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Fast Facts
The National
Animal Poison Control Hotline is
(888) 426-4435
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Many beautiful
flowers found in the pastures of Kootenai County can be
poisonous. For some, even one small bite may cause abortion or
illness. If your fields are full of lovely flowers, you might want to
determine if they are toxic prior to turning your livestock out to
graze.
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Average Gestation Lengths of Farm Animals:
Horses – 340 to 360 days
Cows – 283 days
Goats – 150 days
Sheep – 112 to 145 depending on the breed
Pigs – 114 days
Llamas – 340 days
Alpacas – 335 days
Elk – 250 days
Bison – 285 days
Average Incubation Period for Poultry:
Chickens – 21 days
Ducks – 26 to 35 days depending on the breed
Geese – 35 days
Quail – 21 to 25 days
Pheasants – 20 to 28 days
Turkeys – 28 days
Emu – 46 to 56 days
Accurately estimate horse weight:
Measure the girth in inches and the length from the point of the shoulder to the point of the butt (also in inches). Multiply the girth by the girth and then by the length. Take that number and divide by 330 which should give the weight in pounds within approximately five pounds of a scale weight.
Housing
Arrangements to AVOID:
Chickens and turkeys: because chickens
can carry a parasite called Heterakis gallinarum which carries ‘blackhead’,
a disease caused by Histomonas melegridis. Though not harmful to
the chicken, Histomonas melegridis is fatal to turkeys.
Horses and
cattle on mineral blocks: because most cattle licks contain Monensin
or Rumensin which is fatal to horses even in very small doses.
Cats and dairy
animals: because cats are the definitive host for Toxoplasma gondii
and carry it without clinical signs. Cats inadvertently spread it by
defecating in grain bins or into other livestock feed sources. Toxoplasmosis
can cause muscle damage to livestock, and is passed into milk. To avoid
human infection, it is best to pasteurize the milk.
Livestock and
marshy areas: because the mud snail may be accidentally ingested and it
carries the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica. Rarely fatal, the liver
fluke generally causes loss of production in horses and livestock, and at
slaughter may lead to a condemned liver and/or carcass.
Dogs and cattle: because dogs
can shed Neospora caninum in their stools and contaminate the
pasture. Though relatively harmless to the dog, Neospora caninum may
cause pregnant cows to abort.
Deworming is
Important!
Many parasites can
survive freezing and hot summer sunlight. They can be transported by
wildlife, birds, and neighborhood animals. Even if you pick up your
animal’s waste, and/or drag or treat your pasture, you should deworm at
least twice a year. It may greatly improve your animal’s health, hair coat,
happiness, and production. If you keep many animals on a small area, you
may consider deworming more frequently. For a recommendation specific to
your operation and production goals, please don’t hesitate to call.
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