Dairyland Rabbitry Poultry Sheep Goat

09/01/2025

08/30/2025

Well.....way to many

✨ If you could step back into the ring with just one… who would it be?

Would you choose the one who taught you patience?
The one who melted into your arms for a quiet snuggle?
The one with a personality so big it could fill the barn?
Or maybe the one who gave it their all, every single time, no matter the odds.

They all left hoofprints on your heart in their own way.
Some taught you lessons you didn’t know you needed.
Some reminded you that winning is more than banners.
Some simply made every long night and early morning worth it.

Drop their name in the comments, and tell us why they’d be your one more go.

We can’t wait to hear the stories that still make you smile. ❤️

08/30/2025

08/30/2025

Time doesn’t just grow livestock—it grows kids, memories, and moments you’ll never get back.

Every late night in the barn, every early morning on the wash rack… it’s more than practice for the show ring. It’s raising hard-working kids, shaping character, and building bonds that outlast banners.

❤️ To every parent, grandparent, and mentor in the barn—you’re not just raising stock, you’re raising the future.

08/22/2025

Niacin.
This is long, but if you have ducks please consider reading it and forming your own opinion about additional niacin.

Niacin, A topic that I have been banned from almost every duck group on Facebook for going against all the comments that immediately blame niacin deficiency. Sometimes it is niacin, but, it is very easy to overdose niacin, and it can kill your ducklings ⚠️

Additional Niacin is not a fix all for ducklings.

Every single day I see issues posted about ducklings or adult Ducks and the first thing someone says is niacin deficiency. It is more than likely NOT

We have been breeding waterfowl for over 15 years.
We raise up to 10,000 ducklings per year.
We have only ever had two cases of suspected niacin deficiency... One was in a buff duck and one was in a jumbo Pekin. They were both shipped ducklings.
It's very rare to have niacin issues in medium and light weight breeds.
I say this because niacin deficiency does not happen at the rate that it appears to online. Just because everybody screams niacin in the comments does not mean that that is the issue.
Niacin as a fix all, is just like one of those tall tales that keeps getting passed from generation to generation and not questioned.
It is accepted as an answer without research.

That being said, everyone has a different way of feeding and raising their ducklings.

You may very occasionally have a duckling that requires more. These are usually Pekin 90% of the time.

******Most commercially prepared feeds have sufficient niacin... Ducklings require 55 ppm

* DuMor 20% Chick Starter/Grower Feed contains 55 ppm (parts per million) of niacin.

*Purina Start & Grow poultry feed contains a minimum of 65 ppm (mg/kg) of niacin.

*Purina flock raiser has 55 PPM of niacin

*Nature-wise chick starter does not guarantee a level of niacin

Most broiler and gamebirds feed have sufficient niacin and are great for raising ducklings.

You cannot feed your ducklings scratch grains, layer feed, or whole grains and expect them to thrive. They cannot live off of cornmeal peas and mealworms. A diet described as above is literally starving your ducklings. They are eating it but it's doing nothing for them.
I cannot stress this enough. You cannot feed them once a day and expect them to thrive.
**** Ducklings need access to feed while they are growing.*****

Ducklings have growing pains, they will also exhibit leg issues when they get wet feather, any times of stress, a slipped tendon, and even if they are tired.
Indian runner ducks especially will have leg issues when they are tired. They will throw their legs behind them and be unable to walk for a while.

If you pick up a 4-week-old duckling and it weighs less than a pound, cannot walk and is weak, you don't have a niacin issue, you have human error.
An adequately fed duckling of most breeds will appear half grown by 6 to 8 weeks old

Niacin will not fix failure to thrive.
Niacin deficiency does not happen overnight.
It is a progression.
If you're duckling was fine and running around the day before, it's probably not a niacin deficiency.
An adult duck limping is usually not because of a niacin deficiency. Possible, but not likely

What do the birds look like if there is a niacin deficiency? If there is a lack of niacin in their feed, some birds are reluctant to move. Their hocks swell and their legs develop a bowed shape. It becomes very difficult for them to move and they do not gain weight or thrive.
In young birds you will see problems within days if they do not have adequate niacin. If they remain on a low niacin diet, death may occur within two to three weeks as it is just too painful for the birds to move to eat and drink. When you have a niacin issue, you know it.

Symptoms of niacin deficiency in ducks:
Leg weakness and deformities: This is a common sign, including bowed legs, and inability to stand or walk.

