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Next Chapter Nutrition

Next Chapter Nutrition is all about helping you love your critters inside and out, with this informative page and with our Wild and Free animal products!

13/12/2022

Hay is such an important part of farming, especially in the cold months!
But with so many types of hay and so many different hay sellers which should you go with?
First you need to have a small knowledge of what all hay should look like? Hay should be green, not brown or a dull yellow. Don’t judge a book by its cover though, some bales that have sat for a few months in the barn, the outside will turn yellow and the inside will be a gorgeous green. The hay should be fluffy if you will, not full of weeds and stems. Your animals will have to eat twice as much of this hay to gets the proper nutrients, which will cost you more in hay in the end.
Moldy hay, DO NOT FEED HAY THAT IS MOLDED. Know you hay seller, ask questions, and make sure they don’t bale the hay when it is wet. Moldy hay can not only get hot in the inside and spontaneously combust in your barn, but it can make your animals extremely sick. Rumen animals especially, the rumen is what helps them digest food properly. The mold in the hay will mess up the acid levels in the rumen, which will then cause rumen acidosis, which is extremely painful for a cow and they won’t be able to keep themselves warm.
The two main types of hay are grass hay and legume hay.
Legumes (alfalfa and clover hay) have a higher protein content than grass hay. The roots of legumes are covered in nodules with nodules containing bacteria that obtain nitrogen from the air - the nitrogen is then converted to protein. Legumes can be overfed because they have a laxative effect. For horses legume hay/ or pellet form should not be more than 20% of the diet, because of the high protein content it can cause enteroliths in the stomach.
Grass hay (most common: Bermuda, Brome, Johnson, orchard, Sudan, and Timothy.) does not have the nitrogen fixing bacteria, but is still full of protein, calcium, vitamins, trace minerals and protein. Grass hay can not be overfed, and since grass hay is not as dense it is less probable to mold.
Your animal will not properly digest any food that is given to them without some form of forage. Hay helps move other feed through the digestive tract by peristaltic action, plus hay provides the animal the ability to satisfy its need to chew, providing a less stressful environment!

Hay is so important to your homestead! Any more questions feel free to ask!

12/12/2022

Holistic Animal Care, when I mention that to most people first thing they envision is essential oils and burning Sage, but that picture is all wrong.
One thing I love about diving into holistic animal nutrition is I have learned all about how these animals are designed.
Animals didn’t used to depend on us. They were once wild and lived a very healthy life.
It wasn’t until humans stepped in and changed their lifestyles to fit our needs and our schedules that they started having all of these sicknesses and needed all of the different forms of medication.
So my main focus in helping people and educating people in animal care is this:
Taking your animals back to their roots and loving them from inside and out! And just a few small changes to your everyday animal routines can make a big difference!
The culture today has completely taken animal care away from this and I am so excited to go on this journey with y’all!

02/11/2022

*****BREAKING NEWS*****

Now offering products and farm visits!!

-All products are organic and all natural!

-More products coming soon!!

-For the products these prices do not include shipping!!

-Farm Visits are local only!

27/10/2022

Lately, I have had more people contact me asking about sheep. Sheep have been growing in popularity more and more with new and experienced homesteaders.

Why you may ask?

It is because sheep have so many purposes; they provide wool, milk, and meat.

But normally people come to me knowing all of their benefits but are concerned about one obstacle....their inability to consume copper.
If you have done any type of research on sheep you know that sheep can not have copper. So I get asked regularly how we keep our sheep so healthy mineral-wise, while we run our sheep with our goats, who need large amounts of copper.

So here is my secret!
Kelp and Salt!

In our pasture where the goats and sheep are I set out a hanging feed bucket containing a 50/50 ratio of salt (from Redmond Minerals) and Kelp.

Why are these two in our mineral mixture?

First, let's talk about salt. When you get salt for your animals you want it to be either a light brown or a light pink color. Salt is not naturally white. Redmond Minerals' salt is fresh out of a mine and is the perfect light pink color. Salt activates the first digestive enzyme in the mouth, salivary amylase, to help the body properly absorb all nutrients. Salt is also crucial for mineral balance in the body.
Now, Kelp, Kelp has over 46 different minerals, including calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sulfur, zinc, etc. It has every amazing beneficial mineral in it EXCEPT FOR COPPER. Which makes it the best option for minerals for sheep.
This is the free choice option for the goats and sheep, but the goats get a copper supplement given to them separately.

If you are thinking about adding sheep to your homestead, you should do it! They are not as scary as everyone makes them seem. They are not hard to keep!
We raise Katahdin Sheep, which is a hair breed. We wanted to warm up to this breed before adding in the wool aspect of sheep. We have two ewes, Bonnie and Barb, and love them!
If you have any more questions about sheep feel free to contact this page or 6 Akers Farm!

26/06/2022

When I first started working with Sombra as his Equine Nutritionist, I noticed that even in late May he hadn't completely lost his winter coat. So I got right to work putting him on a top quality mineral mix and putting him on a couple herbs to help regulate his hormones, which would help him lose his winter coat naturally! We have a little bit more to go but so excited with his progress so far!!

