Sweet and Sour
Sweet Uses for some Sour Foods
Did you know that fresh sauerkraut is a great treatment for calves with diarrhea and bellyaches ?
Sometimes we mix it in yoghurt and other times we use it "neat". I've seen young calves with diarrhea eat sauerkraut off the farmer's hand when they need that biology. They look like little moose with strands of pond lilies coming out of the sides of their mouths.
Pigs also appreciate some sauerkraut when they are feeling poorly.
So do humans. And it's a great treatment for bellyaches and bloats in dogs, too.....
Sauerkraut is a simple, non drug solution to common situations we see in the field.
Fresh is better than frozen and frozen is better than canned, I've found.
Did you know that many animals prefer water to which apple cider vinegar has been added ?
And that apple cider vinegar in water is a well received addition at the change of seasons or after transportation.
We also find that it relieves heat stress in all classes of stock: cattle, pigs, poultry. Because of that, many farmers and stockmen will increase the concentration of the apple cider vinegar when the weather heats up.
It's idea to get the unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar, but if that's not accessible the other varieties work fine, too.
But you want *real* apple cider vinegar, not the vinegar that is simply flavored to taste that way.
Speaking of vinegar, did you know that you can use vinegar to control weeds and plants growing where you don't want them?
(I always hesitate to use the wood weed, 'cause that has such different meanings for different folks. In fact, some of the favorite foods of livestock might be called weeds by those who do not recognize their values as forage and also as supplies of needed nutrients and minerals. Think dandelion, plantain, chicory, birds foot trefoil, thistles, brambles, dock and other valuable plant resources.....)
You do not need to use an agricultural vinegar to kill plants, either. Plain white vinegar will work just fine. Add some epsom salts and a wee bit of dishwashing soap as a surfactant, and apply it directly. If you can mechanically remove some of the plant so the solution reaches the base of the plant, all the better.
Did you know that raw eggs - particularly those from the farm - can be a great addition to animals with diarrhea or other ailments?
That's because the chickens who lay the eggs are exposed to the organisms in the environment and the protein in the egg offers some extra antibodies that are specific to that farm. This can be especially useful if you have stock that's been moved onto the farm rather than born in that environment.
There are so many simple and useful and common sense things that are done in farming and animal husbandry. These things go back to the basics: clean water, ample space, species appropriate nutrition with the right balance of minerals and vitamins and other nutrients that suit the stage of growth and production of the particular animal.
This book is a great resource. Doc Holliday and Jim Helfter have collected their years of experience - and added some experience from others, too, including information that they gained through observation of how animals behave and react - and consolidated it in one place. It's a simple read, but it's not a fluffy read.
Did you find this information interesting or useful? Donate to the Jim Helfter fund, which supports research into nutritional treatment of animal health problems.
Click here to donate online
Click here to download a form that you can mail in with your donation
Did you know that fresh sauerkraut is a great treatment for calves with diarrhea and bellyaches ?Sometimes we mix it in yoghurt and other times we use it "neat". I've seen young calves with diarrhea eat sauerkraut off the farmer's hand when they need that biology. They look like little moose with strands of pond lilies coming out of the sides of their mouths.
Pigs also appreciate some sauerkraut when they are feeling poorly.
So do humans. And it's a great treatment for bellyaches and bloats in dogs, too.....
Sauerkraut is a simple, non drug solution to common situations we see in the field.
Fresh is better than frozen and frozen is better than canned, I've found.
Did you know that many animals prefer water to which apple cider vinegar has been added ?
And that apple cider vinegar in water is a well received addition at the change of seasons or after transportation.
We also find that it relieves heat stress in all classes of stock: cattle, pigs, poultry. Because of that, many farmers and stockmen will increase the concentration of the apple cider vinegar when the weather heats up.
It's idea to get the unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar, but if that's not accessible the other varieties work fine, too.
But you want *real* apple cider vinegar, not the vinegar that is simply flavored to taste that way.
Speaking of vinegar, did you know that you can use vinegar to control weeds and plants growing where you don't want them?
(I always hesitate to use the wood weed, 'cause that has such different meanings for different folks. In fact, some of the favorite foods of livestock might be called weeds by those who do not recognize their values as forage and also as supplies of needed nutrients and minerals. Think dandelion, plantain, chicory, birds foot trefoil, thistles, brambles, dock and other valuable plant resources.....)
You do not need to use an agricultural vinegar to kill plants, either. Plain white vinegar will work just fine. Add some epsom salts and a wee bit of dishwashing soap as a surfactant, and apply it directly. If you can mechanically remove some of the plant so the solution reaches the base of the plant, all the better.
Did you know that raw eggs - particularly those from the farm - can be a great addition to animals with diarrhea or other ailments?That's because the chickens who lay the eggs are exposed to the organisms in the environment and the protein in the egg offers some extra antibodies that are specific to that farm. This can be especially useful if you have stock that's been moved onto the farm rather than born in that environment.
There are so many simple and useful and common sense things that are done in farming and animal husbandry. These things go back to the basics: clean water, ample space, species appropriate nutrition with the right balance of minerals and vitamins and other nutrients that suit the stage of growth and production of the particular animal.
This book is a great resource. Doc Holliday and Jim Helfter have collected their years of experience - and added some experience from others, too, including information that they gained through observation of how animals behave and react - and consolidated it in one place. It's a simple read, but it's not a fluffy read.
Did you find this information interesting or useful? Donate to the Jim Helfter fund, which supports research into nutritional treatment of animal health problems.
Click here to donate online
Click here to download a form that you can mail in with your donation
