I'm looking to buy live rabbits to slaughter and process. Around me several people raise and breed rabbits but do not keep them for the purpose and intent for them to be eaten. Do you need to buy specifically named "meat rabbits" or can I buy these larger healthy animals and they still taste fine and be healthy?

Midwest area after dark but only 6ish pm. I heard coyotes and went to go check the fence line specifically in a pasture that has 1 old mare that is not doing great getting around, bless her. She stays with 5 weanling foals.

I flashed a light and saw eyes on her, but went closer to see if it was a reflection off of a fence/gate before worrying. The mare got a bit worked up when I started to leave her so I went and scratched on her neck and then looked back where the reflection was and the eyes were gone.

I moved about 20 feet down and found the eyes again. I hollered to see if it would move and nothing. I couldn't see anything but the glowing eyes so in case it was something dangerous/I was unarmed, I wanted to make sure I spooked it off. I threw a rock at the metal fence and it jumped back but still kept watching the foals and myself and the mare.

I collared again and threw another larger rock that hit somewhere on it and it ran off completely. I called someone to release the dog who patrols the fence for us very well. I waited due to wanting to keep eyes focused on whatever it was.

Seemed too persistent to be something like an opossum or Raccoon and it was staring down the horse when I caught it the first time.

Shorter side almost bobcat height but I wouldn't think they'd dare mess with a horse and the babies are large enough to hurt a bobcat, too. Do coyotes always stay in groups?

Trying to figure out what I need to watch for and how much danger there is with the older mare and babies.

Thanks!

I have a button/Chinese painted quail, maybe 1-2 years, male who suddenly won't move, eat, or drink water.

A few days ago I noticed that this guy had stopped moving at the bottom of his cage and was fluffed up. I pulled him out and notice his vent was very messed up and body temp was very cold to the touch despite the temp of the cage being warm. He wife was running around frantic.

For the past few days I've been putting food (mashing turkey crumble + his favorite millet seeds) into his beak, which he'll begrudgingly eat. If I bring water near his beak, he'll take a sip. But otherwise he won't move, just lay on his side and make a gasping for air motion repeatedly. I have him in a separate box with all his favorite feed which he won't eat, even if I bring them to him. He doesn't even have the energy to stand up, he'll lie back down and is wasting away.

His poop is green.

Any solutions? What is the cause? There are no vets near me. His wife is calling for him everyday, but I'm afraid if I bring her to him she might get sick as well, so far she is healthy, but stressed looking for him.

PS: I tried going to the r/quail subreddit but they keep removing my posts?

so i just found out that apparently NAILE (the North American International Livestock Exposition ) doesn't really have any requirements for you to go , you just have to be willing to throw enough money at it to enter. i dont have the best show animal in the world , so i wouldn't be going to win , i'm also not like crazy wealthy nor do i have rich parents so id spend the entire next year saving up to be able to afford what would basically be an opportunity to network , shop , and eat food. (i turn eighteen next january , and ill be starting a job at the walmart in the town over soon after that since they are so understaffed they pay $18 an hour.) but i feel like if i didn't go id really regret it. another thing for me to consider is that i don't have any friends , like none. i wouldn't really have anyone to go with me other than my grandparents unless in the next year i magically make my best friend of all time.

I have some horses I wanted freeze brand. Once I am finished registering my brand, can I hire some to brand them for me? Do vets usually do that? I am completely new to branding, and I just don't really trust myself to be able to do it 😂

Hello, turkey thigh is my favorite type of turkey meat to cook with. A couple years ago, I used to be able to find it easily at my local mainstream Mariano's grocery store or in the small international markets. But they have never been available at any grocery stores for the last couple years, and they only had turkey wings or turkey leg. So I tried to order it online, and it was not available online either. Then I found a local poultry store who has connections to a local farm, and even there it is hit or miss. Once I placed an order there for several turkey thighs, and when I got home I saw they had given me turkey wings instead. A couple times I tried to buy turkey thighs, and they said sorry, they do not have any. Another time when I requested them, they did have them, but they were extra small, like they were from juvenile turkeys, and they didn't have time to let them mature into adults before using them.

So there isn't a shortage of turkeys, because there is always other types of turkey meat available at the grocery stores. But what happened to all the turkey thighs? Who is taking them out of the market?

I am thinking about starting a small Dorper sheep flock on my farm. They are a hardy breed and can handle the cold and heat very well, but I don't see anyone raising sheep around me at all. I live in northern Maryland, and am wondering if there's any reason why people aren't farming sheep around me. Also any tips on when to start this flock and where to buy from would be great! Looking for any tips and ideas here.

Hi all! I’m in charge of “animal gifts” for the holiday fair at my kids school. I’m including options to buy for large animals this year and bought jars to fill with treats.

My problem is I’m trying to find a treat that’s safe for essentially every farm animal. I know Mrs. Pastures horse cookies aren’t safe for all because of the added copper. But that’s about all I know.

Before it’s asked: I want it to be safe for ALL of the animals because kids of all ages and abilities will be “shopping” so if they see a sign for “horse treats” they’ll like grab them to give to basically any other animal.

If there’s one safe for all of these (and the mini version of the animal too): Horse Cattle Alpaca Llama Goat Sheep Pig Donkey

Curious if anyone is growing prairie grasses as microgreens for livestock feed? I am wondering if it is profitable to grow as a high nutrition hay supplement, especially during winter months when prairie is not available to livestock. I can easily see how chickens and rabbits would benefit. How about for sheep or goats? Is grow volume a major issue? Thoughts? Experiences? I have a 10 acre property with a 33x10 year-round polycarbonate greenhouse and a large barn that can be converted to grow space.

