• Forage-based diet (pasture, hay, silage) plus supplements (grains, minerals, protein).
• Life-stage feeding: calves (colostrum, creep feed), growing heifers, lactating cows, finishing beef, dry cows.
• Water access – clean, unlimited water (30–50 gallons/day per lactating cow).
• Minerals – salt, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, trace minerals (copper, selenium, zinc).

• Natural service (bull-to-cow ratio ~1:20–1:30) or artificial insemination (AI).
• Estrus detection for AI timing (cycle ~21 days).
• Calving seasons – manage for favorable weather and feed availability.
• Gestation ~283 days; monitor for dystocia (calving difficulty).
• Bull fertility testing before breeding season.

• Gestation (~114–116 days) – Sows housed individually (stalls) or in groups with electronic feeding stations.
• Farrowing (Birthing) – Sows moved to farrowing crates (1 week pre-partum) to prevent piglet crushing. Provide heat lamps (90–95°F for newborns).
• Lactation (~21–28 days) – Piglets nurse colostrum (critical within 6 hours of birth). Iron injection (to prevent anemia) and teeth clipping/tail docking (to reduce fighting/cannibalism – practices vary by country/standards).
• Weaning (at 3–4 weeks) – Piglets moved to nursery (80°F, slowly decreasing).
• Nursery (to ~60 lbs / 25 kg) – Small pellets, ad-libitum feeding. Vaccinations (e.g., Mycoplasma, PCV2).
• Grow-Finish (to ~250–280 lbs / 110–130 kg) – Split-sex feeding (barrows vs. gilts have different nutrient needs). Market weight reached ~5–6 months.

• Phased diets – Formulated by age/weight (e.g., starter, grower, finisher, gestation, lactation).
• Key nutrients – Corn/soybean meal base, plus lysine (first limiting amino acid), phosphorus, calcium, zinc, copper.
• Feeding methods:
• • Dry (pellet or meal) – ad-libitum or restricted (gestating sows).
  • Liquid feeding – common in Europe; improves feed conversion.
  • Wet-dry feeders – reduce dust and waste.
• Water – 1.5–3 gallons/day for growers; 5–8 gal/day for lactating sows. Nipple drinkers or bowls.

• Ruminants – but browsers (prefer shrubs, leaves, weeds) over grazers (sheep/cattle).
• Forage – pasture, browse (woody plants, trees), hay (legume: alfalfa/clover for milkers; grass hay for maintenance).
• Grain/concentrates – for lactating does, growing kids, or underweight animals. Limit to avoid bloat/acidosis.
• Minerals – loose goat-specific mineral (copper is needed, unlike sheep). Provide free-choice.
• • Critical: copper, selenium, zinc, calcium/phosphorus.
• Water – clean, fresh, unlimited (1–3 gallons/day per adult).
• Avoid – copper toxicity in sheep (sheep mineral kills goats? No – goats need copper; sheep mineral lacks enough for goats).
• Also avoid moldy hay, rhododendron, azalea, oak (acorns in quantity).

StageDiet Focus

Kid (0–3 mo): Colostrum (first 12h), milk replacer or dam’s milk, creep feed (18% protein), hay

Growing (3–12 mo): High-quality hay + limited grain (if needed). Target 0.2–0.4 lb/day gain

Lactating doe: Free-choice legume hay + grain (1 lb per 3 lb milk), extra calcium

Dry doe/maintenance: Grass hay or lower-quality forage, mineral only

Breeding buck: Good condition – moderate grain during breeding season