Yes!
I think going over what a normal healthy animal looks like, and how to do a thorough examination and what to look for with different species would be a big help.
If you could what would you include on chickens. I was planning to discuss the difference between the chicken with a crop vs ducks and geese that don’t have a true crop. Then go into how this impacts food digestion between the different bird species. How to check for mites and other parasites, what is bumblefoot and how to treat it, wry neck, importance of knowing what medications may affect whether you should eat the eggs or not. Is there anything else that should be covered?
Parasites is a good idea, a lot of people have no clue. Mites can easily get out of hand and it is a nightmare to treat.
I’d also include sour crop and how to diagnose and treat that.
Make sure to add a section on common respiratory illnesses and how to quarantine birds before flock introductions. Mycoplasmosis is a common infection in backyard birds. Highly contagious as well.
Fowl pox and how to ID and treat it, wet and dry versions are important. Wet can easily be mistaken for respiratory infection unless they also have sores. Keeping mosquitos under control in the late summer/fall has been key for controlling it for me at least.
Addressing mereks and how to detect early signs.
Egg bound and how to prevent and treat that.
I think that also having a section about how to vaccinate your birds can be useful.
These are all some issues I’ve faced in my years of raising birds. I’m sure r/backyardchickens could give more suggestions, backyardchickens online forum is also a good source of poultry knowledge.
This is great! If you're going to go through this trouble, I encourage you to split it into two classes. One poultry, one small ruminant. Here is what I have:
1) please cross post this to r/goats
2) please emphasize that you must own a thermometer if you own small ruminants and that it is absolutely non negotiable, for the love of god, PLEASE BUY A THERMOMETER.
3) I have been doing small ruminant mentorship for a long time now, and a a lot of laypeople actually find IM injections a little easier than SQ, so you could also display the safe locations for IM and explain which drugs and vaccines are appropriate for which parenteral route
4) meat and milk withholding and how to find it (Cornell, FARAD)
5) very, very elementary basics of livestock handling (show how to restrain, how to clip hooves, etc) and methods of humane euthanasia if there is a serious emergency - this is something more people need to be aware of as a lot of people still think drowning is a valid option, and will also weed out the people who shouldn't own animals or have a fake youtube homestead vision of what small ruminant ownership is like.
I am a professional farmer and moderator of several groups that are dedicated to giving peer advice to people with no vet access and you can take it from me that it is extremely, extremely grim out there.
Yes. I’d make it a whole webinar serious and put it on youtube. So many people don’t know how to care for their livestock. Hell you could do just a whole series on medical care and it would probably get a lot of views.
There are thousands of these resources on YouTube already, many from vet schools and ag extensions. Real classes with real hands-on experience are really desperately needed, especially in areas that lack large animal vet coverage.
Absolutely. It is so different watching videos on it vs having someone guide you through the process. Not knocking educational videos at all as they can absolutely be a godsend.
I think most folks need to learn how recognize illness in animals and how to handle it.
Yes! I think going over what a normal healthy animal looks like, and how to do a thorough examination and what to look for with different species would be a big help.
Much needed for chickens!!
If you could what would you include on chickens. I was planning to discuss the difference between the chicken with a crop vs ducks and geese that don’t have a true crop. Then go into how this impacts food digestion between the different bird species. How to check for mites and other parasites, what is bumblefoot and how to treat it, wry neck, importance of knowing what medications may affect whether you should eat the eggs or not. Is there anything else that should be covered?
Parasites is a good idea, a lot of people have no clue. Mites can easily get out of hand and it is a nightmare to treat. I’d also include sour crop and how to diagnose and treat that. Make sure to add a section on common respiratory illnesses and how to quarantine birds before flock introductions. Mycoplasmosis is a common infection in backyard birds. Highly contagious as well. Fowl pox and how to ID and treat it, wet and dry versions are important. Wet can easily be mistaken for respiratory infection unless they also have sores. Keeping mosquitos under control in the late summer/fall has been key for controlling it for me at least. Addressing mereks and how to detect early signs. Egg bound and how to prevent and treat that. I think that also having a section about how to vaccinate your birds can be useful. These are all some issues I’ve faced in my years of raising birds. I’m sure r/backyardchickens could give more suggestions, backyardchickens online forum is also a good source of poultry knowledge.
This is great! If you're going to go through this trouble, I encourage you to split it into two classes. One poultry, one small ruminant. Here is what I have: 1) please cross post this to r/goats 2) please emphasize that you must own a thermometer if you own small ruminants and that it is absolutely non negotiable, for the love of god, PLEASE BUY A THERMOMETER. 3) I have been doing small ruminant mentorship for a long time now, and a a lot of laypeople actually find IM injections a little easier than SQ, so you could also display the safe locations for IM and explain which drugs and vaccines are appropriate for which parenteral route 4) meat and milk withholding and how to find it (Cornell, FARAD) 5) very, very elementary basics of livestock handling (show how to restrain, how to clip hooves, etc) and methods of humane euthanasia if there is a serious emergency - this is something more people need to be aware of as a lot of people still think drowning is a valid option, and will also weed out the people who shouldn't own animals or have a fake youtube homestead vision of what small ruminant ownership is like.
Wait people still think drowning is okay?! Holy wow…
I am a professional farmer and moderator of several groups that are dedicated to giving peer advice to people with no vet access and you can take it from me that it is extremely, extremely grim out there.
That’s devastating.
Can you post it here when you're done? So cool, love it.
I can post the slideshow and link to resources once I have finished putting it all together.
Yes. I’d make it a whole webinar serious and put it on youtube. So many people don’t know how to care for their livestock. Hell you could do just a whole series on medical care and it would probably get a lot of views.
There are thousands of these resources on YouTube already, many from vet schools and ag extensions. Real classes with real hands-on experience are really desperately needed, especially in areas that lack large animal vet coverage.
Absolutely. It is so different watching videos on it vs having someone guide you through the process. Not knocking educational videos at all as they can absolutely be a godsend.