: Essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine
For omega-rich eggs: Added omega-3 fatty acids

2. Transition to chicken layer feed over one week.

When birds reach 18 weeks old or when the first egg arrives, gradually switch your laying hens to a complete layer feed. It’s important to make the transition over time to prevent digestive upset.

On our farm in Missouri, we’ve found it’s best to make chicken feed transitions over time rather than all at once. We mix the starter-grower feed and layer feed evenly for four or five days. If birds are used to crumbles, start with a crumble layer feed. The same goes with pellets. The more similar the two chicken feeds are, the more smoothly the transition will go.

Many hens will eat the mixed feed without noticing a difference. When laying hens are eating both feeds, you can stop feeding the starter-grower feed and make the complete switch to all layer feed. It is important to give your birds enough time to adjust to the new diet. Most birds will adjust within a couple days but some can take a couple weeks to fully transition to their new diet.

3. Keep chicken feed consistent.

Once the transition to layer feed is complete, it’s best to maintain a routine.

We recommend providing free choice layer feed to hens and switching out the feed each morning and evening. Laying hens eat approximately 0.25 pounds of complete feed each day, equaling about one-half cup.

If birds are free-ranging, offer complete layer feed before they go out in the morning. This will help them consume the essential nutrients before filling up on less nutritionally balanced insects and plants.

It’s important for the complete feed to make up at least 90 percent of the hen’s diet. We feed complete layer feeds on our farm because they are formulated to provide all the nutrients hens require at the correct levels. It’s reassuring to know that each bite of feed is balanced to keep our hens healthy and producing quality eggs.

Ready to start the transition? Visit our store today to pick up a bag that meets your flock’s needs.

From Purina. Patrick Briggs.

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Ultimate Guide to Summer Gardening

Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

With the warmth of summer on the horizon, it’s time to prepare your garden for the vibrant season ahead. Transitioning your garden to handle the hot summer months is an essential task for every gardener. This shift not only involves adapting your garden to the changing weather but also ensuring that your plants thrive during the summer months. Here’s our comprehensive guide to help you seamlessly transition your garden and make the most out of the summer bloom.

1. Assessment and Tidying Up

The first step in transitioning your garden is to assess the current state of your plants and garden space. Spring, with its unpredictable weather, can leave some plants in need of care. Remove any dead or diseased foliage and weeds that have taken advantage of the spring growth spurt. This cleanup will reduce competition for nutrients and light, essential for your plants’ growth in summer.

2. Soil Care

Summer brings its own set of challenges for soil health, including potential dryness and nutrient depletion. It’s crucial to prepare your soil for these conditions. Begin by testing your soil to determine its pH and nutrient levels; this will guide you on what amendments your garden might need. Incorporating organic matter like compost can improve soil structure, moisture retention, and nutrient content, creating an ideal environment for plant roots during the hot months.

3. Watering Wisely

Watering practices need to be adjusted as temperatures rise. Early morning is the best time to water your garden, as it allows moisture to reach the roots before the heat of the day causes evaporation. Consider installing a drip irrigation system or soaker hoses for efficient watering. Mulching around plants can also help retain soil moisture and reduce water loss.

4. Choosing the Right Plants

Not all plants thrive in the heat of summer, so it’s important to select the right varieties for your garden. Opt for heat-tolerant and drought-resistant plants that can withstand the summer conditions. Some popular choices include zinnias, marigolds, petunias, and sunflowers for flowers, and tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash for vegetables. You can also always ask your local feed store (like us!) for suggestions.

5. Pest and Disease Management

Summer can bring about an increase in pests and diseases. Monitor your garden regularly for signs of trouble and take action promptly. Using organic pest control methods, such as introducing beneficial insects or applying neem oil, can effectively manage pests without harming your garden’s ecosystem.

6. Fertilizing for Summer Growth

Your plants will need extra nutrients to sustain growth throughout the summer. Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer to provide a steady supply of essential nutrients. Be cautious not to over-fertilize, as this can lead to lush foliage at the expense of flowers and fruits.

7. Pruning and Deadheading

Pruning and deadheading are essential practices to encourage healthy growth and blooming. Remove spent flowers to promote continuous blooming in flowering plants. Pruning can also help shape your plants and improve air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases common in the humid summer months.

