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It is estimated that two breeds of farm animal go extinct each week, losing that genetic variation forever. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is dedicated to saving America's livestock.
Seeding pasture and cover crops, February 2005
Most of our animals at the ranch are raised on pasture. We rotate pasture areas when the pastures are grazed down or too mature. The chickens, turkeys, and goats are even rotated onto crop areas to utilize otherwise wasted crop residues. The animals get more variety - we do less cleanup. The goats also do double duty as weed control, as they are rotated onto weed-prone areas where it is difficult to operate the rotary mower. We do not tether any animals, nor do we leave them with just weeds to eat. They always have fresh water, hay, pasture, grain, and shade. We strive to raise our livestock as organically as possible, however, animals will be isolated and treated with antibiotics or other non-organic medications as the need arises. I feel this is much more humane than either leaving them to suffer or put them down. Sales
Terrabella enjoying the sun, May 2005
Any animal must be paid in full before leaving our ranch. We take non-refundable deposits on our breedings or contract raisings, but cannot guarantee that the animal you want will be born (or hatched, as the case may be). In that case, your deposit will be refunded. Breeding animals is not an exact science. There is a huge amount of genetic variability inherent in biological organisms! We choose breedings as carefully as possible to produce sound, healthy, productive, and competitive animals, but we cannot guarantee the ears, nose, udder, or show quality of any animal. Shipping We can ship out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Delta Dash is a good option for shipping goats when they are small. Half grown kids can be shipped, but the price for shipping goes up as the weight increases. The buyer is responsible for all costs incurred in shipping, including health certificate, shipping, crate, and transportation fees. I would charge a small fee for transportation to LAX (1 hour and 45 minutes one way). A buyer would need to have the animal shipped to one of the airports listed on the Delta Cargo Facilities webpage. The purchaser would be responsible for meeting the plane or arranging transportation from the airport to the animal's new home. When we re-build our poultry breeding flocks, we can also ship hatching eggs, or young stock over 6 weeks of age. I cannot ship day-old chicks unless we have a hatch large enough (25 chicks or 20 poults minimum). A minimum of 25 chicks or 20 turkey poults is necessary to sufficiently maintain their body heat. Chicks under 6 weeks of age cannot be sexed, and as should be obvious, ditto for hatching eggs. Trios of 6 week or older birds can be shipped USPS Express Overnight in an approved shipping container (Horizon MicroEnvironments). Adult turkeys cannot be shipped.
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