Has anyone else noticed ground beef having a barn or manure like smell lately? I seem to be the only one I know who can smell and taste it and it's driving me nuts . It's happening with the ground beef and pork chops I buy from any store doesn't matter how fresh it is or where I get it ?! I'm in western Canada.

So for context, I am starting my show lamb / market lamb breeding program next autumn by breeding my current show lamb around that time. As with anyone starting a show lamb program , I want what I'm producing to be the best quality and have the best success rate I can ensure. The issue , is that my show lamb is a crossbred/club lamb with a white face. (White dorper / rambouillet with some Suffolk in there) Now I love the look of a whiteface , but as far as club lambs go they just don't place well in the ring since blackface and blue club lambs cut a nicer silloute.

I'm considering attending an artificial insemination clinic for sheep that travels through the Midwest with her , and artificially breeding her to a blue ram. If I were to do that , what are the chances of her having a baby with a white face vs a blackface or a blue ? ( If she doesn't take from the AI I'll breed her to a Suffolk ram that her breeder currently owns )

What should I expect to pay per pound for a pig for butchering? Live in central PA if that is relevant

I am looking to get a few sheep not a specific breed, I want to look for less wool variety and more meat. I’d plan to let them breed, graze the land 20 acres of 80% grass, then sell males/excess females at auction. My question is around what would I require to be able to sell them? I welcome any educational sites to reference required paperwork, how to identify them, vaccines required for sale and would I be able to vaccinate or would they need to go through a vet for paper trails.

I’m pretty new to the overall life, I have a small flock of chickens and turkeys and have sourced some good nearby stores for their needs; but I don’t anticipate selling them in anyway.

Super early stages! Just trying to do something with the land for a supplemental income.

I am a college student doing a project on animal welfare and I would love to hear responses from small scale/hobby farmers on animal welfare. Your experience and perspective would be incredibly valuable on animal welfare practices. The link is in the comments, thanks!

So I'm considering signing up for a starter flock program through my states breeder and wool producer association intended for Juniors entering the sheep industry ( Wich is what I am ) this specific program would provide me with an interest free loan that I would purchase ten yearling Rambouillet ewes with. I would only have to pay 70% of the value of ewes back, and I would be assigned a mentor. The only sheep I have right now is my show lamb ( who is kept with goat friends so she's not alone ) I feel like it would be a great stepping stone into having my own program for meat and wool production (I am learning to spin ), but Im also on the fence on applying for it; does anyone have any advice? Any experience with rambouillets ? My lamb is a rambouillet/dorper cross but I'm pretty sure having a cross and a registered sheep is different. Idk if this would be a good idea , especially since I keep my sheep on my parents property and probably will be doing that until I'm able to buy my own property. (For additional context I'm 17 , and will be applying when I'm 18)

So I think one of my chickens got in a fight with another chicken. The very top of her beak was bleeding, but I was able to stop it. She seems to be in a lot of pain. Her right eye is also swelled shut 😢 she hardly eats or drinks. I’ve brought her inside away from the flock and she is sleeping a lot. I’m very new to raising chickens, and I just want to do the right thing here. I love her and I need advice on how to diminish her pain so maybe she can recover.

I'm planning on breeding my Ewe lamb next September for January lambs to be market lambs for my freshman year of college , and since I'm applying for a grant ATM that requires me to plan all my decisions next year and I'm deciding on if I want to use a live ram ( I worked a deal out with her breeder to where I can bring her back to be bred to one of their rams she isnt related to) or if I want to buy the equipment to do AI with the grant and take classes on how to do it.

I'm not sure how practical it is but I'd like to avoid having my own ram until I expand my operation past one sheep (she isn't alone she has goat friends ) , plus Ive seen multiple people say that rams can be very dangerous and I live with my family and little siblings. Transporting her , leaving her with a ram for a few weeks , and picking her up wouldn't be too hard but I'm sure id miss her terribly. Any adivice ?? Does anyone else AI their sheep ?? What are some pros and cons of each one ?

Edit : forgot to add this , I would also use the equipment/ knowledge for my goat herd. It might make it so I can get percentage Boer goats to use for market showmanship too , we also have pigs and my mom isn't keen on the idea of having an intact boar either.

I am a senior mechanical engineering student in New York and my senior design project is optimizing livestock monitoring. I would love to interview some livestock farmers to hear about the systems they currently use and how they chose them. Please dm me or comment below if you would be open to an interview. I am open to livestock farmers of any scale located anywhere

I don't have any pictures of me standing next to my lamb or I'd show them , but I recently got my first show lamb about a week and a half ish ago and I've gotten her decently well halter broke in that time. However , I'm starting to train her to brace and it's been very hard for both of us. She's a seven month old dorper / rambouillet cross weighing on at about 90 lbs and is very tall and long , whereas I'm very short (4'11 and my wingspan is 4'9 ) and while she's a great girl it's very hard for me to lean over and adjust and move her legs. She also just won't push into me to brace, does anyone have any tips ?? My show goats in the past all learned to brace really easily and it helped that they were much younger and smaller than she is now. Everything I've seen online really only applies to or helps people who's lambs are either much smaller or much younger.

I also don't have a proper lamb stand atm ( I have milking stands for my goats that are short enough to where she can rest her head on the top and I can use her halter to tie her into it similar to a typical lamb stands head lock but I have to manually lift her into it and like I said she is a big , heavy , squirmy girl )