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AgSpeak Blog
Explore the AgSpeak Blog for expert agricultural resources.
Understanding Rodents & Controlling Them
Rats and mice have long been a problem on farms where food and nesting sites are plentiful. They are carriers of some 45 diseases and are capable of contaminating farm feed and water supplies helping to spread disease from contaminated to uncontaminated areas and from animal to animal. Many of these diseases are harmful to…
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Equipment Care – Watering Lines
We have to care for equipment in the poultry house in order to keep it working for as long as possible. Water is the most important nutrient that we can supply to our birds, so we should take extra care to ensure that the water delivery system is always clean and free of debris. It…
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Preparing for Spring – Tunnel & Exhaust Fans
Fans get used all year long, but they still require regular maintenance and cleaning so that they continue to work smoothly and efficiently. Remember to put safety first, and always unplug the fans before performing any maintenance procedure. Start the summer off right with a little care, and a lot of fan performance! Subscribe to…
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Breeder Barn Maintenance – Flat Chain Feeding
https://www.slideshare.net/ErickaMongeau/breeder-barn-maintenance-flat-chain-feeder Subscribe to our blog! [grid-1-3] [email-subscribers namefield="YES" desc="" group="Public"] [/grid-1-3]
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Setting Up & Troubleshooting a Gas Cremator
A cremator is a great method of mortality removal. It uses relatively little energy, works quickly to reduce mortality to ash, and kills all potential pathogens in the process. Properly setting up and troubleshooting a cremator are imperative if the unit is going to function the way it was designed to, so we are here…
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Breeder Management to Avoid Floor Eggs
Floor eggs are bound to happen, but too many floor eggs will require corrective action to prevent a recurring problem. Floor laying is habitual, and once it become routine, there is no way to stop it. Therefore, good nest setup and maintenance is necessary from the very beginning. To start, you can “train” pullets during…
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Male Spiking to Maintain Fertility
Spiking is the addition of young broiler breeder males into an older flock to compensate for the decline in fertility that occurs around 35 weeks of age. This decline in fertility could happen for several reasons – a lack in mating interest or decrease in sperm quality, a decrease in mating efficiency or an increase…
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Preparing for Spring – Cool Cell Pads
Spring is in the air! As the temperature starts to rise we have to start thinking ahead and getting our barns ready for warmer weather. Part of that preparation process includes cleaning up the cool cell pad system and making sure all of the necessary components are working. We've developed this comprehensive checklist on how…
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How Automation Changed Broiler Breeder Rearing
Remember back in the day when breeder eggs were hand gathered from galvanized nests? Farming was a lot different then than it is now. Today, automation is in full swing and moving forward. Conventional nests are still being used today in various applications, but they require a significant amount of manual labor. From collecting eggs…
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Nest Pad Care for Cleaner Eggs
Nest pads are used as a hygienic alternative to other nesting amendments. Straw, peat, and litter all work as nesting substrates, but hold more dirt and debris than nest pads, and often don’t allow eggs to roll out of the nest so easily, which can result in cracks and damage. Nest pads are designed with…
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Preventing African Swine Fever in the US
For most of the 20th century, African Swine Fever had been comfortably concealed in Eastern and Southern Africa. First described in Kenya in the 1920’s as an acute hemorrhagic fever, African Swine Fever was noticed in domestic swine after they had come into contact with wildlife, primarily warthogs. With globalization and industrialization came the spread…
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Extend Fan Life with Regular Maintenance
Fans are arguably the most important component to an effective ventilation design, and therefore require regular maintenance to keep them working at their full capacity for as long as possible. We’ve developed some guidelines to help keep performance up flock after flock. Inspect the propeller Check that it is secure on the shaft and there…
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