#disbudding

[pacificremains]

Young cow skull. I believe the dark marks on the horn remnants are from disbudding.

[weedhillfarm]

Precious little Agnes

[horsesarecreatures]

RS Aquamarine is still blooming nonstop. It's really unusual to have a violent with blooms this big that also puts out huge clusters of buds and has individual flowers that last a long time. I think it is my favorite violet. I'd better root myself a second because if something happens to it I'm going to be heartbroken. The phone camera isn't doing the colors justice. In real life it's sky blue, not light purple.

[plantanarchy]

Even the trash is pretty this time of year

[eighthdoctor]

Book Review 52/60

Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live and How We Can Make Their Lives Better by Tracey Stewart

This book lost 1 point for a problem which would plague almost any pop culture animal book recommended to me, which is that it is a very broad, simplistic look at animal care that boils matters down to a black-and-white morality without any real examination of the issues. In most cases it's not that this is harmful to the book's message (we should perhaps care more about non-human animals than we do, or at least think a little bit about the consequences of our actions on them), it just makes me feel like I'm reading a 101 level essay and drives me nuts. For your average reader this is not an issue, and so for most of my followers I would say it's a solid 4/5.

The other problem is that there is absolutely no attempt made to understand why certain decisions are made around livestock welfare, and while I agree that things like disbudding and unanesthetized castration are cruel, before we can outlaw them, we need to understand why they are done in the first place. There's a difference between simplifying complex issues for the average reader, and deliberately presenting only one side of the issue in order to make the opposition look callously evil. This is the latter.

3/5

[flowerdeliver]

The Intriguing Universe of Disbuds Flowers: Their Nature and Reasons for Popularity

If you enjoy gardening or flowers, you've probably heard the phrase "disbuds flowers" about several flower types. A popular horticultural method for improving the size, shape, and quality of flowers is disbudding. Although chrysanthemums are frequently linked to this technique, it may be used on a wide range of other plants. Gaining a grasp of disbuds can help you cultivate flowers more successfully, regardless of your degree of experience.

Explore Melbourne's Blooming Delight: Armadale Flowers' Magnificence

Located in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Armadale flowers is a charming neighbourhood renowned for its beautiful gardens, green lanes, and sophisticated architecture. Whether you're a visitor or a native, Armadale's gardens and flowers provide an enthralling look into Melbourne's passion for the outdoors and the natural world.

The neighbourhood of Armadale skilfully combines urban life with scenic surroundings. This area has a calm environment since many of the residences are surrounded by well-kept lawns and private gardens. A vast range of flowers may flourish in the region's Mediterranean climate, which has hot, dry summers and moderate winters.

The method enhances the blooms' general quality and vitality. By reducing congestion, disbudding makes sure that every bloom has the room and nutrients to develop to its maximum potential. Stronger, more colourful petals and a sturdier stem that can hold up the bigger bloom are the results of this.

Armadale Flowers: A Charming and Colourful Neighbourhood

In the neighbourhood of Armadale, urban living and environment coexist together. It is no surprise that the region is well-known for its exquisite flowers given its magnificent gardens and colourful floral arrangements. Armadale flowers provide vitality and beauty to this quaint Melbourne neighbourhood, whether you're taking in the roses on a beautiful afternoon stroll, purchasing fresh flowers from a nearby florist, or going to a garden event.

From lively garden markets to neighbourhood flower shops, Armadale has a wide range of alternatives to choose from if you want to incorporate some of this floral beauty into your own house or garden. Accept the hues, fragrances, and designs of Armadale's flowers and allow them to serve as inspiration for your floral explorations.

Source

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

Fat Nuggets Redesign! (1/???)

Very quick post for today because it is my birthday! I wanted to draw a character that I actually enjoy and genuinely have like no issues with because he is just a pig. I plan to draw some other pets like Vark but that’ll be more complex and about Vox because Vark will be a seizure alert animal and I want to put a lot of stuff into that post. Fat Nuggets though he’s just. God he looks so stupid. I love this pig man. Fat Nuggets is not a minipig in my rewrite by the way! He is a hellhog piglet and is at least 11 years old, however hellhogs age very very slow and he will not be big for a long while.

Considering he was also previously raised in a bad environment and was in someone else’s possession prior to Angel who did not treat him well at all, there are some things Fat Nuggets cannot do or experience. After his previous owner tried to disbud him for “less hassle”, it has permanently stunted and damaged his horns and spikes so they can no longer grow any longer than they are now. Fat Nuggets is now being well cared for and has not had any unwilling cosmetic procedures performed on him, is happy and healthy, and enjoys eating oatmeal.

If Angel actually signed him up for it I have no doubt he could become a therapy animal. Honestly I may look into the idea, I think a lot of these guys could benefit from a warm pig on their lap. Oh also, reminds me, because Angel is cold-blooded (technically) Fat Nuggets is his main source of warmth whenever clothes or blankets aren’t available or working well. Very good pig!

[goatvetoz]

Read my latest blog on pain relief for castrating male kids with rubber rings or disbudding kids.

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Sunday 24 December 2023

In the autumn and winter Chrysanthemum cultivars are a great glasshouse cut flower crop. These perennial plants, depending on the variety, can be hardy or half-hardy and thrive in a moist but well-drained soil with added compost or well-rotted manure. For larger single flowers the side-shoots are removed (known as disbudding) and plants will need staking.

