Ensure Snow Has The Moisture

Posted Jan. 10th, 2011 in Grainnews

 

Make Sure Snow Has Enough Moisture For Livestock Needs.

Winter has many challenges for both producers and livestock. Producers are often looking for better ways to not only feed and water their animals more efficiently, but also with an eye on holding or reducing costs. Bale and swath grazing and forage stockpiling can all contribute to a healthier bottom line.

When feeding animals this way water is always a concern. Letting livestock water out of live water is not an environmentally sound practice, and is now prohibited in many areas. Dugouts are not safe for watering unless specific watering areas are fenced off and then you have to break ice daily. Footing and safety concerns when using dugout watering systems are a factor for both producer and animal. Using new types of frost-and energy-free systems requires planning and traditional watering systems can be costly (installation, maintenance and energy usage) and a fixed water source can limit the producer’s ability to utilize their full grazing program potential.

Some producers use nature’s winter water source, snow, for their animals. While this seems a good and natural choice there are some precautions producers should keep in mind when deciding to use snow for water.

Successful snow grazing depends on several factors, some of which can be managed by the producer, and others which cannot. As a precautionary note on the semi-arid Prairies we do not consistently get the quality and quantity of heavy -moisture snow required for snow grazing as a primary water source for livestock.

Measuring the moisture content of snow can be as simple as melting a quantity of snow and measuring the melted water. As a general rule, 10 inches of snow equals one inch of water. Snow holds most of the water content closest to the ground, which is why you can break through a dry ice crust in spring and find yourself standing in a slush puddle.

If possible, producers who use snow grazing for water should do so as a secondary or supplementary water source, and plan to use it in emergencies. Cattle, in general, will grow accustomed to using snow for water if given the chance to adjust, but the snow that provides sufficient moisture should be free of ice crust and wet. Dry snow or snow with a heavy ice crust will not yield enough water for cattle to meet daily water requirements and can sharp ice may injure their mouths.

When snow-grazing cattle, the producer should be very aware of animal body condition and monitor it carefully. Adjusting to snow as a water source can take a few days, and the animals should be checked often during this period. Be sure to investigate any animals which are overly vocal, pacing near their usual water source or losing condition. This is especially a concern in pregnant cows and cattle close to calving in the colder months.

The energy required to eat enough snow to slake a thirst and to melt it internally may not be worth the stress and extra feed which animals need. There is some debate on this and most resource sheets will note differing opinions, it is important to read about conditions in your area and not rely solely on fact sheets.

Animals require up to 40 litres of water/day in colder weather, and unless snow is very wet and easy to ingest they may be under supplied. Cattle nearing calving or in early lactation, with higher water requirements, should not rely on snow for their sole source of water. They will rapidly lose body condition.

Generally most provincial agriculture departments have guidelines and suggestions for snow grazing. It is important to check the condition of cows daily and no less than every two days when snow grazing to ensure there is no loss of body condition or undue stress on the animals.

Energy-free and frost-free water systems can be economically placed and provide year-round water for your livestock. Many producers have designed their own systems and many designs are available online. Knowing the water quality of your snow and understanding your livestock will allow you to make choices for their winter care that do not compromise their welfare and well being and don’t negatively impact your bottom line.

Winter care, when planned in advance, can include snow grazing but the plan needs to ensure it is providing the basics of food, water and shelter for any animals.

Social Media Storm?

My heart hurt today, so badly, when I read a story about a mama dog and her new born pups, saved from traffic and shot by animal control.  My heart hurts daily when I see the posts and calls for help and I wonder...can we create enough of a social media storm to actually create change for animals?  Can we?

Can we hold animal caregivers accountable?  Can we hold communities accountable?  Can we show that the someone who should do something is actually YOU and ME?

We cannot do it by spouting hate or by  promoting violence.  We cannot be a voice expecting to be heard  if we have nothing to say!  Shouting about a problem doesn't solve it.  We need to find solutions and we need to create an atmosphere for change.  

Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites give us access to millions of people and we should be, and can be changing things.  We can reach media and interact with people in an instant way.  

If you could know your message would be heard what would you say?  If someone asked for  a solution what would you offer?  

My heart hurts, for cruelty to animals is one small step away from cruelty to you and me,   One small step from animal abuse to people abuse.  Why in the world don't we do something before they get to that step?

No matter how much we shout NO! NO! and STOP! STOP!  unless someone actually finds their voice to hold these people accountable, these organizations, these communities and that means being good at sharing our message.  That also means not feeding hate with hate or offering violence as a response to violence.  

Create a storm...but remember this the thunder makes lots of noise but the lightning does the work!  

Horse Meat

The Canadian Food TV Network, on their show Top Chef Canada, chose to utilize horse meat.  This ignited an uproar across the media and in social media. Facebook has groups, there are posts and comments going around and around.  The station issued a statement which, on the surface, seems to indicate sensitivity to the issue but does not actually answer any questions.

I have a singular issue with this and it is this: there are two types of horses going for meat in North America.  One group of horses, like cattle, sheep, swine and poultry are purpose bred for meat.  The second group are no longer wanted companion horses sold at auction or driven to the plants by owners.

New regulations are supposed to ensure traceabilty for horse meat for the use of non-approved drugs prior to slaughter.  CFIA is supposed to ensure humane transport and killing.  Provincial authorities are supposed to ensure animal welfare standards are met for the animals. 

I don't believe for a minute that anyone outside of a small, vocal group cares that there are two types of horses going for meat.  Everyone one sees horses the same and sometimes that isn't a bad thing. 

So a horse, is a horse, except for when someone wants to eat it, of course!

When you see a horse being sold at auction you can safely bet it is going for meat.

You can tell when it has been a companion.  Would you choose to send a loyal animal friend to a surely frightening end and do it willingly?  Many do.  Many do it when their horses are sick, old, injured, unable to work and too much bother.  The take the out of sight and out of mind position.  Once the horse is gone they forget it entirely.

If we are going to accept horse meat as food TV fodder then Food TV needs to accept that their choice isn't supermarket simple.  It isn't a clear cut case of protein but often a case of a long, hard trip for an end that is not ensured to be humane at any stage.  Not to say that all horses face this end but too many do. 

I look at my horses, and I remember the one I couldn't save from slaughter and I won't forget him.  He was deserving better of me and I was not in a position to save him.  I know if he had to he would forgive me but animals always forgive.  Shouldn't we be doing better by them?  Yes! We should.


Tell the food shows, tell your friends with hobby horses and acreage companions that they have animals that deserve better.  We have to ensure that their lives and their deaths are humane, caring and full of love.  We cannot toss aside our animals and forget about our responsibilities to them.  In life, and in death.  We owe them that for unfailing loyalty and love with no boundaries or limits.


We cannot have a country that claims to care for animals when we toss them away like trash when we are done with them.

Make them Stay

I know it has been a while since there was a Chore Time post, I've been working on other writing and taking a break from the animal rescue community.  But today I have to write and I hope you can read, comment and share.


I was reading, once again, about all the animals (dogs, cats and others) who are going to be shot, heartsticked, gassed or lethally injected and the cries from those who would save adoptable animals from being just one more disposable item in an incinerator or landfill.  I was reading about volunteers in New York City who go and spend time with animals who are going to die.

It started me thinking about the times I was there while a pet crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  The tears, the heart ache and the awesome responsibility of being there for their last breath, their last heart beat.  If we care about them we are responsible for them.  In life and through to their death.

This isn't new, call it pet recycling if you have to put a tag on it.  We recycle and reduce, we reuse and re-purpose.  We are being more green, we are being more energy lean and yet we still throw away our animals (and too often our children and elderly but that's another post) like they are trash.

Shelter reform is needed, certainly, but we also need a reform of the heart!  We need people to care about the living creatures they call property and consider their rights as fellow citizens of the earth.

