The Fat Ewe Farm and Bed and Breakfast
The Fat Ewe Farm and Moose Hills Inn
Organic Permaculture Farmin' for
the Lazy Ewes
  • The Fat Ewe Farm
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • The Fat Ewe Farm Store
  • Livestock Breeds (click here to see all the breeds)
    • Angora goats
    • Icelandic Sheep
    • Jacob sheep
    • Old English Southdown Babydoll Sheep >
      • Babydoll Sheep on the Fat Ewe Farm
  • Contact Us
    • Photo Gallery (click here for some awesome photos or watch the slideshow) >
      • Video Slide Show
    • Phone Number
    • Map
  • Sale Barn
  • Recipes From the Fat Ewe
    • Old Stuff
  • How Much Meat Do You Get?
  • Ukrainian Easter Eggs
  • Moose Hills Inn

Are We Right?

4/4/2016

0 Comments

 
There is something plaguing the back of my mind. When I started farming, a local man said, "If you are going to have livestock, you are going to have deadstock!". I did not think about that much before he said that. 

In days gone by, not even so long ago, animals were stronger and healthier. They were not fed genetically modified corn or canola and there were no pesticides in the feed due to residuals from many sprays during growth. In some farming operations the grains are sprayed 9 times! 9 times? What is going on? Then we feed the grains to the animals. Why?

Ruminants have several stomachs and there is a reason for that. They can eat coarse grass or dry grass, which is hay, and derive nutrition from it. They have done that for many long years, centuries even, and were not given grain. Only in the last 100 years has man wanted bigger, fatter animals and decided that ruminants, which are cows, goats, sheep and bison, should be fed grain. The results are disastrous. 

Little Sofi, the border collie that lived here on the farm had a massive cancerous growth in her throat and the cancer had spread through her body into her organs. Many dogs are dying of cancer, just like many people. Yet, in uncivilized worlds, there is the danger of dying of starvation much more than dying of cancer. We do not keep animals raised for meat for very long, with most being slaughtered at a year or two. They are fed huge amounts of grain to force them to achieve a market weight, which at one times, was many pounds less than the market weight of today. Even not so long ago, a lamb was marketed at 50-60 pounds and today, it is expected to market lambs at 110 pounds. To ensure this happens, from the day they are born they are given a lamb feed of crushed grains. 

But other than unhealthy animals, are there any other consequences? Yes!

The animals of years gone by thrived on pasture grass in the summer and marginal to good hay in the winter. Some years were a little leaner and the animals survived on straw and hay, but they did survive.They did not attain market weights of today, but there is another side effect. Production farms routinely do things, like using chemicals to kill worms, and automatically giving medicines. Chicken farmers give newly hatched chicks medicated feed with antibiotics in it. What?Why?
The close rearing of the birds in barns with artificial lights that do not allow the birds to produce vitamin D from the sunlight and that keep the air moving, but not fresh enough, allows the chicks to succumb to respiratory and other diseases. So they are drugged right off the bat.The medication stays in the meat. We eat that. But we are creating a whole new species of birds that can no longer manufacture antibodies to control their own wellness. People are in this sad state too. 

The sheep and goats are in a mess and I cannot speak for the cows, but I believe they are in a worse mess. Years ago, sheep ran around huge mountain sides and grazed until the winter came. They came back strong and vibrant and full of life. They were not chemically treated for worms and there may have been some deaths, but the animals were permitted to die. Today, the bottom line, the profit, means we try to save every animal, including the weak and the infirm. We ply them with medications and hope they survive to keep the profit margins high. In the old days, weak and sick animals were culled to create a naturally pest resistant flock or herd or strong natural animals that could hold their own through lean winters if necessary. They were kept longer and not force fed grains. The animals were allowed their natural diets of grass, weeds and shrubs and they maintained excellent health. 

We have not improved. We have robbed the animals of their survival and made them dependent on chemicals to survive. And grain. And in turn, humans are suffering great consequences with a plethora of modern illnesses and diseases, particularly autoimmune disease. In countries where the modern western diet does not exist, many of the diseases that go with western society also do not exist. I strongly believe in the connection between what animals eat, and what we eat makes us sick. I don't know how to get through to enough people to help them understand that though. What do you think? Or have you given it thought? We need to revert to allowing animals to eat their natural diets if we are going to eat them and we need to cease use of chemicals if we are going to eat the animals that we are forcing chemicals on or the health of the modern human is at stake. Do you think so?
Picture
All answers are not black or white.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Airstream Land Yacht 1964
    Alpacas
    Alpine Goats
    Ameraucana Chickens
    American Buff Geese
    Ancona Ducks
    Angora Goats
    Angora Goats
    Angora Rabbits.
    Babydoll Southdown Sheep
    Babydoll Southdown Sheep
    Bed And Breakfast
    Berkshire Pigs
    Blue Faced Leicester Sheep
    Blue Swedish Ducks
    Boer Goats
    Border Collie
    Border Collie
    Bronze Turkey Standard
    Bronze Turkey (Standard)
    Canadian Horses
    Canadian Horses
    Cats
    Chickens
    Cotswold Sheep
    Crafts And Hobbies
    Cream Legbar Chickens
    Dorset Sheep
    Ducks
    Embden Geese
    E'st A Laine Merino Sheep
    Farm Life
    Farm Life
    Farm Store
    Finnsheep
    Flemish Giant Rabbit
    Flowers
    French Lop Rabbit
    Galloway Cattles
    Gardening
    Gotland Sheep
    Guinea Fowl
    Herbs
    Holstein Steer
    Icelandic Sheep
    Jacob Sheep
    Japanese Bantam Chickens
    Jersey Cow
    Kahaki Campbell Ducks
    Karakul Sheep
    Kiko Goats
    Kilo Highland Cows
    Light Sussex Chicken
    Livestock Guardian Dogs
    Livestock Guardian Dogs
    Maremma Sheepdogs
    Maremma Sheepdogs
    Meishan Pigs
    Miniature Nigerian Dwarf Goats
    Moose Hills Inn
    Muscovy Ducks
    Norwegian Red Dairy Cow
    Nubian Goats
    Nygora Goat
    Ossabaw Hogs
    Partidge Chantecler Chickens
    Pekin Ducks
    Permaculture
    Pied Guinea Fowl
    Polish/Ameraucana Bantam Cross Chickens
    Polled Dorset Sheep
    Potbelly Pigs
    Pygmy Goats
    Recipes
    Rigit Galloway Cows.
    Romanov Sheep
    Romney Sheep
    Rouen Ducks
    Saddleback Pomeranican Geese
    Saxony Ducks
    Sebastopol Geese
    Sheep And Goats
    Shetland Sheep
    Silver Spangled Hamburg Chicken
    Soap And Hand Made Cosmetics
    Standard Jack Donkey
    Sustainability
    Swiss Blackneck Goats
    The Llamas
    The Llamas
    Toulouse Geese
    Tunis Sheep
    White Chantecler Chickens
    White Danish Geese
    Wool

    Author

    Fluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. 

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    view old blog site

    RSS Feed

Contact Us
Home

The Fat Ewe Farm 

All text and photos are the sole property of The Fat Ewe Farm  and may not be used without written permission.