The husbandry of caring for and providing for livestock is a very noble matter and time-honored tradition. From the domestication of animals many generations ago up to this very day, we provide feed, shelter, and care for animals in a manner that nourishes the animals needs as well as provide food and enjoyment for ourselves. Furthermore, it can be said that the care of animals allows for our own growth as caretakers of this great Earth and her beings. Whether you raise cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, or any other animal from Ole’ McDonalds’ farm, a basic set of needs must be met. Shelter, food, veterinary care, and supervision must be provided.

Before I delve into the details of care, I wish to address a more basic and often overlooked topic of animal care. The stress mechanism can shape the growth process, immune system function, and the ease of care for any animal. Granted “smarter” animals may exhibit more pronounced stress evidence, but all will succumb to stress. And as we look at the stresses that can be presented to an animal, the overlooked one is the presence humans evoke by the perception the animal has of the human(s) that confronts them. The take-home phrase here is “positive human interaction.” Get animals acquainted to yourself and others that care for the animals. Some basic rules can be helpful to remember when training your animals. Be calm when you feed them, don’t make sudden moves or motions that may appear to them as aggression, don’t yell around them, (though unproven, I think swearing around animals can make the animals feel some of your anxiety), and just stay calm and be gentle. And also keep in mind, cows especially are creatures of habit, be consistent. Control your actions to be calm and gentle and your animals will be more relaxed, have better health, and better production.

Following the cue of stress mechanism, it reminds me to add other subtle details of animal husbandry. Routine plays a large role in how animals want to function. They want to see you feed them at a similar time each day, they want to see you walk by them or drive by them predictably, and your pet animals want you to stop and scratch their head or back to a degree of consistency. Animals expect a degree of consistency from you each and every day. They may lead rather uninteresting days, but they have enough uncertainty in their lives that they don’t need more from their caretakers.

Now onto the 3 core ingredients of successful animal care- feed, shelter, and veterinary care. Feed tops the list in most people’s mind, and rightly so. How you feed the animals plays a huge role in health, reproduction, and production. In a nutshell, these are the key elements of any feeding program, a qualified feed consultant can help you with the details. The first and foremost rule, provide feed around the clock so the animals may intake feed as they want. Some feeding programs for some species, in some situations, and in some programs may deviate from this, but the point being, do not limit the required nutrient intakes of the animals. The second and near equal rule to the first is balance, or better pronounced BALANCE, very critical. Animals need a balanced ration meeting all the needs of energy, protein, fiber, minerals, and micronutrients. A maximum of one doesn’t make up for a lack of the others. Energy provides the fuel to power all the functions of life. Protein provides amino acids to build bodily structures. Fiber maintains stomach function and regulation. In ruminants, it also serves as nutrient source for rumen bugs to further feed the animal. Minerals serve numerous functions in animals- anything from regulating stomach and blood pH, serving as catalysts for cellular functions, and building blocks of the body. Micronutrients, needed in micro amounts, are critical for important functions and formation in tissue and structures. And the key to all of these nutrients is the balance so that everything runs smoothly and productively for the animal. The other important rules of feeding stem from providing the ration is a form that is palatable to the animal to ensure proper intake. Maintaining fresh, mold free feed is important for palatability along with the fact molds and yeasts can cause mycotoxin problems and they are problems you certainly want to avoid at almost all costs. Clean, fresh, balanced, palatable, and consistently fed feed are the first step to a successful feeding program.

And to wrap up the topic of nutrition, I saved the best for last. What if I told you the most important nutrient cost less than a fraction of a penny per animal per day, is very important to immune system function, controls major bodily functions, and is a requirement of life. The most important nutrient is water. Provide clean, fresh water in a tank that is accessible to unlimited intake. Water is essential at all temperatures and all throughout the year. It can be said that water is needed more in summer heat because it is required in greater quantity, but unlimited free choice intake is needed every day of the year for animal to sustain vital life functions.

The second large factor in caring for animals is to provide adequate shelter for them. In the context of shelter, an animal needs a dry, draft free place to lay protected from extreme weather circumstances. To a degree, all animals can tolerate ‘imperfect’ weather from time to time without negatively affecting growth and health, but that is variable. Provide a place for your animals to go if they choose to get out from the weather. A simple overhead protection from rain with windbreaks from the directing of prevailing winds can be simple to accomplish. It can even be possible in correct situations and animals to house them in a heavily wooded lot for protection from wind, rain, and lower temperatures. A good manager can tell when their animals need protection, or at least the choice, to get out of the weather. The core shelter is important.

The other important areas to cover for providing shelter to animals is adequate space, ventilation, and comfortable bedding for the animal. The required space for an animal when in shelter is important. Overcrowding an area with animals can cause stress upon the animal by other animal’s aggressive behavior, competition for space, quicker build-up of ammonia and gases, and the stress of being ‘bothered.’ Ventilation, or air exchange, is important to provide clean fresh air. Ventilation is a complex subject, but subjugated to the simple phrase, “Provide new air and remove old air without causing a draft upon the animals.” What is the difference between a draft and a breeze? As one vet I’ve talked has said, “anything the animal is not used to.” And the last noteworthy item of shelter is comfortable and dry bedding. An animal wants a soft, dry, clean place to lay. (Well, okay pigs may be a little different.) An animal wants to recline to an area where he/she can sit down and get up without having to risk injury or scrapes from a hard, abrasive surface. Also, a relatively soft surface will conform somewhat to the animal and provide a more gentle laying surface. The importance of a dry surface in twofold. First, a drier surface is less conducive to growing pathogenic bacteria that can affect foot health, cause gaseous fumes, and in lactating animals cause mastitis. Second, a dry surface maintains the animals haircoat. A wet hair coat reduces the animal’s ability to stay warm in colder weather- a damper on the insulation factor. The animal has a better ability to regulate body temperature on its own terms. The matter of providing adequate housing for an animal is important and a necessary one to manage for the stock owner. But, to end this note on a contradictory matter, many happy cows prefer laying out in the snow on a calm, sunny winter day.

Veterinary care and supervision/management is an immensely broad subject area. I could spend volumes on specific conditions, but I refrain from that to cover the important areas to consider. Keep the animals well fed. A diet balanced for energy, protein, fiber, and proper minerals will place an animal in good immune function. Comfortable and adequately managed housing will keep the animals clean, comfortable, and not stressed. To add to those points, animals should have access to pasture for exercise, intake nutritious forages, and enjoy themselves frolicking on green grass. A veterinary-supervised health program to maintain health and quickly deal with problems which arise is important. There are many things that can be done as veterinary tools to patch situations, but maintain good care of the animals and the care will be all the easier.

The domestication of wild animals was one of the ways humans were relieved of their nomadic ways. And through the millennia we have learned new ways to keep better care and make better livestock and expand their uses and abilities. The use of better pasture management, housing cattle to prevent damage during nature’s furious weather events, and providing care to the sick or injured animal have all resulted in abundant herds and flocks of animals. Whether we care for animals on thousand acre ranches, family scale farms, or just a backyard pasture, we need to provide for their basic needs. An old adage in dairy farming says, “Take care of your cows, and they’ll take care of you.” I think that can be implied to any other animal farm.