8. Providing Shade and Support

Some plants may need protection from the intense summer sun. Utilize shade cloths or plant taller crops strategically to provide natural shade to more sensitive plants. Additionally, ensure that tall plants and climbers have the necessary support, such as stakes or trellises, to withstand summer storms and winds.

9. Enjoying Your Garden

Amidst all the care and maintenance, don’t forget to take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Set up a comfortable seating area in your garden to relax and admire the beauty you’ve cultivated. Summer evenings in the garden can offer a delightful retreat from the day’s heat.

Transitioning your garden from spring to summer requires attention to detail and a bit of preparation, but the rewards are well worth the effort. By following these steps, you can ensure that your garden remains a vibrant, flourishing oasis throughout the summer months. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, these tips will help you create a summer garden that brings joy and color to your outdoor space.

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How to Keep Horses Cool in Hot Weather

Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

How to keep horses cool in hot weather? As summer drags on, heat can become a serious problem for many horses.

Sweating is the primary way horses cool themselves. Experts believe that prolonged, consistently high sweat rates can lead to “exhaustion” of the sweat glands. In horses, this may result in anhidrosis, or the inability to produce sweat adequately. It is crucial to address anhidrosis and find other ways to keep horses cool because it can pose a serious health risk to horses in warm climates.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to keep your horses cool this summer.

1. Fresh, cool water

Hydration is critical during hot weather, but poor water quality can severely limit your horse’s intake. Most horses don’t like to drink hot water, so it is best to provide fresh, cool water daily. Dark-colored troughs or buckets placed in direct sunlight will absorb heat and warm the water quickly.

Keep horse water troughs and buckets clean and free of algae to encourage drinking. Remember, it can be hard to see accumulated algae and debris at the bottom of a dark-colored trough. Another tip: overfill water buckets and troughs to provide moisture for your horse’s hooves, especially in dry climates.

2. Salt and electrolyte supplementation

Feeds do not contain enough salt to meet a horse’s daily sodium requirement. Therefore, an additional source of salt is always recommended. At a minimum, a salt block should be available free choice. However, horses are not natural lickers and may not lick enough voluntarily. Top-dressing their feed with 2 oz plain salt per day is a good way to ensure they get enough.

In the “sweating season,” whether due to temperature or workload, salt should be switched to a quality electrolyte. This will supply important minerals like potassium and calcium, in addition to salt, that your horse loses through sweat. The best electrolytes will be mostly minerals, not sugar.

3. Summer horse shelter

We can all appreciate how much cooler it is under the shade tree in the middle of summer versus being out in the full sun, and your horse feels the same way. If there are no trees in your turnout areas, providing a run-in shed or even a fabric sunscreen as a horse shelter can make a big difference in helping to keep your horses cool.

Horses cool themselves primarily through evaporative and convective cooling. To help them, apply cool baths or use sprinklers to keep your horses more comfortable and to decrease their need to sweat as much. Moving air increases both convective and evaporative cooling. If the breeze isn’t blowing, provide a fan to move the air. Some farms even use large golf course fans to keep their horses cool in pastures. Finally, remember it may be more comfortable outside in the sun than inside a stuffy barn with poor airflow.

4. Exercise and heat stress in horses

Metabolic heat from exercise is another primary heat source for horses; therefore, it is best to confine strenuous exercise to early morning or later evening hours when ambient temperature and humidity are the lowest. Alternatively, you can give yourself and your horse a break from hard training during the hottest summer months.

To avoid additional heat stress, postpone events such as vaccination, weaning, changing barns, moving horses between groups, etc. If any of these events must occur during the hottest days of summer, try to do them during the coolest hours of the day.

Even though summer can be a sweaty, uncomfortable time, these tips can help your horse stay healthy and happy year-round.

Check out Kissimmee Valley Feed’s equine feed & supplements to help your horse stay happy!

