How to Protect Your Goat Herd from Toxins

After you finally get the goats you dreamed of to supplement your green lifestyle, you don't want to put them at risk or lose them from an avoidable cause. Goats are curious, and if there are toxins around, they may very well poison themselves. To protect your herd, evaluate items that you have stored or are in use in your yard, garage, or barn with an eye to goat safety. If you're going to drink your goats' milk or eat them, you are also at risk of ingesting any poison that your goats get into. Remove any items that might put a goat at risk, especially.

Lead paint: Goats love to chew and will invariably chew on walls, especially if you don't want them to. Lead paint is common in old barns and other structures. To be safe, assume that the paint on old walls and doors is lead-based, and don't use those areas for goats. Bare, untreated wood is actually best.

Railroad ties: If you are putting up a new structure and have access to free railroad ties, don't use them. They contain creosote, which is poisonous to goats.

Plastic: Keep all plastic, particularly plastic bags and plastic twine, out of reach of goats. Goats that swallow plastic can suffer from a blocked rumen and lose weight or die. Swallowing plastic also causes symptoms such as loss of appetite, decreased milk production, and bloating. Be careful to properly dispose of plastic from mineral blocks or other types of feed.

Solvents and other chemicals: Make sure that you have removed any old kerosene, solvents, or other chemicals that people often keep in garages or barns. These hazards can sicken or kill goats. Even those stored on high shelves within a goat area aren't safe.

Store all feed away from your goats in an area they can't access. If they inadvertently get to grain, they will eat until it's gone — and then you will have very sick or dead goats. If your goats overeat, and you are unaware of it, you may not understand the cause of the symptoms they exhibit. The feeling of panic is terrible, and so is the guilt when a goat dies because of your mistake.

How to Raise a Healthy Bunny

Rabbits are cute, soft, and the most adorable little bundles of joy you've ever seen, and can be the perfect pet if you know how to care for them properly. Educating yourself about this highly intelligent and affectionate creature will go a long way to giving them a long and healthy life.

1. Make sure that the rabbit has a clean, safe hutch to live in and enough room to move around. If it lives outside, it should have a waterproof roof, and in the summer, the hutch should be placed in the shade so that the rabbit doesn't get too hot. The best hutches to buy are those with two 'rooms', one with a secure wire window and a private room for the rabbits to sleep. The hutch should have a good lock so that the rabbit cannot escape.

2. Have a run for the rabbit so it can get daily exercise. It would be best if the run was attached to the hutch, but if this isn't possible, just put a run in your garden. The run should be spacious, but it should be secure in case the rabbit or rabbits try to escape. If its warm, keep the run in the shade and supply water.

3. Clean the cage if you want a healthy and clean rabbit. Eventually you should find out where your rabbit goes to use the toilet, and you could put some newspaper down here, so that you can just remove the paper when it comes to cleaning the cage out. Soiled bedding, food that is not in the bowl or fruit or beg that hasn't been eaten should be removed daily. Clean the hutch out when the rabbit is in the run, so that it can also be getting exercise. Clean out the food bowl and change the food daily.

4. Make sure you have a water bottle for your rabbit. The best kind are those that are placed on the side of the cage on the outside and face into the cage. This is better because the rabbit can not knock it over. The bottle should be cleaned out and fresh water should be supplied every day.

5. Feed your rabbit fresh fruit and veggies and pellets daily and make sure it always has a lot of fresh hay. Feed alfalfa hay for growing bunnies and timothy hay for adults.

6. Grooming your rabbit is also important. If you have a short haired rabbit, brush it every week. Try and find a brush specifically for rabbits and be gentle when you are brushing them. If you have a long haired rabbit, grooming should be done daily. You should trim the rabbits hair or get a groomer to do it so that it does not grow too long. Long haired rabbits should be brushed daily so that their fur does not get matted.