Community Tips
Farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing
Free-range layers — the numbers that work
I run 200 Lohmann Browns. They cost about R120 each as point-of-lay pullets. Feed is R6,500/month for the flock. Each hen lays ~280 eggs/year. At R...
Supplemental feeding in the Karoo winter
The veld goes dormant in winter and the ewes need support, especially if they're pregnant. I give 20 bales of lucerne per week to 320 ewes from Jun...
Cattle dipping schedule for the lowveld
Ticks are brutal in Limpopo. We dip every 14 days in summer (October to March) and every 28 days in winter. Use a registered pour-on like Triatix. ...
Lumpy skin disease — vaccinate before summer
Lost 3 calves in 2024 because I vaccinated too late. Now I do the whole herd in September, before the mosquitoes come. It costs about R85 per head ...
Dorper breeding — why I keep a ram book
Every mating season I record which ram goes with which ewes. Sounds old-fashioned but it prevents inbreeding and lets you track which sires produce...