Farming, Saturday, November 8,1997 ERS FROM FIRST-CALF HEIFERS Beef herds on heifer AI pro grams are finding that the replace ment heifers retained from first calf heifers provide the best gene tics, combined with low birth weight EPDs and high maternal value. Since these heifers are sired by calving case sires, a majority of them will reduce frame size and be earlier maturing than heifers from mature cows. If your management is on target, these heifers will often be the older ones, ready to breed before the main cowherd. In fact, (me common mistake producers can make is selecting heifers on adjusted weaning weights, often ending up with many younger heifers in their replacement group. These heifers could be 45 days younger than the majority of your calf crop and may not reach puber ty hrtfancto breed them ahead of die cow herd. By choosing older heifers, you can avoid these prob lems and keep your replacements from the cows who calved first. Good replacement heifers are certainly worth the expense of raising them. Knowing the genetic potential of the heifers and cows in your herd can help make impor- Lancaster Farming a 1 E. Main St. _ Ephrata, Pa 17522 ■ 717-394-3047 a or Lititz _ 717-626-1164 ■ FAX 717-733-6058 a PHONE HOURS: - Mon., Tubs., " Wed. & Fri. ■ 8 a.m. to 5 p.m _ Thurs. “ 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ■ OFFICE HOURS: a Mon. thru Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ■ The following categories B are available for your classified advertising. ■ In Section C. Deadline B Thursday morning at 9 of “ each week's publication a 1- Equipment 2- Eq. Wanted The following categories are available for your _ classified advertising m in Section D Deadline a Wednesday afternoon at 5 , of each week’s publication. ■ la-Construction Equipment a 3- and Unloaders 4- and Supplies B 5- Equipment 6- Equipment ■ 7- Equipment m 8- “ Ba-Exotic Animals B 9- & Mules 10- & Goats ■ 11- _ 12- Breeding ■ 13- Eq. & Supplies B 14- & Supplies 14a-Ratites ■ 15- & Seed 16- ■ 17- _ 18- & Vegetables " 19- B 20- & Garden 21 -Services Offered ■ 22- Work _ 23- Wanted ■ 24- Wanted a 25- Opportunities 26- ■ 27- _ 28- ■ 29- mm 30- “ 31- B 32- 32a-Antiques ■ 33- Vehicles _ 34- ■ 35- & Trailers a 36- Estate decisions. Replacement Ewe Lambs Ewe lambs bom in March and April are excellent candidates to be used as replacement ewes in spring lambing flocks. With prop er feeding and breeding manage ment, spring-born ewe lambs should have lambs by the time they are 12 to 14 months old. Ewes that have their first lambs as yearlings have a higher lifetime production than ewes lambing fust as 2-year-olds. Select the fastest growing twin and triplet ewe lambs for replacements. Not only is there an advantage in improved prolificacy, but twin and triplet lambs have a more moderate growth rate, which pre vents excess fat deposition in the udder. Lifetime milk production may be reduced in ewe lambs grown at an accelerated rate before reaching puberty. Ewe lambs should weigh approximately 60 percent of the mature body weight at the time of breeding. That equates to a weight of approximately 100 pounds at breeding for most commercial crossbred ewe lambs. Expose the ewe lambs to rams for SO days. Use marking hames- We Now Accept Visa (Word Ads Only) CLASSIFIED AD ORDER BLANK PLEASE WRITE CLEARLY K LANCASTER FARMING A f P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522 NOTE: Please do not use this form for Mail Box Market Ads, see instructions with Mailbox Markets Name Addres; City Zip Please publish my. starting with the ■ # I enclose □ Check Enclosed □ Visa(l3 or 16 numbers) □ Mkstercard (16 numbers) (Be sure to include all numbers) Card# - - - Exp. Date: Signature Box Replies: Ads with answers coming to a box number, c/o Lancaster Farming; $1.50 per ad per week additional. This newspaper will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of any advertisement. 