Many equestrian centres prefer to keep horses in their stalls for part of the day to make management easier. However, there are a number of advantages to raising herds of horses outdoors. Here’s an overview of the benefits and challenges of this raising method.

Learning how to analyze hay will help you to make informed decisions when buying forage and to build balanced rations based on your horse’s needs. Here’s an overview of how to carry out this essential exercise.

Make observations

1. Observe the colour of the hay

Before you have your hay analyzed, you must first assess it in the simplest way possible—through your senses. Ideally, you should be looking for beautiful greenish forage. Brown hay is often a sign of poor storage or bad weather at harvest.

A horse at maintenance is one that is required to do very little exercise. Whether the horse is enjoying a vacation or recovering from an injury, the following are some basic principles for ensuring that it receives a suitable diet according to its nutritional needs.

At each stage of gestation, a broodmare has specific nutritional requirements. Providing a balanced diet and appropriate management is therefore essential to its well-being and the foal’s health.

The broodmare’s gestation period is 11 months, and the lactation period ranges from 6 months to 1 year, depending on management at the farm.

The nutritional requirements of broodmares can be divided into several distinct steps.

To thrive and be healthy, layers and replacement pullets must be reared according to best practices for management, temperature, and feeding.

According to statistics from the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, the fat content of milk decreases every summer. And in recent years, heat stress episodes have increased. Although the extent of this decline varies from herd to herd, there are strategies to minimize the impact of heat on milk production.

1. Good ventilation and fresh water

Proper ventilation, increased in summer, remains a priority to minimize the impact of heat on milk and milk component production, as does access to fresh, high-quality water and comfortable stalls.

The price of feed follows the principle of supply and demand. When there is a shortage of supply, the best way to avoid rising prices is to reduce demand.

Here are some strategies for reducing the cost of hay when demand is too high.

1. Identify cull cows

Separate the cows that calved from those that did not. Leave a bull with the second group of cows for up to 45 days. Then, use pregnancy tests to identify non-pregnant cows and remove them from the herd.

Learning how to score your horse’s body condition is essential. It will help you ensure that your horse is healthy and receiving the proper care.

A horse’s body condition is measured on a scale from 1 (poor) to 9 (extremely fat). The ideal score is usually between 5 and 6, although this may vary depending on the horse’s stage of life. For example, a broodmare will ideally be fatter during pregnancy and lactation (6 to 6.5 out of 9), and a growing foal will be thinner (4.5 to 5 out of 9).

The Natur-aile Ponte feed program provides hens with all the essential nutrients for good egg production.

It is formulated to provide 17 % of crude protein and all other essential nutrients, including amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, and minerals, all in one feed.

It is the only well-balanced feed recommended for birds from 20 weeks of age until the end of the laying cycle. Natur-aile Ponte should be fed at a rate of 10 to 12 kg per day per 100 hens (22 to 25 lb. per day per 100 hens).

The following are best management practices for producing healthy turkeys with minimum mortality and maximum performance.

Turkey housing

Turkeys should not be reared with chickens or hens or in housing that has been used to rear these two species. Chickens carry diseases that can be transmitted to turkeys.

Follow these recommendations for floor space, feeders, and waterers for broiler turkeys: