Name: Crystal Creek
Address: 1600 Roundhouse Road, Spooner, WI, 54801, US
Telephone: 1-888-376-6777
Price range: $

Shop online or call 1-888-376-6777 to place an order.

Mineral Nutrition: Advancements Over Time

Click here to view as a pdf: Mineral Nutrition: Advancements Over Time

By Darren Zimmerman, D.V.M.

The use of minerals in livestock feeds is constantly evolving. The English word mineral comes from the Latin word minerale, which means “to be mined from the earth”. The first livestock minerals were rocks mined from the earth, then ground up, processed, and fed to animals. These minerals are referred to as inorganic minerals and they are still used in livestock feed; however, they have limitations. Due to scientific advancements, many minerals are now available in multiple forms beyond mined rock. One of the most advanced types of livestock minerals, chelated minerals, have many benefits. As a farmer and producer, it sometimes can get overwhelming when looking for the right feed and mineral to choose for your livestock. This article will address many commonly asked questions regarding mineral sources and nutrition, as well as provide guidance when reading feed tags.

The Science Behind Aloe’s Use In Livestock

Click here to view as a pdf: The Science Behind Aloe’s Use in Livestock

By Ryan Leiterman, D.V.M.

Director of Technical Services

With the passing of the Veterinary Feed Directive in 2015, which requires a veterinary prescription for most antibiotics to be added into feed, many livestock producers have become interested in non-prescription alternatives to help keep their animals healthy and productive. As a result, the use of herbal supplements and flavoring agents in livestock diets has gained in popularity. Aloe vera, an herbal agent with researched health benefits, can be fed to livestock as a feed flavoring agent in accordance with the American Association of Feed Control Officials standards and guidelines. Crystal Creek® has aloe vera products labeled for use in livestock feed in liquid, pelleted and meal forms.

Order your Spring Chicks with Crystal Creek today!

We’re cooperating with 2 Wisconsin hatcheries that are providing our customers with healthy baby chicks:

Sunnyside Hatchery & Abendroth Hatchery

Find all available breeds and prices in our chick order form: Crystal Creek Chick Order Form 2023

We offer many different breeds of chicken. Layer breeds like White Leghorns and ISA Browns. Dual Purpose and Heritage breeds like Orpingtons, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Australops, and Speckled Sussex, to only name a few. The portfolio also includes layer breeds that have special feather colors, like Lavender Orpingtons or Sapphire Gems. Breeds like Easter Eggers, Americana, and Marans lay diversely colored eggs from dark chocolate-brown to blue and green. And lastly, the offering even includes some very rare breeds like Bielefelder, Cream Legbars, and Polish.

Check out the sheet linked above to get the full list!

French Wheaten Maran

Blue-laced Red Wyandotte

Lavender Orpington

Barred Plymouth Rock

How does the “Chick Order” Work?

We can take your order and place it with the hatchery as soon as you decide what kind of birds you want to have.

This way we can make sure your ideal delivery date can be achieved (or at least a day very close to your perfect date).

Both hatcheries have one dedicated hatch day per week. That means that Sunnyside chicks usually will be arriving on Tuesdays and Abendroth chicks come in on Thursdays. You can pick the week of hatching and delivery with your order.

On the delivery date, the one-day-old chicks will be shipped overnight and our staff will pick your precious cargo up from the post office right away when the post office opens its doors.

We will put the baby chicks in a pre-warmed incubator in our warehouse with fresh chick starter feed, water with Aloe Vera juice, and heat lamps. You then have the complete business day to pick your baby chicks up from our office.

Starting Your Chicks Off Right

Under the following link you will find our article on starting chicks right: click here

And here you’ll find the link to our Spring Chick Webinar recorded in 2022: Spring Chick Webinar Here

The Right Supplies

Our Family Flock Chick Starter feed is the perfect complete feed for the first weeks of life of your chicks.

