{ "item_title" : "Practical Feeding Guide for Livestock", "item_author" : [" Farmer's Library "], "item_description" : "Feed cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs with better planning, clearer records, and fewer costly nutrition mistakes.First published September 16, 2025. Updated edition: May 28, 2026. Practical Feeding Guide for Livestock is a working reference for smallholders, homesteaders, mixed-livestock farmers, first-time animal keepers, and small farms that want to make better daily feeding decisions.Livestock feeding is more than filling troughs. The wrong hay, poor water access, a sudden feed change, unsafe mineral use, mouldy feed, weak records, or guessing body weight can affect growth, milk, fertility, body condition, meat quality, animal welfare, and farm costs.This book helps you understand what your animals need, what your feed is actually providing, and when professional advice from a veterinarian, livestock nutritionist, feed professional, or extension officer is needed.Inside, you'll learn how to: Understand feeding as a daily farm management decisionCompare ruminant digestion in cattle, sheep, and goats with pig digestionUse the six essentials: water, energy, protein, fibre, minerals, and vitaminsRecognize why clean water controls feed intake, milk production, growth, and welfareRead feed tags, forage tests, and dry matter figures without confusionUse body condition, manure, growth, milk, coat quality, and behaviour as feeding cluesCompare forages, grains, protein meals, minerals, supplements, and by-productsBuild a basic feeding plan without pretending to replace a qualified nutritionistFeed cattle through calf, growing, cow, bull, beef, and dairy stagesFeed sheep while avoiding dangerous mineral mistakes such as copper toxicityFeed goats as browsers with different needs from sheepFeed piglets, growers, finishers, sows, and boars with proper attention to complete dietsUse minerals and supplements carefully instead of buying products blindlyPlan feeding for reproduction, late pregnancy, birth, lactation, growth, and finishingAdjust for drought, winter, heat, mud, poor pasture, and seasonal feed shortagesStore feed safely and reduce mould, mycotoxin, rodent, and contamination risksRespect medicated-feed rules, withdrawal periods, and veterinary boundariesCalculate feed cost, feed waste, cost per gain, milk-production feed review, and seasonal feed budgetsThe updated edition includes practical worksheets and planning tools: livestock feeding readiness checklist, animal group inventory, feed inventory, water system inspection, water testing record, feed tag worksheet, forage test record, dry matter conversion worksheet, hay purchase checklist, feed storage checklist, body condition records, daily feeding log, weekly feed tracker, feed cost calculator, cost-per-gain worksheet, cattle, sheep, goat, and pig feeding planners, breeding and late-gestation calendar, lactation checklist, mineral comparison sheet, medicated feed and withdrawal record, troubleshooting log, emergency feed shortage plan, seasonal feed budget planner, supplier questions, veterinarian/nutritionist questions, glossary, and further reading.This book does not provide universal rations, drug instructions, or one-size-fits-all feeding prescriptions. Livestock needs vary by species, body weight, breed, production stage, forage quality, water quality, region, health history, feed availability, and local regulations.If you want to feed your animals with more confidence, reduce waste, understand feed labels, avoid mixed-species mistakes, and build a practical farm feeding system, Practical Feeding Guide for Livestock belongs on your farm shelf.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/826/572/9798265728883_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "15.99", "online_price" : "15.99", "our_price" : "15.99", "club_price" : "15.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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