Slow growth and lack of weight gain: Niacin is crucial for overall development, and deficiencies can hinder growth.

Neurological symptoms: Some ducks may exhibit wobbliness or lack of coordination.

Swollen hocks: This is a visible sign of niacin deficiency.

Heavy breed ducks are the most susceptible to niacin deficiency.
*****
Overdosing Niacin can and will kill your ducklings.
This is the part that no one tells you.

3 drops of b complex would be an overdose for a duckling

Also if you put one ml in a water dish and you had 4 ducklings, if they drank half the water, that would also be an overdose.

If you do decide to add additional niacin, please do adequate research on the amount. It takes very little

B, C and D below shows the progression of Niacin deficiency.
(Photo from Metzer Farms )

I hope this helps those that are new to ducks.
With niacin being pushed as a fix-all by 90% of people, please use caution when adding additional niacin.

Please feel free to share.

(Photo from Metzer Farms)

08/21/2025

Pet peeve. People who don't value other people's time.

I once woke up to seeing a post in another group, belittling a Farmer for not selling to her after she rescheduled several times. I also wake up most days of recent, to many messages on questions regarding food prices rising & how to reach our "Feed Freedom" goals . We can no longer keep up with responding to the amount of messages we get.

Before I step on my soap box, let me just say, this goes both ways. Farmers can be just as guilty. Farmers fail, not because they can't farm, but because they don't act or treat themselves as a professional business.

They don't recognize that success depends on time management & HALF of that time (that's right, I said it) should be spent on business communication & marketing yourself. It's not just cuddling cows, collecting eggs & hoping people show up to buy your zucchini.

You should have SET hours, days, answer messages & not jerk customers around. A business plan or model that stays consistent. Also, though we live in a digital world that is never " OFF", you have a right to put the phone down, close the gate & be present with your family. If you commit to a weekly market, show up & finish the season but also, don't complain publicly about your low sales, your church or your politics. On the flip side don't take disrespect of time, or even price hagglers. Nobody barters with Wally world for their food.

I've got thick skin, I don't take things personally & I truly believe our vibe attracts our tribe. I love sharing with y'all but I deserve to honor & value my time, as much as you do yours.

So this post I read, it bothered me, for the disrespect the farmer received. The audacity to value ones own time.

If I have someone picking something up from my farm, I usually send an appointment time with a 30 minute window. That's it. If that person shows up late, I make a note in my phone to not sell to them again. Period. Especially if there is no apology. We all have lives, I don't need to hear the excuse that your kid slept in or your goats got out, again. "I'll be there in a bit" isn't going to fly.

On the flip side, I have people I sell to all the time. They show up, I push them to the top of lists, give discounts, spend the extra chat time because they show up, they support me over & over. These are my tribe & they make business easy & fun.

My time is as valuable as yours is. I've waited, changed my schedule to accommodate, had people cancel after driving to a meeting point. I don't do it anymore. We all have catastrophes & lazy days. We also all have busy schedules & responsibility. We don't show up late for work or a Dr appointment. Why is your time more important than a farmer, or that farmers family?

So, back to the messages. I still try to respond when I can. One recent weekend, I took the time to respond to the gazillionth message on freak out mode over feed, cost of raising livestock, asking me about fodder & cover crops. My reply was short because I was busy, but I did respond that I have an an E-Book available with much more information on what we do. I sent the link. Later, I get a reply:

"so you're just one of those out to make a buck".

Actually, yes. Although I'm not getting rich off $10 Ebooks, my time is valuable and I have worth. There is plenty of free advice on the interwebs. Some great, some awful. If you're reaching out to me with a question that would take me hours to explain in detail, & you really need answers, I don't think paying a measly $10 is much to ask for something that took me weeks to perfect & write. You do have a choice to buy or not buy. It was a suggestion, not a threat. You may choose to support someone who took the time, not only to respond to you privately but also to provide all the content in one place so you don't have to search hours all over & w**d through the good & bad advice on the web, but nobody is holding a gun to your head. It takes tons of time to prep & host classes or to provide good content in print form & I work hard to make it great, because YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE TOO. I want people walking away, happy they spent those 3 hours with me or reading my book & being pumped to go start systems with what they've learned.

I actually recently saw another farm post a shaming AI
generated picture regarding this topic. It insinuated we should be sharing for free, it shamed ebooks & charging for classes.

