Young Ducks Predicted This Season

For the Texas waterfowl season, our waterfowl program leader, Kevin Kraai, says, “Texas duck hunters will have the most opportunity for a fruitful season when hunting in East Texas and along the coast. Be mobile, as conditions will vary throughout the state.”

Reports from breeding grounds in the Dakotas tell us duck production was excellent this summer. This is especially good news, because hunters usually have more success when flocks include a lot of inexperienced young ducks.

Regular duck season opens 10/31 in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit, 11/7 in the South Zone, and on 11/14 in the North Zone.

General goose season opens 11/7 in the East Zone and 11/14 in the West Zone. Reports from Canada suggest that the Arctic goose hatch was poor this past summer, so juvenile snow geese will be in short supply for that declining overall population. Small Canada geese will likely be abundant in the Panhandle.

Find out more in the full waterfowl forecast.

What You Need to Know

Bag limits vary by species, so be sure and check the Outdoor Annual for all your waterfowl regulation information.

What you need to hunt waterfowl:

• Valid Texas hunting license
• HIP Certification
• Migratory bird endorsement
• Federal Duck Stamp
• Proof of Hunter Education – look online if you need a copy of your certificate, then keep that proof in your pocket!

Your license can now be accessed digitally with the Outdoor Annual app or the My Texas Hunt Harvest app, or your emailed license receipt can be used to hunt waterfowl.

Ducks You’ll Find in Texas:

The Lone Star State has both year-round duck residents, as well as migrant visitors that winter here. All wild species of ducks are considered migratory game birds and are protected by state and federal laws.

Find out more about puddle and diving ducks in the video, Ducks.

Tips to Get You Home Safe and Sound:

Waterfowl hunts take place in locations that are often cold, wet, remote and dark. They come with unique risks that you must recognize and prepare for to avoid tragedy.

Prepare for your hunt by looking over our list of 7 safety tips and techniques just for waterfowlers. If you use a boat while hunting, use the risk assessment tool to help decrease those risks you can control. Let’s get everyone home safe and sound.

Visit J & N Feed and Seed to check out our wildlife selection.

Article source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Gastric discomfort may negatively affect a horse’s health, attitude and performance. Fortunately, recognizing signs of discomfort and providing proper equine management can help support your horse’s gastric health.

Did you know that the prevalence of gastric discomfort in active horses is high? Studies indicate that the prevalence of gastric ulcers in performance horses is 90% or more¹.

What causes gastric discomfort in horses? 

As grazing animals, horses are made to steadily eat a forage-based diet throughout the course of an entire day. As a result, this constant slow-feed intake naturally regulates the acidity of the horse’s stomach contents. Additionally, the saliva a horse generates through chewing naturally buffers the acid.

Modern horse-keeping practices often limit feeding to two or three daily meals. Unless a horse is turned out to graze or barn staff frequently refills the hay supply, the horse doesn’t receive more hay until the next feeding.

Even though the horse isn’t eating, his stomach still produces acid because without chewing, there isn’t a steady source of saliva and natural enzymes to help protect the stomach. As a result, an overabundance of acid and a lack of saliva means the stomach’s natural pH level drops too. These factors create the trifecta for gastric discomfort in equine health.

Stress can also put horses at a greater risk for gastric discomfort. Rigorous exercise, long-distance travel, a new environment and confinement can contribute to lower gastric pH levels.

What are the signs of gastric discomfort in horses? 

Gastric discomfort can present differently in individual horses. Common signs of equine gastric discomfort include:

• Poor appetite
• Picky eating
• Poor body condition
• Weight loss
• Chronic diarrhea
• Poor coat condition
• Teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Changes in behavior, including aggression, nervous behaviors, side biting and “girthiness”
• Acute or recurring colic
• Poor performance

How to manage a horse with gastric discomfort

Research has shown continuous acid production and low gastric pH can contribute to the development of gastric ulcers and Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)¹. Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your horse’s risk for developing EGUS and manage a horse with gastric discomfort.

1. Recognize factors or events known to cause gastric discomfort in horses.

Firstly, some factors include:

• Environment stressors
• Lack of turnout
• Injury
• Fasting
• High starch diets
• Inadequate forage
• Prolonged use of NSAIDs
• Travel
• Elevated exercise, training, showing or racing

2. Recognize the signs of gastric discomfort in horses.

Secondly, common signs are listed above, but individual horses present discomfort in different ways. Become familiar with your horse’s normal behavior to help determine if behavior changes are a sign of gastric discomfort.

