Animals

The design of your loft is crucial if you want to enjoy any success in pigeon racing, says Thomas Smit.

These weeds are not only an irritant to horses, they can cause them injury, warns Dr Mac.

For many years, Frekkie Sentsho had very little option but to accept the deadly effects of poison leaf on his cattle and goats. He explains to Peter Mashala how he managed to reduce the problem by 80%.

Our much-beloved Mozambique tilapia requires water temperatures of 26°C or higher to grow rapidly. There are several ways to achieve this under culture conditions, but not all are practical.

The Bergplaas Merino stud in the highlands of the north Eastern Cape was established in 1936 by Frikkie Nel and is today managed by his grandson, Stefan. Mike Burgess visited the farm, Prospect, to better understand how Merinos have sustained and defined the Nel family for almost 80 years.

If your horse is coughing, it’s extremely important to identify the cause. Contact your vet to make a diagnosis. There are many different types of cough – but the most common are allergy and infection.

Identifying and preventing botulism and tetanus.

Agri North West’s 2013 Young Farmer of the Year, Heinrich Bruwer believes that it makes economic sense to increase individual animal productivity as this will be reflected in optimum income per hectare. Annelie Coleman reports.

Fairly common, especially among free-range layers, this can be a hard habit to break – so prevention is better than cure.

Pigeon racing can be a pleasurable and financially rewarding pastime, but you need to consider several factors before taking the plunge, says Thomas Smit.

In mid-winter, fodder is always short and we need to know if horses can safely eat what’s available and affordable. Dr Mac provides some answers.

Workers on fish farms in Asia use some ingenious tools. Most of the equipment is practically thought out, and designed simply and effectively.

The York family respect the people and the animals they work with and run their business on old-fashioned values. Barry York talks to Nan Smith about game farming and the golden wildebeest.

Genomic testing and the ability to transfer embryos gives dairy company Inovula an edge in the industry. Dr Kobus Hendriks, the company’s managing director is also a vet and the business has raked in more awards than its shelf space can handle; the most recent of which was the National Master Dairyman for 2012. Lindi van Rooyen reports.

It’s great when your horse’s coat shines, but then you come across a bump, and your heart sinks.

Former Cabinet minister Dr Penuell Maduna has been out of politics for some time and is now building a name for himself in cattle-breeding circles. Peter Mashala visited him.

When Ross Rayner started farming near Adelaide six years ago, he purchased several hardy Xhosa Lob-eared goats, an Indigenous Veld Goat ecotype. Producing quality kapaters off the veld has defined Ross’s pioneering farming venture. Mike Burgess reports.

Veld management has more to do with the season of rest than the system of grazing. Izak du Plessis discusses strategy and action for managing stock on veld during drought.

Not only is shooting racing pigeons against the law, it’s an act of spite that has nothing to do with ‘real hunting’, says Thomas Smit.

The technology used to produce African tilapias in Asia is simple but effective. What relevance does it have for fish farming in South Africa?