I wanted to ask this person, who was hiding behind odd AI chicken cartoons, who in this world works for free? Don't most people receive paychecks for a job? Would you show up every day to work without an income?

Your vibe attracts your tribe. Treat yourself with respect, so others respect you. I call most of my followers my friends at this point & I am so very lucky to have y'all sticking with my crazy.

Farms & Homesteads are still a business, with hard working people behind them, just trying to feed their own family. We get a bad rap from the ones who choose not to represent us professionally, but if anyone deserves the respect for their hard work, it should be the ones who grow your food or the ones showing you how to grow it yourself.

Real people deserve to be valued timewise. Know your Worth. ☮️❤️🐥

08/21/2025

Well..I'm trying it..so anyone else have any to say about this... Yay or nay or...ehh... please advise in comments!

08/19/2025

Yesterday we hit a touchy subject- One of terms I wanted to go more in depth on today is how culling closes the loophole. It was the only term that I could come up with to get my point across and hopefully help others understand. So let’s dive into that section a bit more. Soft cull normally means removing from your program and allowing said animal to go to a pet home. General term “cull” to me- means dispatching. I know the horror on many of your faces as you read this- I can see the comments flooding before I even finish typing. “How can you claim to love something and cull it?” “Rabbits are not food” ,trust me when I say I have heard it all! Here’s where I’m going to try to educate- and no I will not fight with anyone in these threads. Culling IS necessary- if you do not remove rabbits that have weak immune systems, poor teeth, poor body type, you are only increasing future issues and locking in undesired traits. Now I can already hear some saying “Don’t breed, adopt.” Here is issue #2. If breeders do not breed and select for quality- then the gene pool will dwindle and certain breeds would die out. Take the American Chinchilla- it is listed as endangered on the Livestock Conservancy Site. Rare Breed History, Culture, and purposeful / intentional traits would be lost. The truth is none of us breeders enjoy culling, but the benefit outweighs the toughness of this task. Being a good breeder means that you don’t pawn problems off or flood the market-you close the loophole and cull. I know some of you are extremely passionate and opposed to these statements- that is A ok. You don’t have to agree with me, but to other breeders who want to do good I encourage you to utilize this method. If you have serious vetting skills for pet homes- that’s good. I unfortunately don’t, and my bridges have burned. I don’t even consider pet homes no matter the case anymore. At the end of the day I hope this helps someone- and maybe offer insight from my train of thought.

08/19/2025

I’m always flooded with the comments “Adopt, don’t shop.” This phrase has been repeated so often that I sometimes wonder if people truly understand an ethical breeder’s point of view. The truth is ethical breeders do not cause flooding in shelters & here’s why:
•Our breedings are intentional, not random-
Every pairing is planned with purpose — whether to improve structure, preserve traits, or strengthen lines. Unlike backyard breeders or impulse owners who are in it for the money, we don’t create litters without knowing where each kit is going. Ask any ethical breeder if they actually make money on their stock- the answer is no. Most of us are in the red- but we do this because we enjoy it.
•Culling closes the loophole-
It prevents weak, sickly, or poorly structured rabbits from being passed along into the general population. This isn’t about cruelty — it’s about responsibility. By making hard choices, ethical breeders keep problems from spilling into rescues and rehabilitation centers.
•We lock in genetics and preserve breeds.
Many rabbit breeds would be extinct without breeders dedicated to preserving them. Ethical breeding protects genetic diversity and ensures future generations can enjoy healthy, well-typed rabbits instead of losing these lines forever.
•Health is a top priority-
Bringing in a rabbit with hidden disease into a rescue facility may save one life, but it can jeopardize dozens of others. Ethical breeders focus on strong immune systems, sound body structure, and healthy lines so that rabbits are not only beautiful but also healthy.

08/19/2025

Lamb or Mutton… but what about Hogget?

🐑 Lamb is harvested from sheep 1 year of age or younger. Known for a mild flavor and tender texture.

🐑 Hogget comes from sheep 1-2 years of age. Supposed to be slightly less tender than lamb with a little richer/deeper flavor.

🐑 Mutton is meat harvested from sheep older than 2 years of age. Known for a stronger, robust, gamey flavor and tougher texture.

George was an Icelandic hogget with a carcass weight of 55 #.
The Icelandic next to him, a 4 month old lamb with a carcass weight of 23 #.