3. When to seek help from your veterinarian. 

Thirdly, work with your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment if you recognize risk factors or symptoms. Gastroscopy is the only way to confirm the presence of gastric ulcers, and prescription acid suppression therapy may be required to heal ulcerations. If treatment is necessary, work with your veterinarian to determine the best medication for equine gastric health.

4. Manage gastric discomfort.

Develop a management program to minimize the factors contributing to gastric discomfort. Provide ample turnout and continuous access to fresh water. Anticipate stressful events, such as traveling or showing, and use Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Supplement to support and maintain gastric health and proper pH during those times.

5. Horse nutrition.

Finally, by choosing the right feed products and implementing good feeding management practices are vital in managing your horse’s gastric health.

• Never allow more than six hours of fasting and provide frequent access to good quality hay and/or pasture.
• Incorporate alfalfa into your horse’s diet.
• Feed higher fat and fiber concentrates and avoid high starch and sugar feeds. The Purina horse feed lineup includes many appropriate options
• Support optimal gastric pH by feeding Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Support Supplement along with concentrate meals. In addition, feed Outlast^®1 supplement as a snack before you ride, trailer or show to maximize gastric support during these activities.
• For horses needing more calories, Purina^® Ultium^® Gastric Care and Race Ready^® GT horse feeds both contain a full serving of Outlast^® supplement and are designed to support gastric health and caloric needs of performance and race horses. Strategy^® GX  and Strategy^® Healthy Edge^®,  Impact^® Professional Performance, Omolene 100^® Active Pleasure, Omolene 200^® Performance, Omolene 300^® Growth, Omolene 400^® Complete Advantage and Omolene 500^® Competition horse feeds now also all contain Purina^® Outlast^® Gastric Support Supplement.

In conclusion, recognizing the signs associated with gastric discomfort and adjusting management and dietary practices, you can help support your horse’s gastric health. Learn more about your horse’s gastric health and Outlast^® supplement by visiting J & N Feed and Seed and checking out our horse feed selection.

Article brought to you by Purina and Kelly Vineyard, M.S., Ph.D. Senior Nutritionist, Equine Technical Solutions

¹Sykes, B., et al. (2015), European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement—Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med, 29: 1288-1299. doi:10.1111/jvim.13578

Is your horse irritable, agitated, or uncomfortable? If your horse suffers from gastric discomfort, you might be shopping for a new supplement to help provide relief. Forget the trendy new products and unproven additives. Go with your horse’s gut and choose a product you can trust – Purina® Outlast® gastric support supplement.

Outlast® products contain an exclusive form of seaweed-derived calcium that’s functionally different from other marine-derived sources in five significant ways:

• Source – proprietary ingredient derived from two specific types of seaweed
• Composition – more than just calcite
• Structure – highly distinguished honeycomb structure increases surface area 3 to 5 times higher than other sources
• Maintenance of optimal pH – multiple studies have demonstrated superior buffering capacity
• Research – four peer-reviewed research abstracts evaluating Outlast®supplement have been published

90% of horses experience gastric discomfort. As a result, Gastric discomfort affects your horse’s health, attitude, and performance. Support your horse through any stressful event with Purina® Outlast® gastric support supplement.

Give them relief by stopping at J & N Feed and Seed and shopping our Horse Feed selection.

Article brought to you by Purina. Try their 60-day challenge to receive buy-one-get-one coupons for Purina® complete feeds, including Purina® Strategy® feed with the Outlast®supplement.

Check out Purina’s one-of-a-kind farm to find out what makes their 1,200-acre working farm in Gray Summit, Missouri, so unique. Find out in this short video, which explains our research and innovation philosophy. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at a few of the 80 beautiful horses that call it home. As a result, Purina conducts a lot of research to support horse health here.

Preconditioning. Weaning. Starting. Backgrounding. Whatever you want to call it, all of these cattle production terms involve getting calves off to a healthy start. A good start for healthy calves requires attention to two specific areas: your health and nutrition programs. Here are a few quick tips for healthy calves:

Health Program:

Work with your local veterinarian to determine your operations’ herd health program, which includes appropriate vaccinations and deworming protocols for calves in this phase.

