Articles
Free-Ranging Your Family Flock
Click here to view as a pdf: Free-Ranging Your Family Flock By Alex Austin, B.S. Raising and keeping your own small flock of poultry has grown in popularity over the last few years. These small backyard flocks are often allowed out of the chicken run to free-range around the property. Free-ranging is believed to improve…
Livestock Nutrition Fundamentals That Can Have Big Returns
Click here to view as a pdf: Livestock Nutrition Fundamentals That Can Have Big Returns By Dan Leiterman In any life endeavor it is critically important to get the fundamentals done right, or else the whole project is at risk, no matter how much added effort and resources are applied. This is true in any…
Water: The Forgotten Nutrient
Click here to view as PDF: Water: The Forgotten Nutrient By Cassy Golburg, B.A. Livestock Specialist Water is the most vital nutrient for livestock and crucial to many functions in the body. An animal’s body is made up of 50-80% water and it helps regulate temperature, spread nutrients throughout the body and eliminate waste.…
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…
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…
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?…
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 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.…
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…