Article source: Purina Animal Nutrition

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Signs That Your Horse Has An Insect Problem

Saturday, June 1st, 2024

Signs That Your Horse Has An Insect Problem: We’ve all had times where we wish our horses could talk and tell us what’s bothering them. The truth is, horses do communicate as best they can. It’s up to horse owners to pay attention to behaviors and physical signs to interpret what’s wrong. (And don’t forget to visit KVF for your horse supplies!)

You know fly season is in full swing when horses are reacting to flying pests. Stomping feet, swishing tails and shaking heads are all normal behavioral responses to flies and insects. Is there a pond or mud puddle available? Horses will often roll or stand in it in an effort to avoid flies.

But some horses also exhibit physical signs that insects are bothering them more than normal.

Is your horse’s hair falling out in clumps?
Does his mane have places where he’s rubbed out some or even all of the hair?
Does he vigorously scratch his tail on fence posts, stall walls or trees?
Are there places where his skin is irritated or even raw?

These are obvious signs your horse is having trouble with insects that shouldn’t be ignored.

When your horse acts “itchy”

It’s not unusual for a horse to use stationary objects, like a fence post, to scratch an occasional itch. But when a horse walks away from food to scratch or repeatedly rubs his ears, tail, mane, neck or belly to the point that his hair is falling out and his skin is raw–or even bleeding–there is a definite reason.

How can you know if your horse is actually allergic to insect bites, or if he just has irritated skin from being bitten?

“A horse with substantial hair loss or incessant itching likely needs to see a veterinarian who can do some diagnostic testing to nail down a cause,” notes Martha Mallicote, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, veterinarian and large animal clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida.

“With skin disease, it’s very temping to label it as ‘not that important’ and just treat with over-the-counter ‘remedies.’ But the reality is that some horses with significant allergies need really aggressive therapy to improve their actual quality of life–not just the quality of their hair coat,” adds Mallicote.

She explains that there is not a definitive way to differentiate “itchy” from an actual sensitivity other than allergy testing, which would show any allergens that are affecting the horse. In such cases, your veterinarian’s expertise can get to the root of the problem and help your horse be more comfortable.

“A vet will complete a physical exam, including close inspection of the abnormal skin, and likely choose to take skin samples for culture, cytology or other testing,” says Mallicote.

Signs of insect allergies

Unfortunately, in addition to the aggravation factor, some horses are actually allergic to insect bites. Signs of substantial insect allergies include:

frequent itching to the point of destruction of fences and stall equipment from the horse’s rubbing
welts or swelling in the affected area
hair loss from intense rubbing due to itching
broken skin, sometimes to the point of bleeding

If your horse has intense itching and hair loss in specific areas, this can indicate an allergic reaction to specific pests known as culicoides.

“The classic distribution of hair loss for a culicoides-sensitive horse is the mane/neck, tail head and ventrum (belly) of the horse,” explains Mallicote.

Culicoides sensitivity

Tiny biting midges, sometimes described as “no-see-ums,” but properly identified as culicoides, can cause extreme distress by biting the horse’s mane, tail and belly, especially if the horse is allergic to the insect saliva. Affected horses will scratch themselves on almost any stationary object in an attempt to relieve the extreme itching.

Culicoides sensitivity may also be referred to as “sweet itch.” In addition to severe itching, it’s common for horses with this condition to have patches of skin with broken or missing hair, scaliness and even oozing lesions. Secondary infections are possible when the skin is broken.

“Culicoides sensitivity is quite common, especially in the Southeastern U.S., but most horses have a more manageable case of the disease,” says Mallicote. “There are certainly those horses that are especially sensitive and do develop those really severe signs that indicate they are so terribly itchy that they cannot stop scratching.”

For those horses, Mallicote says it’s important to minimize exposure to culicoides. These biting midges are most active around dusk, so protecting horses that are sensitive typically means stabling them at this time of day and using fans that create a strong enough air current to keep midges from landing on the horse and biting.

Veterinarians treating such horses may have to prescribe strong anti-inflammatory medication to help get the itch under control.

Be proactive

If your horse has had issues in the past and reacted to insect bites by rubbing his mane and tail until his hair is falling out, you’ll want to take proactive steps before he’s under assault again.

“Get started with fly spray early in the season. Apply an effective product at least once daily and make sure to use enough product to really cover the horse,” advises Mallicote.