We need to remember they freely love us and so often they loyally trust us even in face of repeated abuse.  They were made to be our friends, our companions, our blessing.  They are not meant to be left behind, dumped off, abused and tortured.

My heart aches for each animal that is killed for not reason other than the unsound reasoning of a person who wouldn't search for other options.  Each animal that is dropped off at a kill shelter should have a requirement of the owner to attend their kill session.  That's right!  I said it.  If you dump your adoptable animal you should have to stay with them as they die.  You should be required to hold their bodies as they stop breathing, as they relax in death.  If they are 'lucky' enough to be injected.  If they are at a heartstick or gassing facility you should still have to watch.  Understand the choice you are making.

It is a choice.  It is a choice for life or a choice for death.  It is a choice of not planning or a choice of not caring.  It is a choice.  Are you choosing for welfare, for life or are you choosing for someone else to have to bring death?  If you had to stay, would it change your mind?

I hate to stay but when my dear old friend or a seriously injured pup needs the ultimate relief from their pain it is my responsibility to be there for them. To be there with them.  I keep their collars and one day I'll start a memorial tree for all the empty collars, and make it a foundation and a mission to make sure that no animal is forgotten in their last moments.


Could you do it? Would you do it?  If you cannot, do you have other plans in place to ensure that your animal doesn't face it alone?

360 Rescue

The world of rescue is full of roads and like life full of choices.  One of the most challenging things for most rescues is making hard choices for very ill or injured animals.  For animals whose temperament or age make them unsafe and unhappy. 


The other hard choice can be to choose not to pull when the resources are not available.  The constant cry for money and fosters, volunteers and adopters gives the impression that rescues live in a constant crisis mode.  So often there is a strong need to save them all.  Too often this comes at a huge cost to the animals and the rescue.  It does not have to be this way.  There can be sustainable balance where animals can be saved, the rescue can provide care and there are adoptable animals finding a forever home!

As an example, a rescue which is oriented saving the next dog can forget about the dogs which are still needing their care and the fosters and adopters which still need their help and support.  Rescue needs to have a 360 view of the world around them, not just a small angle of focus.  If you look at it not as a pie chart but as a person who stands looking out the same small window, you may see what I mean.

That small window may only show dogs (for example) who need to be pulled from a kill shelter or it may show a sick animal suffering with no care but it doesn't show the whole picture.  It doesn't show the other important jobs of a full rescue.  It doesn't show that the animals still need you even after they are saved.  

A full 360 rescue not only pulls animals from harm (close to home or via long distance relay transport), they ensure that the animals are treated, assessed and made ready for foster homes and then they work with their fosters to get them ready for adoption.  Fosters and volunteers are what makes rescue work, and no one can afford to squander their life blood.

We need less crisis mode rescue and more 360 rescue where the animals are not just saved but also cared for until the end of their life.  No one can survive in crisis mode for long.

360 rescue  and those who see the whole rescue picture understand that you are not successful if you are only focussed on one area.  It has to be more than the pull, the dramatic save it has to be the day to day animals are being placed with the right people, the fosters and adopters have someone who is available to help them and they know they are not alone. 

All animals, not just special needs animals, should have the fosters and adopters staying in touch with each other for support and help.  Fosters need respite, they need breaks so they don't burn out.  Volunteers need to be heard and those who are adopters need to feel a sense of community.  As a rescue you need to be there for the easy animals  and those who are more challenging.  

When a foster or adopter calls to say they are lost and don't know what to do you need to be there for them and not be focussed on the next pull, next crisis, the next __________.  You made a choice to save that animal you need to keep helping that animal.

Fosters make it easier for animals to be adopted - build supports for fosters!

Adopters make a choice to adopt not shop - built supports for adopters!

Volunteers give of their time and resources - make every bit count!

Rescues make choices about the animals they save and the resources they use - they need to be accountable for each animal.  

From the time you pull to the time they have their last rest.  That may mean making hard choices in a time of crisis.  It may mean doing things differently or facing challenges in other areas.  That could mean choosing for the animal and not for the human self.