Wean calves for a minimum of 45 days. This period of time allows them to adapt to separation from dams, transition onto feed and overcome other stress factors of weaning.

Nutrition Program:

Use starter feeds to help transition calves to their next phase of life.

Purina® Accuration® Starter Complete, Precon® Complete and Stress Care® 5 Supplement all contain RX3® Immune Support Technology, a precise combination of prebiotics, probiotics and plant extracts. These starters achieve both health and nutrition goals by supporting calves during stress and respiratory challenges while optimizing the plane of nutrition.

See J & N Feed and Seed’s selection here.

Visit purinamills.com/RX3 for more weaning advice and quick tips for healthy calves.

Fish Stock Delivery in Graham, Texas at J&N Feed and Seed.

Looking for pond stocking in Graham, Texas? We’ve got a fish truck coming in soon! The Stock My Pond fish truck will deliver to J&N Feed and Seed in Graham, Texas, on Thursday, September 9, 2021, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.  It’s a great time to get your pond stocked!

Stock My Pond will have channel cat, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, red ear bream, and fathead minnows.  Find out what type and size fish we offer on our website.   The Stock My Pond fish truck provides containers for all fish but the 11″ channel cats, so please bring your containers for them.

It is not necessary to pre-order the fish, but if you are looking for a large quantity or pond packages, we suggest you call.  Questions?  Call Stock My Pond at 501-676-3768 or give us a call at the store at 940- 549-4631.

J&N Feed and Seed
450 Pecan Street
Graham, TX
Phone: (940) 549-4631

Your top Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral questions answered.

Q: When should I stop feeding fly control mineral this fall?

Feed Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral with Altosid® Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) through summer, until 30 days after the first frost in the fall.1 Keeping fly control mineral out long enough in the fall is just as important to control flies as providing it early enough in the spring (30 days before the last frost).

Q:Why keep feeding if fly populations are declining?

Keeping it out 30 days after the first frost in fall gives you a head start on controlling next year’s fly populations. Horn flies overwinter (hibernate) in the pupal stage which can jump-start adult populations in the spring. Using it longer in the fall decreases the opportunity for flies to overwinter below manure patties because Altosid® IGR stops horn fly development. That means those eggs can’t develop into adult flies. If you don’t keep fly control mineral out for 30 days after the first frost, you also risk temperatures bouncing back and allowing more fly generations to survive.

Q: How do I transition cattle off?

Switching between mineral formulas is simple – just fill the feeder or set out a tub of the new mineral once it’s gone. All Wind and Rain® minerals feature a special formulation to help cattle consume mineral at target intake levels. At the same time, the weatherized mineral’s large particle size holds up to mother nature for a smooth transition, anytime

Q: Will it negatively impact cattle if I feed too long?

Wind and Rain® Fly Control Mineral functions via Altosid® IGR passing into the manure to stop horn fly development. Cattle do not absorb IGR into their bloodstream, so they’re not negatively impacted by continual consumption. However, depending on your location, it might not make economic sense to feed the mineral after cattle no longer need it. Alternately, if you live in a southern state, consider offering it year-round since fly season lasts so long. Using the same mineral all year can also simplify your mineral program.

Q: How can I make the most of fly control mineral through fall?

Ensure cattle are consuming mineral at target levels. If cattle aren’t consuming enough of the mineral, they won’t get the full benefits. Consider these tips if consumption is off, and work with your Purina rep or dealer to troubleshoot:

Use enough mineral feeders or tubs. A good rule of thumb is one tub or mineral feeder for every 25-30 cows. Always review manufacturer recommendations. ƒ
Strategically place mineral feeders and tubs to encourage consumption. For example, cattle will likely cover more grazing ground as weather cools off. Consider repositioning mineral closer to high-traffic areas, like water sources, which cattle return to regularly. ƒ
Check mineral tubs or feeders every week. Make sure feeders are full and tubs still have enough product, so cattle don’t miss a day of fly control mineral.

Click here to see our selection.

article thanks to Elizabeth Belew, Ph.D. and Purina. Get more expert advice to beat the buzz at purinamills.com/fly-control.