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Livestock
Find or submit original online articles about Livestock within the Animals Category
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Pigs are Cleaner and Smarter than Dogs
Published : July 08, 2010 | Author : Baxter McNeill | Unrated |
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 Believe it or not, pigs are much cleaner and even smarter than dogs.
I spent part of my childhood on a farm where pigs were raised free-range. Dozens of pigs were free to come and go to large paddocks, from a large, open, concrete barn, that was full of straw and subdivided into three areas. Incredibly, NO PIG EVER WENT TO THE TOILET in that barn! It did not smell! Pigs HATE to make a mess in their own home!
The only reason that pigs smell is because people keep them in tiny, tiny pens which is very cruel for such a smart animal. They probably smell better than humans would smell, if humans were kept in cages of the equivalent size and forced to live with their waste products.
There have been a number of people who claim that pigs are smarter than dogs. I was watching a show on Animal Planet in 2001 and a man who trained pigs claimed that his pigs knew more tricks than his dogs, and were faster to learn.
My own observation of pigs is that any animal that makes so many different noises just has to be smart. I'm pretty good at imitating animal noises, but I have never been able to fully imitate the noise of pigs. If you listen to happy pigs out in the open, they make many, many more noises than the proverbial 'grunt' and 'oink'. It seems as though they have a full vocabulary!
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Milk Goats - Know Thy Enemy
Published : July 08, 2010 | Author : Cheryl Stirling | Unrated |
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 Patience may be a virtue, but laughter is the only way to survive goat milking. You can strive for the perfect fencing. You must aim for good nutrition. But, don’t kid yourself. When it comes to milking, you do not get the last word.
When I decided to add milk goats to my backyard farm I envisioned pitchers of milk cooling in the fridge while cheddar rounds age in my cellar. Spirit, my first nanny, had other ideas. There is an old saying I just made up: “Don’t expect instant gratification from your very first dairy goat lactation.” Like dating, expecting nothing is the first step toward not being let down. Perseverance is the next step toward surviving goats with your sanity moderately intact.
Spirit proved mutinous in milking. Even with twins at her side, she had ample milk to share. Generosity was simply not her forte. However, like falling off a bike or getting thrown from your horse, when you find a goat leg lodged in your right ear, you must climb right back on.
To help other potential farmers deal with inevitable frustration, I have provided the following journal. It documents my first full month of milking Spirit. From this draw hope. There is light at the end of the nipple.
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