Livestock

Cattle, sheep and goats:

Duzau Freshious Farms intensive beef production depends on various interdependent operations. One is the cow-calf system, which involves keeping a herd of cows. The cows are bred by bulls or artificial insemination annually to produce calves, and, after weaning, the calves are sold to cattle feeders to raise for slaughter. Male calves are castrated for the slaughter market.

Sheep are produced in either range or farm flocks. In range production, flocks of 500 to 1,000 ewes are common. In Duzau farm flocks, production is usually small and typically a secondary enterprise. Sheep are raised for their wool or as feeder lambs for the slaughter market. Duzau Farms specialize in raising rams for pure-bred breeding.

Goats are raised through either range or small-farm production for their milk and meat.

Cattle, sheep and goats are fed in several ways, including grazing or feeding hay and silage. Animals typically graze on pastures, wild lands or crop residues, such as corn stalks, which remain in the field after crop harvests. Hay is harvested from the field and typically stored loose or in stacked bales. The feeding operation includes moving the hay from the stack to the open field or into mangers to feed the animals. Some crops such as corn are harvested and converted into silage. Silage is typically moved mechanically into mangers for feeding.

The control of diseases and parasites in cattle, sheep and goats is an integral part of the livestock-rearing process and requires animal contact. Routine visits to the herd by Duzau Farm veterinarian observing vital signs. Timely vaccination against diseases and quarantining diseased animals are always observed.