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Rare livestock breeds



I am writing a book on our rare and endangered breeds of livestock.  I
have enjoyed a great deal of help from the livestock conservation groups,
breed associations, and individuals.  I would like to invite people who
have special knowledge about or raise these breeds to share their info
with me.  I am looking for your observations about unique characteristics
or traits.  I am also looking for verification that these breeds will fit
into  economically viable agriculture.  I would appreciate learning about
your experiences.
JDohner@aol.com 


>Can someone tell me how to tell the difference between 
>a male and female Guinea Fowl?

Not being an expert by any means, I have found that *my* guinea hen turned
out to be the one who had somewhat "curled" wattles.  The male's wattles
(the red, fleshy part that hangs under the head on both sides) hang straight
down.  The hen's wattles curled under the head a little. 
-=-
The sure difference is that the female
is capable of making a certain noise that the male can not make.  They can both
make that ear-splitting loud cry, but the female makes another sound when she's
a little less agitated.  I'll try to describe the sound as best as I can:  it's
a two-beat sound that sort of sounds like a question.  It's like, "wop-wop?
wop-wop?" with an accent on the second wop.  Hope that helps!


Article 7883 of misc.rural:
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mlfarm!jenny!ron
From: ron@mlfarm.com (Ronald Florence)
Subject: Re: Lamb creep feeder?
In-Reply-To: bmoon@eis.calstate.edu's message of 26 Feb 1994 13:07:30 -0800
Message-ID: <CLw2M3.HHM@mlfarm.com>
Lines: 24
Nntp-Posting-Host: auda.mlfarm.com
Organization: Maple Lawn Farm, Stonington, CT
References: <2kodmi$qqt@eis.calstate.edu>
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 1994 15:20:20 GMT

Bruce A. Moon writes:

    Does anyone have ideas for a small creep feeder? I have never seen
   one, let alone plans but people say we should supplement the lambs
   with pellets to get them ready for the fair.  

You can make a quick & dirty creep feeder out of a standard 16-foot
welded hog or stock panel.  Use a boltcutter or hacksaw to cut two
6-inch by 18-inch openings in the panel, cover the rough edges with
duct tape or a length of split garden hose, then bend the panel into a
semi-circle and fasten to a wall of the barn.  You may need a couple
of anchors to hold the center section down.  Put a small feeder inside
and maybe a bright light over it, add a little leafy alfalfa hay, and
show the lambs where the goodies are.

We find that if the lambs aren't creep trained at a very young age
(one-two weeks), they don't get the habit.  This year we're trying a
mixture of cracked corn and soymeal for the creep, and gradually
mixing in the 16% coarse mixture that the ewes get.  The lambs seem to
like it.
--

				Ronald Florence
				ron@mlfarm.com