KNOW ANIMAL
VITAL SIGNS
When you telephone the vet
about a sick animal, it helps if you
also know the animal’s vital signs,
specifically body temperature and
breathing rate. It is also helpful if
you know what is normal in order
to help you decide whether or not
to call the vet.
Below are normal body temper
ature ranges and breathing rates
per minute for various farm
animals:
Animal Temp. Range
Horse 99.5-101.3
Foal 99.5-102.2
Cattle 100.4-103.1
Sheep 102.0-104.0
Swine
Goats.
Beef Heifer Data
Weaning Wt.
ADG to Breeding
Min. Breeding Wt.
ADG to Calving
Min. Wt. at Calving
Step into our
Open
House
Ifehraow
■ VHIIiW W
21,22,23,1991
Act now during our Winter Advantage and ayoy the lowest prices in years at
our ifaree-day Open House from 8 am. t o 6 pjui. on Feb. 21,22,23,195 L
Our suppliers are giving us special prices, and we are passing
these savings on to you. It only takes 10
percent down to lock in on these building
savings in effect now through February 23.
Keep warm as you prepare your
equipment for sprmg in a Morton Building.
Call today for the number of your local
sales office and set up an appointment during
the Open House or feel free to just stop by.
If it’s more convenient, you can set up an
appointment beforehand and still take
advantage of our building savings.
With every building purchase,
receive two free pair of Leather Athletic
shoes during this special promotion.
Daily door prizes will be given and
refreshments will be served.
Take advantage of our low prices now
and step up to a Morton Building.
CONTACT THE OFFICE NEAREST YOU:
336* York Rd., P.O. Bo* 3«1 P.O. Box 126, 1918Induatrlal Dr. P.O. Box 187
Gattyaburg, Cantra Hall, Phllllpabura, Hi ESiSIj
PA 17325 PA 16828 NJ 08865 VA 22701 DE 19952
717/624-3331 814/364-9500 201/454-7900 703/825-3633 302/398-8100
Livestock
Ledger
By
Chester D. Hughes
Extension Livestock Specialist
Dogs
Cats
Animal Breaths/minute
Horse 8-16
Beef Cattle 10-30
Dairy Cattle 18-28
Sheep and Goats 12-20
Swine
What Weight to Breed Heifers
How heavy should beef heifers
be at breeding time? That depends
upon a number of things, includ
ing how big they will be as mature
cows.
Research has shown that a beef
heifer should develop to 65 per
cent of her expected mature
weight at breeding time. Then she
should reach 80 percent of her
mature weight at calving time,
100.4-104.0
103.0-105.0
Mature Cow Weights
1000 1100 1200 1300
450 500 550 600
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
650 715 780 845
.93 .98 1.04 1.09
900 980 1060 1140
"Step Up to Morton Buildings"
plus an additional 100 extra
pounds for the weight she will lose
at calving.
The following table gives ideal
target weights and gains for heif
ers that will mature out to four dif
ferent body weights.
Cattlemen need to keep in mind
that these are not average weights.
Belter than 90 percent of heifers
cycling should meet these ideals.
Marketing Cull Bulls
Muscling and body condition
are the name of the game when
you market cull bulls. Livestock
market auctions want bulls ifi
good shape, which will grade
when sent to the slaughterhouse.
The base price that auction rep
resentatives set for bulls is based
on muscling and condition. An
overly flechy bull will be docked
because of decreased yield poten
tial, as will an underweight, light
muscled bull.
The ideal bull to market is a
streamlines, structurally sound
bull with plenty of width and
dimension over the top and down
through the rump. Wide, sound
feet and plenty of width through
the brisket area also are strong
marketing points. In addition,
clean and shiny bulls often bring
more money simply because they
are presented well.
101.0-103.0
100.5-102.5
8-18
To reach this ideal market con-
MILK.
IT DOES A
BODY GOOD.
Two free pair of
leather athletic shoes
with every building purchase.
1-800-447-7436
MORTON
BUILDINGS
P. O. Box 399, Morton, IL 61550
dition, you should feed bulls
before selling to add condition
they must have lost during the
breeding season. By having the
bulls in a feedlot, you also can
watch for any signs of injury or
disease.
In addition to body condition,
the bull also should be mild
tempered. Flighty, nervous bulls
often signal to buyers dark
cutters, which reduce yield
quality.
Soil Testing Key To
Pasture Management
many catdemen describe their
pasture as poor, only an exercise
lot, or an unproductive piece of
land. Land owners should realize
that 90% of all pasture land can be
productive and produce inexpen
sive quality feed for your herd.
The first step to a productive
pasture is a soil test. In order to
have a lush green pasture, provid
ing lime and fertilizer is a must.
And if you are going to lime and
fertilize, you need to know the
quantities that your soil needs.
Some land owners decide to
guess, which leads to two prob
lems: if they overestimate, they
lose money by buying too much
fertilizer, and if they guess too
3 Sizes Available... 16’, 18’, 20’
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• Also will fit sides onto your flat wagon
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Rt. 897 North - Gap, PA 17527
717-442-8972
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AARON S. GROFF & SON
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RD 3, Ephrata, PA 17522 (HlnkMown) Phona (717) 3544631 -
Slora Houra- Mon., Thura. A Frl. 7 A.M. to • P.M.
Tuaa. A Wad. 7 A.M. to 5 P.M.; SaL A A.M. to 12 Noon
Lancaster Fanning Saturday, February 9,1991-D3
low, they will not get the potential
productivity from their land. The
only way to be sure is to lest your
pasture’s soil.
A soil test is a simple matter if
you take the time to do it. Soil test
kits are available from your coun
ty extension office and instmc
uons are included with each kit.
The first rule of baby pig man
agement is to keep the pigs warm
and dry. Newborn pigs are essen
tially cold-blooded animals and
their body temperature will be
very close to the temperature of
the surroundings.
When bom into an environment
that’s less than 90 to 95 degrees F,
the pigs will have to bum extra
energy to keep warm. So at best,
the pigs will slop growing. At
worst, their fat and glycogen
stores will be quickly depleted,
and they will be in a life
threatening situation.
The second rule of baby pig
management is to be sure that
every pig gets colostrum. Colo
strum contains a high level of
immune globulins that are
absorbed directly by the pigs dur
ing their early hours of life.
Sizes To Fit Your Needs
Managing Baby Pigs