Animals only know quality of life not quantity of life.  People put the quantity on things, forgetting that there are times when quality counts more.  That may be hours, days, months or years.  All they know is now is good, or bad.  

Could you choose for the animal when that choice meant stopping their suffering? Or do you have to have the save?  Can you picture how many could be helped if you didn't need the save?  

Join the discussion about 360 Rescue here at Chore Time!

NO Designer Dogs!

Manitoba Voice for Animals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-breed_dog

This is an excellent wiki article about mixed breed dogs - there are times when we do deliberate crosses, there are times to keep the bloodlines pure bred but to bring in new genetic material to avoid inbreeding and there are many times where by accident or design a dog is mated for the sole purpose of puppies. These dogs are often labelled "Designer Dogs" when they are anything but!

When you purposefully mix dog breeds you are looking to maximize on the good traits of both parents (often purebred) so that you have a calm demeanor in a working animal (for example). What a responsible person does not do is combine animals who have traits that are not desirable and magnify them - mixing dog breeds who both have genetic tendencies towards breathing problems, for example. Or combining breeds that both have high drive without considering what their purpose, their job is going to be.

Mixing large and small breeds can lead to physical challenges such as a small framed animal with the gains of its larger breed counterpart. This is an animal with health issues from the start.

When petstores and online ads market "Designer Dogs" they are combining a cute mix of names from most often 'guessed' at breeds in the parent dogs. This 'chidoodloor' is a random breeding of two intact animals for the sole purpose of making money. With a high cost to the buyer, to the shelters and vets who end up caring for these animals when their health and temperament deteriorates.

The breeders of 'designer dogs' can be puppy mills and backyard breeders who do not take proper care of the health of the animals, they do not provide proper socialization, remove puppies too early from their dams, they do not give adequate attention to the physical needs of exercise, healthy food and clean water and proper shelter for these animals. They breed indiscriminately, they breed many times and when they no longer can do this they are dumped, killed or left to die.

Stores who can bring in 'designer dogs' are deliberately feeding the market of ignorance and providing the unsuspecting public who has a tendency to trust pet stores with animals that wont' be what they want or pay for.

I have seen ads for 'designer dogs' that go from $900 and down...!

By educating people we can stop this trend. Just because it has a 'designer' name doesn't mean it was a well thought out or good idea. Most often, if you look at the runways of Paris and New York, you see things that are strange, unwearable and quite dangerous. The same holds for so-called 'designer dogs' - they are strange, they are often not able to be a long term, healthy family pet and sometimes their health and temperament can create dangerous situations for the families, the vets and the shelters where they eventually get dumped.

Do your part, next time you hear someone talking about 'designer dogs' educate them, when you see ads for them, report it to the site owner and post educational information. If you know a store which sells these dogs ask them to stop, put them in contact with a reputable rescue to learn where their dogs go and give them an option to actually help dogs instead of adding to the problem.

If you know someone personally who is breeding 'designer dogs' or is a backayard breeder contact us and we'll give you some resources to help educate them. If you know of a puppy mill report it, and if you know where they sell to, share that with us.

How Many Stand Silent?

How Many Stand Silent? 

How many stand silent,

Watching as you quietly die?

How many stand silent,

Watching as you are abused?

One, a dozen, the whole world.

What if no one spoke for any of us?

Would you speak if the hand raised,

was raised against you and yours?

How many stand silent,

Knowing who deals death

Just beyond their door?

How many stand slient,

Knowing cruelty lives and thrives

Just beyond their door?

One, a dozen, the whole world.

What if no one looked at any of us?

Would you cry out or would you cower away,

if the cruelty was coming through your door?

How many stand silent,

Waiting for someone to speak?

How many stand silent,

Believing the lies, "I've changed"?

One, a dozen, the whole world.

What if we stopped believing them?

How many stand silent...

How many stand silent waiting for...

Just one person to say, "Stop! Enough!"?

How many stand silent...

How many stand silent waiting for...

Someone else to make the world change?

copyright Shanyn Silinski 2010