Daily Pen Evaluation
Every day, twice a day you have an opportunity to actively manage your project’s health! Every feeding, look at each of these items and correct them as needed. This type of daily management will help to avoid many health issues with your project! Whether you are feeding one animal or several, take a minute to look at each pen. A quick check can make a difference to the animal’s well being if something is wrong. It may seem like a long list, but soon you’ll be quickly looking and thinking about the signs you’re seeing!
| EVALUATE | IDEAL | NEED TO FIX | HOW TO FIX |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEN | Clean Bedding & Dirt. Pen is Dust-free | Dusty, Muddy Dirty, or Stinky | -Scoop Poop & Pee Spots daily -Pull out dirty Shavings & Add fresh shavings weekly or as needed to keep clean. -Add Shavings or Straw to pen dirt area as needed to reduce dusty or muddy pens. -Fix Water leaks – or attach a bucket under the leak to slow down the mud buildup. |
| WATER BUCKET | Clean, Cool & Adequate Source of Water | Dirty, Warm, Mossy, Worm Infested | -CLEAN – Dump dirty water and scrub bucket with a brush or scour pad weekly to keep moss & larva from developing. -CHECK water supply daily. -SHADE – Shaded water reduces moss and keeps water cool. |
| FEED BUCKET | Clean & Empty. All grain is eaten! | Muddy or old food caked to edges or leftover food | -CLEAN – Scrub feed bucket before each feeding to ensure old food is not becoming rancid or infested with flies or feces (poop) from mice or birds. -For Wet Feeding: Scrub preparation bucket after food is given to keep food from caking on the edges. -Leftover Food: May indicate a feed problem or illness. Make sure that you are feeding the correct amount for your projects weight. -Perform a Health Evaluation to identify a potential illness. |
| FENCING | Smooth, Attached & Secure | Sharp Edges & Loose Fencing | -FIX all loose fencing and sharp wires. Animals like to rub & climb on fencing and it can become loose and cause injuries. -KEEP TAPE & TWINE ON HAND for a quick, temporary fix until it can be fixed properly. Do not leave fencing or wire loose; may cause another injury. |
| SHELTER | Shelter is Adequate for Daily Weather | No protection from Sun, Rain, Wind or Cold | -SECURE all tarps and covers – tied up tight. -PROTECT – All shelter should protect your animal from the weather (Sun, Rain, Wind or Cold). The more comfortable your animal is, the better they will eat and grow! |