Farnam’s Endure Sweat-Resistant Fly Spray for Horses is an effective choice for hard-working horses that will be sweating, while Nature’s Defense Water-Based Fly Repellent Spray is a non-chemical, botanical-based option that also offers great protection.

Read all the directions on the spray bottle to be certain you are applying the correct amount. Use the product as recommended. Many horse owners inadvertently don’t apply enough insect repellent to perform as the product label promotes.

Physical barriers–such as Farnam’s SuperMask II Horse Fly Mask, boots and sheets–may be needed for those horses that are overly sensitive to insects. For pastured horses, spot-on repellent products may also be beneficial.

“As for some situations, long-acting products are also helpful. Not in place of the fly spray but in addition to it,” adds Mallicote. “For sensitive horses, start using fly sheets and fly masks before they are needed to minimize exposure.”

Mallicote reminds owners that these horses will benefit from being stalled with a strong fan. Especially during the time of day when pests are most active.

Keep an eye on your horse’s behavior and watch for physical signs that indicate insect irritation or possible allergy. This way, your horse won’t have to “shout” to get your attention if he’s suffering from pests.

Farnam, Cynthia McFarland

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The Different Types of Mulch

Friday, April 19th, 2024

If you’re a gardening enthusiast, you are probably well-aware of the importance of mulching. Mulching is an essential practice that helps facilitate plant growth and improve the overall health of your garden. In simple terms, mulch is a protective layer applied over the soil to regulate moisture levels, maintain soil temperature, and suppress weed growth. However, not all mulch is created equal. Understanding the different types of mulch and their benefits is crucial to determine what’s best for your garden which we will help break down for you.

Organic Mulch:

Organic mulch is made up of natural materials that decompose over time. Common types of organic mulch include bark, leaves, straw, and grass clippings. Organic mulch is best suited for gardens as it enriches the soil, enhances drainage, and improves soil structure over time. Additionally, it helps regulate soil temperature and suppress weed growth, ensuring that your plants thrive. However, it’s important to note that organic mulch decomposes and needs to be replenished frequently to remain effective.

Inorganic Mulch:

Inorganic mulch, on the other hand, is made up of non-biodegradable materials such as stones, gravel, and plastic sheeting. These materials do not break down and remain in your garden for a more extended period. Inorganic mulch is beneficial if you’re looking for a low-maintenance option that requires less upkeep. It’s also useful for areas that experience high winds and rains, preventing soil erosion. However, it’s important to note that inorganic mulch doesn’t enrich the soil, and it can increase soil temperatures during the hot summer months.

Compost Mulch:

Compost mulch is a type of organic mulch made up of decomposed organic materials such as food waste, yard trimmings, and manure. It’s often referred to as “black gold” as it’s packed with nutrients, beneficial microbes, and minerals that boost soil fertility. Compost mulch helps improve soil quality, increases water retention, and provides your plants with essential nutrients. This makes it an excellent option for vegetable gardens, flower beds, and fruit-bearing trees.

Pine Needle Mulch:

Pine needle mulch is a popular choice for gardeners as it’s long-lasting, attractive, and low-maintenance. Pine needles are acidic and work well for plants that prefer acidic soil conditions such as blueberry bushes, roses, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Pine needles also help improve drainage, suppress weeds, and prevent soil erosion. However, it’s important to note that pine needles decompose slowly, so you won’t need to replenish them as frequently as other organic mulch.

Rubber Mulch:

Finally, rubber mulch is a type of inorganic mulch made from recycled rubber tires. It’s often used in playgrounds and landscapes as it’s durable, non-toxic, and requires little maintenance. Rubber mulch doesn’t decompose, and it doesn’t attract insects or rodents, making it a safer option for children and pets. However, it’s crucial to check if the rubber mulch you’re buying is safe and toxin-free. Some manufacturers use recycled tires that contain harmful chemicals and metals that can harm your plants and soil.

Mulching is an essential gardening practice that provides a range of benefits to your plants and soil. Understanding the different types of mulch and their advantages can help you choose the best option for your garden. Whether you prefer organic or inorganic mulch, there’s an option that will work for you!

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