Crystal Creek’s Aloe Vera Juice is the perfect choice as an additive for baby chick’s drinking water. It will help with the stress of transportation, encourage the chicks to drink more, and help with the digestion of their first meal. Just one ounce per gallon of drinking water is enough. Drinking water with Aloe should be exchanged and freshly prepared daily.

Winter & Cold Weather Radio Audios

Dr. Ryan Leiterman talks about ” Keeping Fans on in Winter” in the Ask the Vet

Cassy Golburg, Livestock Specialist talks about Crystal Creek® Cold Weather Udder Care

NEW! 2024 Digital Catalog

Find our new digital catalog with the whole 2024 product portfolio here!

December 2022 Newsletter

Click here to view as a pdf: 2022 December Newsletter.

Working With Mother Nature…Heifer Maturity Matters

Click here to view as a pdf: Working With Mother Nature Heifer Maturity Matters

By Dan Leiterman

Not every seemingly good idea spawned with good intentions by dedicated professionals turns out to be an effective, practical solution. The case in point discussed here; What is the proper age for a dairy heifer to freshen at? Research presented at the 4-State Nutrition Conference this year, and reviewed in this article, shows that the industry’s efforts to freshen dairy heifers at 22 months of age vs. 24 months of age are detrimental to the lifetime productivity of the cow and to the farmer’s profitability.

The Virtue of Patience

Click here to view as a pdf: The Virtue of Patience

By Darren Zimmerman, D.V.M.

Dr. Darren Zimmerman has recently joined the Crystal Creek® team and is further advancing his veterinary skills through an additional knowledge of animal nutrition. Crystal Creek® is excited to be working with Dr. Zimmerman as he becomes more familiar with the Crystal Creek® sustainable approach to livestock nutrition.

When I was first out of vet school, I felt that I had all the knowledge and energy in the world. Unfortunately, clients saw a green, untested kid with a lot of “new” ideas. I quickly learned that “teaching an old dog new tricks” requires patience and persistence; and, if there is one thing farmers know, it’s persistence. Farmers can be a stubborn lot (I say this as someone who married a farmer and is, himself, a farmer). Changing their minds and ways of doing things requires a lot of patience and persistence. Patience can be hard to come by, especially when you have all the knowledge and energy in the world to impart. So many times when something seemed simple and obvious to me, it was difficult to see things from their perspective. I needed to remember that they also had their knowledge and weren’t always looking to adapt and change their world. I learned the value of slow steps and gradual change.

The ROI of Calf Barn Ventilation

Click here to view as a pdf: The ROI of Calf Barn Ventilation.

By Alex Austin, B.S.

One of the top expenses for a dairy is raising replacement heifers. Since it can take approximately two years before a heifer enters the milking herd, heifer raising is often viewed as a cost rather than an investment. While producers may consider cutting corners on heifer care as an attempt to save money, that approach can often lead to greater financial loss in the form of additional medical treatments, increased farm labor, and poor animal performance. Future milk production potential should also be considered. Studies have shown that calves who receive proper care during the pre- and post-weaning periods become better-producing cows. A better-producing cow means a faster return on investment and increased profit. Investing in practices that will help provide a healthy environment for calves to be raised in will result in more productive animals once maturity is reached. There are many variables of calf care, from different feeding programs to housing styles. This article will focus on the cost, and the return on investment, of proper air quality provided by positive pressure calf barn ventilation systems.

An Interview: Bill Ciolkosz Discusses His Journey to Build a Quality Calf Barn

Click here to view as a pdf: An Interview Bill Ciolkosz Discusses His Journey to Build a Quality Calf Barn

By Cassy Golburg, B.A.

In the fall of 2021, Bill Ciolkosz added a new calf barn to his operation, along with a Crystal Creek® FLAP DUCT® calf barn ventilation system. Bill is a fourth-generation farmer in Thorp, WI. The land he farms has been in his family for over a hundred years. In a recent interview with Crystal Creek®, Bill discussed the reasoning behind the features he chose for his new calf barn facility and how he decided the FLAP DUCT® ventilation system was the right choice for his calves.