Jump Start Your Cattle Farming Lifestyle With Highly Recommended Cattle Equipment

Your cattle farming venture is more than just a business, it is a lifestyle. Unlike other businesses, your work doesn't just revolve in going to some office or some manufacturing plant. In a ranch, you do have paperwork, and you do run a production, but everyday, there are dozens of chores for you to work on - fence mending, feeding, vehicle maintenance, grazing management. The list goes on.

That is why your operation should be as efficient as possible. This way, you can be more productive, and you will find more time for yourself, your friends and your family. Cattle equipment makes your operations run efficiently. A tractor can help you drive a trailer that carries feeds, eliminating the need to drag around bins and all. An auger add-on to your tractor can help you with chores that require digging such as fence post repairs and mending. Another add-on can help you churn up soil in your land so that grass can grow again.

Here are the usual cattle equipment groups that most cattle farmers have on their farm. Note that most of these equipment are those you cannot do away with, others have cheaper alternatives - those than you have to assemble or build yourself. You can look up detailed information in cattle equipment vendor sites, cattle farming review sites and how-to sites.

Cattle Handling Equipment

These are the equipment necessary when moving, weighing and inspecting cattle. The cattle equipment under this list are calf tables, cattle headgates, squeeze chutes, loading chutes and cattle handling accessories such as weighing scales, head chains, and squeeze chute adaptors.

Corral Systems

Corral systems are smaller enclosures that you might want to use for animals whenever you do not want them moving around. These are commonly used for horses but they can be used for cattle as well. Corral systems are either permanent or portable. Its price depends on the number of cattle it can hold, as well as the additional features. Some corral systems have adjustable alley sections, arena panels, a smaller holding pen, adjustable alley gates and alley frames that can connect directly to a squeeze chute.

Cattle Feeders

These are the equipment needed for cattle feeding. They are a must in feedlot settings and are highly recommended for ranchers raising grass-fed cattle. In feedlots it is where cattle are entirely fed; for pasture cattle, it is also needed for giving supplements. The standard plant protein supplement needed is around 11%. These cattle equipment can be creep feeders, bale feeders, bull mineral feeders or bunk feeders.

Waterers and Water Tanks

Large livestock need large amounts of water. Surely, everyone agrees that cattle are huge (or at least, they were supposed to be). That's why you are going to need water tanks. Waterers are cattle equipment with trough bowls. Material ranges from galvanized iron to Rubbermaid to concrete waterers.

Your cattle equipment can help you in raising the herd and keeping the property. In cattle ranches, the best way to do a chore is with the right equipment.

Steps for a Livestock Farmer to Get Started In Raising Rabbits and Chickens for Meat

There are lots of advantages in raising livestock for meat. Two main advantages is that you can supply your family with fresh quality meat and you can make some extra money in selling your products. But what ever your reason maybe to raising livestock the bottom line is that you have to know how to care for your livestock.

Two types of livestock that are easy to raise and produce delicious meat are rabbits and chickens. Their meat is high in demand and can being you lots of profits.

Rabbits:

When raising rabbits for meat the first thing to be considered is the breed. Rabbit breeds that are good for producing meat are Californians and New Zealands. A lot of farmers also crossbreed these two to produce quality rabbits that grow quicker and are more vigorous. The New Zealand breed takes 8 weeks to be fully grown whilst the Californians are in demand because of their boned body structures.

In order for rabbits to produce quality meat depends on the quality of feed. Rabbits in general eat all sorts of food but in order of them to produce great tasting meat they have to be feed pellets and alfalfa hay. But make sure you don't over feed them because it can add to their body fat.

It is important to breed rabbits at the right time if you are raising them for meat. For medium rabbits the right time is between 5 to 6 months and large rabbits should be bred when they are 8 months. The rabbits should be healthy as well with the female rabbit taken to the male cage when its time to breeding.

When the doe rabbit is about to give birth you should make sure they are placed in a comfortable place. The babies should be fed a mixture of karo syrup, skim milk, bone meal, and egg yolks.

Chickens:

Chickens can be raised for various reasons. They can be raised for their droppings with make good manure, they can be raised for eggs and they can be raised for meat production.

Raising chickens for meat or eggs has a lot of advantages. One of them is that they contain nutrients. The eggs contain carbohydrates, vitamins, essential fats and proteins which help in the prevention of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. Chicken meat on the other hand is white which means it doesn't contain cholesterol.

Raising chickens for meat has more advantages than raising them for eggs since they mature faster meaning you will spend less in feeding them. Another reason is that with the current economic situation producing your own chicken meat can help you save a lot of money in buying meat at the same time sell it for some extra money since its high in demand.

To make sure your chickens produce quality products you have to feed them well. You can buy chicken food from your local farmers store or you can give them your leftover foods which can save you a lot of money. Make sure you also build them some shelter and fence the surroundings to protect the chickens.