25/06/2022

Learn all about the uses of Chamomile on the farm!!
We make ourselves Chamomile tea to help us relax, destress, and sleep better.
But this herb is also very useful on the farm!!
It is a very beneficial eye wash and is used to settle a horse's digestive tract and help them destress as well! And Chamomile is Show Ring Friendly!!!
Featuring Honest, who belongs to a friend of mine! He was so patient during this video and kind of bored!

28/05/2022

Livestock dogs are so important to the farm. They stay awake at night protecting the farm so the farmer can rest peacefully without fear.

JJ (Jasper Jr.) is our current livestock dog at ! He is the son of our beloved livestock dog Jasper, who passed away in his retirement home in 2020. JJ had some big shoes to fill but he is doing an amazing job!

JJ will follow us when we leave the barnyard, but he will stop about a 1/4 of the way. Watching us walk to the house. He loves his family and our attention, but he never forgets his job, and who he has to protect. Why we give him all the treats, affection, and praises; it's because his ferocious barks at night let us sleep peacefully.

27/05/2022

Working with Sombra and Honest has been such an amazing learning experience! Not only am I completely my case studies with them. But I am getting to learn a different style of training which is always a huge blessing!

24/05/2022

Introducing my first 2 "clients" if you will!
Honest and Sombra are 2 of my 3 Case Studies!! Sooo excited to work with these guys!!

21/02/2022

Growing up on our farm in Ohio most years we would have roughly, 200 egg layers and 100 meat birds. The health of our flock was very important to us from the time they were chicks to hens and roosters.

Here are a few tips for you and your flock that we learned along the way!

1. Clean environment: Chickens and other birds breathe through air sacs which are extensions of the lungs. The chicken's far more complex respiratory system ensures that it always has fresh clean oxygen, since they do not have diaphragms as humans do. And because they have this complex respiratory system they are more prone to respiratory sicknesses'', so a clean environment and clean coops are very essential for their overall well-being.
2. Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar mixed in the water is absolutely amazing for your flock and we have used it for years. It helps by getting rid of bad bacteria, it also helps build up the immune system, and helps the body digest nutrients. It also helps with hydration!! Plus I have found that waterers that have ACV in them tend to not get as dirty with algae. Note: only use raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.
3. Oregano: We mix this herb in our chicken treats mixture or even with their feed sometimes to help build their immune system! This herb can be used for all farm animals to help build up their immune system except for horses!
4. Oyster shells: are high in calcium and will help them replenish calcium when their bodies are drained from it laying eggs. By giving them calcium you will notice stronger eggshells. A substitute you can use as well is drying out their own eggshells until they are completely dried and grounding them up and giving that to them.

I hope these tips were helpful for you and watch out for more posts on 6 Akers Farm tips to help your furry critters!

30/01/2022

The past two years building your immune system has been on the forefront of everyone's mind, more than usual, but for farmer's and animal owners it is always something we take into consideration.
The word Strangles makes horse owners go into panic attacks.
Johnes Disease makes cattle farmers run to disinfect everything.
Canine parvovirus "parvo" scares dog owners into a frenzy.
Animal diseases are always a scare for once one gets its claws on your farm it takes some work to get rid of it!!
We have used several different immune building herbal mixtures that have really come in handy!!
Each animal is different so this week will be full of informative posts about how to help your furry critters from chickens to horses!

29/01/2022

Hey y'all!!
My name is Kaitlyn Marie!
The Lord blessed me with a love for animals, and I have spent many years caring for our animals on 6 Akers Farm, and any other animals that showed up.
I am going to school to become a holistic equine nutritionist, holistic cat and dog nutrionist, and dreams of going for livestock as well!
I believe in treating and caring for our critters holistically and naturally.
Now what does that mean exactly? Most people when I tell them, they would laugh and ask if I do weird dances and burn incenses over them.
No, caring for animals naturally and holistically means taking them back to their roots, and raising them in a traditional fashion. The Lord made each animal the way he did for a purpose, they have natural instincts and natural ways of doing things; living domestically sometimes gets in the ways of this, so by adapting their domestic life to best match their natural way of living makes for less health issues. For example, horse were created to graze, when they are put in a stall their hay is normally hanging up for them to eat. So, when they have to reach their neck up to eat instead of their natural positioning, it can cause a lot of spinal damage.
I also treat with natural products because they don't have toxins or any harmful ingredients, and they dont have side effects.
I created this page to help inform others of how we live this lifestyle, and how we care for our animals.

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Learn all about the uses of Chamomile on the farm!! We make ourselves Chamomile tea to help us relax, destress, and sleep better. But this herb is also very useful on the farm!! It is a very beneficial eye wash and is used to settle a horse's digestive tract and help them destress as well! And Chamomile is Show Ring Friendly!!! Featuring Honest, who belongs to a friend of mine! He was so patient during this video and kind of bored!

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