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We all understand the benefits of good nutritional habits. Sometimes what we know in principal and what we do in our every day life can be two different things. The following are the five most common nutritional mistakes we make as pet owners. Not measuring the food: One of the most common mistakes owners make is measuring their pet’s food. While there are a very few pets that will just eat the number of calories that their body requires, this is uncommon. Most pets, if given the choice of free feeding, will tend to over eat. Some do this out of...

As equine nutrition experts, we have often heard ‘my horse has a hay belly, what should I do differently?’ Or,” he’s really big in the belly but he doesn’t have good muscles.” Apart from a broodmare belly, post-colic surgery effects or a parasite situation, the answer sounds like a nutritional imbalance. The good news is, once you know what a nutritional imbalanced hay belly is and what causes it, you can make adjustments in your program and avoid it in the future. How To Identify The Problem Have you ever seen a young or growing horse with a big belly...

It’s hard to imagine that dreaded time of year is almost upon us, you guessed it, molt. Even though molt is a very natural process for poultry, it doesn’t make it any easier as a flock owner. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare for the less-favorable chicken molting season. Be proactive – Supplemental light, especially in the winter months, is a great consideration for your flock. Hens 18 months or older can benefit from this practice, and it can possibly lessen the extreme experiences of molt. Feed adjustments – Now is the time to dial up the protein and cut...

Do you know the fiber level in your current feeding program? If you don’t, you are not alone. Few horse owners can answer that question, and even fewer understand why it might be important or where fiber comes from. The first and foremost source of fiber in a horses’ diet is their roughage, or hay, source. Secondary to that is what is present in any supplemental grain sources. First of all, let’s define what fiber is: Fiber is a measure of the plant cell wall, or the structural portions that give the plant support. Main components of fiber are the...

There comes a time in every chicken’s life (usually around 14 – 18 months old) where they start to lose all their feathers, look gangly and downright ugly. But don’t be alarmed! This is a natural process that occurs annually. This process is called molt. What is molt? Molt is the natural shedding of feathers and regrowth of new ones. This usually happens in the fall as day length shortens. It is the chickens way to refresh old feathers and grow new ones for the coming winter. Molt happens in an expected order, starting at the head, down the back, breast and...