38 37 38 39 40 (PHONEJUMBERS COUNTASONE WORD^ ses to monitor breeding activity. To ensure proper development, ewe lambs should receive 1 pound of grain daily up through lambing. To prevent excessively large lambs at birth, grain should not be increased during late gestation. Medicated Early Weaning Medicated early weaning (MEW) is a method of reducing the exposure of pigs to a wide spectrum of pathogens with the aim of reducing the incidence of diseases in pigs. This system is based on the principle that in a closed, well-managed herd, the balance between immunity and infection tends to reach a stable equilibrium. The MEW technique involves (1) medicating the sow diet with broad spectrum antibiotics before farrowing and until weaning, (2) removing pigs at an early age (10 days or less) from the sow and placing them at a new location, and (3) giving the litter appropri ate medication (broad spectrum antibiotics) from birth until five days after weaning. MEW has been found to be effective in eliminating the organ isms responsible for enzootic pneumonia, swine dysentery, pseudorabies, and one of the organisms responsible for atroph ic rhinitis, Bordctella bronchisep tica, and other organisms. Post weaning mortality is increased (ranging up to 12 percent to 25 percent) and there are additional costs due to off-site sow facilities and extra labor. However, sub stantial beneficial effects have been reported in the finishing per formance of MEW pigs: 14 per cent increase in average daily gain and 9 percent improvement in feed efficiency. Producers considering early State Phone( ) word ad times issue. Classify under & Master Card ViSA PLEASE CALL OUR CLASSIFIED AD DEPT. IF YOU WANT TO ADVERTISE A DISPLAY BOX IN OUR PAPER weaning or wean-to-finish pro grams are urged to attend the Penn State Animal Housing Expo at the Lebanon Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Beginning at 10 ajn., the swine program will feature topics on “Adjusting to Three-Site Swine Production" and “Designing Facilities for Wean-to-Finish Pro duction." A producer panel will feature on-the-farm experiences with these production methods. For more information, contact your county extension office. Get Older Horses In Shape For Winter If you own older horses, make sure they are in good physical con dition before winter sets in. Twenty years for a horse is equivalent to 70 years for a per son. And, like people, older horses need more care in the winter than they did when they were younger. Older buses are not as efficient as they once were in digesting food. During cold weather, these horses need extra energy to keep warm. So, have them gain weight and get in good condition before winter. A horse is in good condition if you cannot see its ribs and have to apply slight pressure to feel the rite as you move your hand over them. ‘Once they get thin, it’s hard to return older horses to good con dition. Also, thin horses are more likely to get diseases and parasites. If good-quality pasture isn’t ADS! £ PAY OFF! 1 h CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES \ 470 per word per week -1 or 2 times r 420 per word per week -3 or more times 11 word minimum f Words 1 Time 2 Times 3 Times $ up to 11 5.17 10.34 13.86 \ \ 12 5.64 11.28 15.12 j k 13 6.11 12.22 16.38 f V 14 6.58 13.16 17.64 j ) 15 7.05 14.10 18.90 ) \ 16 7.52 15.04 20.16 A \ 17 7.99 15.98 21.42 A r 18 8.46 16.92 22.68 J P 19 8.93 17.86 23.94 i } 20 9.40 18.80 25.20 J SECTION 0 - WEDNESDAY AT 5:00 P.M. SECTION C • THURSDAY AT 9:00 A.M. OF EACH WEEK’S PUBLICATION available, older horses need high quality, soft hay. Legume hays are better than grass hays because they provide more energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals. If your older horse is not in good condition, feed it three to six pounds of grain or commercial feed daily. If the horse is too thin, you may need to feed it greater amounts. If you use more than six pounds of grain, feed twice a day. A pellet feed may help if the horse has a diewing problem. A vitamin-mineral supplement also may help an aged horse. Vitamins are important in various digestive processes. Some studies also indi cate a mineral supplement may aid bone mineralization in older horses. If your older horse has not been on a routine parasite control pro gram, dewotm it before winter. Deworm for bots after the second killing frost And remember, some anti-parasite drugs aren't effective against bots. Your veterinarian can advise you on specific pro ducts and methods of deworming. Check your horses’ teeth before winter. Older horses often have sharp points on the cheek teeth. The points are on the inside of the lower teeth and the outside of the uppers. Float or rasp off these points. Older horses also are prone to lameness. So trim their hooves periodically throughout the winter. DEADLINES: ! i