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As temperatures drop and winter takes hold, caring for your chickens—especially young chicks—requires extra attention. While adult chickens are often well-equipped to handle colder weather with their dense feathers, baby chicks and younger birds are more vulnerable and need additional care to thrive during the winter months. With a few thoughtful preparations, you can keep your chicks warm, healthy, and comfortable. Here are some essential winter chick care tips to guide you through the season. 1. Provide Proper Heating Chicks rely on external heat sources to maintain their body temperature, especially in cold weather. A consistent heat source is essential...

Winter can be a stressful, even dangerous, season for chickens. If you take the proper steps to winterize your chicken coop, however, you can provide safe, comfortable shelter for your flock even on the coldest days and through the iciest nights. Why Winterizing Matters Different chickens have different tolerances for cold, but winter brings more threats than just lower temperatures and all chickens can be at risk. In addition to hypothermia and frostbite, chickens stressed by the cold season are more susceptible to other illnesses. Furthermore, chickens lay less in winter, and that loss of productivity can be very damaging...

Most pet owners are diligent about feeding their pets a healthy, nutritious diet. It can be tempting, however, to offer a pet a tasty treat, especially on a special day such as a holiday or the pet's birthday, or even as a reward for mastering a new trick or obeying a command. There are some foods, however, that can be toxic to pets and should never be offered, even in small quantities. The Effects of Toxic Foods on Pets Giving a pet inappropriate foods can have many possible consequences, from mildly uncomfortable side effects to dangerous, even deadly results. The...

Cats and dogs are naturally meat-eaters, and grain-free treats are all the rage to offer your pets. But how appropriate are grains, really, in your pet's diet? What types of treats are suitable and how can you find the best options to meet your pet's nutritional needs? Grain and Your Pets Naturally carnivorous pets such as cats and dogs require diets high in protein and made of mostly meat for strong, healthy muscles and overall nutritional balance. While it is true that carnivores cannot easily digest grains, modern domesticated dogs and cats can usually eat small amounts of grain without...

Understanding the basic dietary needs of your equine friend is an essential part of ownership. Horses are foragers, meaning they graze. Meeting this natural characteristic is imperative.• Hay: Hay is commonly the preferred source of forage. A safe calculation is 1 pound of hay to every 100 pounds of a horse’s body weight. Allowing a horse to have access to hay all day helps promote a healthy digestive process.• Best Practice for Feeding: The amount of feed given on a daily basis should be determined by the horse’s size and work load. A normal leisure walking horse might have a...