Farm & Ranch

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

Published

7 years ago

October 25, 2017

NTFR

By Rayford Pullen

Fall has arrived in North Texas, and here at Pullen Angus we have finished our spring calf weaning, pregnancy tested our spring calving cows, tagged and weighed our fall born calves and are making plans for the coming winter months.

One thing we also do this time of year is take a look at our cow age and cull the cows that have gotten quite a bit of age on them and making it through the winter may be somewhat iffy without special attention, which does not exist around here routinely.
At what age do we cull cows? As we were going over the list of cows we were considering culling, I noticed most of these cows were born in the fall of 2003 and the spring of 2004, which made them 13 and 14 years old. All these cows had a spring born calf recently pulled off and had bred back.

While we might be able to get another calf out of them, it comes with more risk than we are willing to take, and we know that when cows reach this age and time in their life, their calf weaning weights will drop pretty dramatically. Also, culled cow sales are a pretty significant part of our income, and the better the condition the cow is in the more dollars she will generate.

To read more pick up a copy of the November 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call us at 940-872-5922.

Farm & Ranch

Hazards of Backyard Poultry

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

NTFR

By Barry Whitworth, DVM

Having backyard poultry is a popular agriculture enterprise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 0.8 percent of all households in the United States have chickens. People keep chickens for a variety of reasons with table eggs being one of the more common reasons.

Unfortunately, some of these poultry producers are not aware of the hazards that come with keeping poultry because many times they carry pathogens but appear healthy.
Chickens are carriers of several zoonotic diseases. These are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. According to a recent survey in Pennsylvania, a majority of backyard poultry producers were aware of the dangers of avian influenza. However, this study also revealed that far fewer producers were aware of the risk of possible exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.

The lack of knowledge about the hazards of raising poultry likely contributes to the continued issues of Salmonella outbreaks associated with backyard poultry. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,072 illnesses of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, and 272 of those patients required hospitalization. Oklahoma reported 43 individuals with the disease.

To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.