Jill Raggett

[spookykestrel]

Lets Talk Farm Terminology!

Yay! I'm here to answer all the simple farm animal questions and misconceptions you've been too afraid to ask! Why? Because im bored and have thoughts and am reading Watership Down and want people to know the difference between "bunny," "rabbit," and "hare."

Leporidae

You're probably thinking wow kes how bold of you to start out not only with an animal uncommonly kept by farmers but also starting with a scientific name few will know! And you're right, but I don't care! The Leporidae family includes rabbits and hares, and yes! they are different. Very closely related as they belong to the same family, but rabbits and hares are not the same thing. Simply: hares are bigger and wilder than rabbits. There are no domestic species of hare and they are more adapted to solitary life than living in groups/colonies. Looking at the image above you can note slight differences in facial structure and build, as well as most notably the ear length, with the smaller rabbit on the left and the larger hare on the right. Most Watership Down art features hares but I don't mind it all that much as the hare anatomy is more fun lol.

Now, what's a bunny? Bunny is an informal term used to refer to rabbits, especially young ones. It wouldn't be incorrect to refer to the long eared friend in your yard as a bunny but if you were writing a paper or just want to sound more serious, it would be better to say rabbit (as you notice, I am refraining from calling them bunnies in this post).

When referring to rabbits, their terminology is similar to other familiar animals. A male rabbit is called a buck and a female rabbit is called a doe, like deer or goats. However, a baby rabbit is called a kit or kitten and a group of siblings is called a litter, just like cats.

Goats

Aw no more latin? As the domestic breeds of goat all come from the same species, there's no need for a broad scientific name as we all have an idea of what to picture, unless you're thinking of a mountain goat which are not considered true goats and are considered a goat-antelopes, making them closer in relation to muskoxen! Which is a whole different topic! Regardless, there's lots of different breeds of domestic goats (Capra hircus), like dogs and cats. Some are better suited for dairy production, some for meat, others are bred for their cashmere! Pictured above is a Saanen goat, one of, if not the most popular dairy goat breeds (in the US at least), known for their high milk production.

Many goat breeds have horns, which vary from antlers bc of how they grow and their composition. Horns can be removed when the goats are young, in a process called dehorning or disbudding. When horns are removed, their growth is stunted and they will not grow back once the animal is older. However, disbudding is a controversial topic as it is not painless and often unnecessary. Both male and female goats can have horns, although their appearance may differ.

I mentioned above that (mature, uncastrated) male goats are called bucks and females are called does. Many, many people use the terms billy and nanny to refer to goats. However, the better term would be buck/doe, and when people use billy/nanny it does peeve me. You may also hear the word wether to refer to castrated goats. Baby goats are called kids.

Cattle

My favorites of the post, let's finish with cattle (Bos taurus)! Same as goats, cattle can be bred and used for many purposes like the lovely Brahman I've included above, a very recognizable meat breed. Cattle terminology can get a little tricky as its not as straightforward as some other animals.

Cattle is the correct term for these animals, as cow technically refers to a mature female (has been bred). No one's going to freak out if you say cows instead of cattle, myself included, especially because if you dont know the specific details of the animal its hard to know whether to say cow or heifer or bull or steer.

So, a cow is a mature female, and a mature male is called a bull. An immature, young female is called a heifer. A castrated male is called a steer. When referring to an immature male you can use bull or bull calf.

Many places you will see the term "ox" thrown around (not to be confused with a MUSKox mentioned previously) and there's a lot of misconceptions surrounding the name. An ox is a specially trained bovine. That's all it is. There's lots of regulations on how they are trained and all that, but that's the basics of it. It is most common and recommended to use castrated males (steers) because castration should temper their aggression and testosterone production; additionally, males are typically larger than the females. However! Female cows can be trained as oxen, as can bulls.

Technically an ox should not be referred to as such until they have completed their training, which can take years. Typically oxen are selected at a young age and routinely worked to develop good skills. They are used for tasks plowing or pulling carts, and as modern technology has improved, use of oxen has declined.

Thaaaat's all I have to say about that today, I sort of led into each topic in little ways and I've nothing more to mention. Hopefully you learned a little, I think livestock are cool 👍

[weedhillfarm]

Disbudded agnes myself! Yayyy! Aaaand banded the two bucks :•)

[sea-lanterns]

The horns got me curious about how one would manage them, so I looked some stuff up and I got bad news (don’t look any further unless you’re willing to accept your dreams of adorable part-goat children with pool noodles on their horns being destroyed, and also some vague descriptions of the potential side-effects of having horns. Theresa a TL;DR at the end if you want to skip the very unwholesome details, while also leaving you on a far more wholesome note):

As it turns out, unless they’re using their horns for self-defense (not very useful if you already have opposable thumbs) or heat regulation (which wouldn’t be necessary in this case, as the kid’s part-human nature means she probably already regulates temperature very efficiently via sweating, and even most actual goats don’t have dense enough fur for overheating to be an issue outside of environments that even normal humans would consider worryingly hot) there is literally no good reason for a goat to have horns. Because as it turns out, while incidents such as accidentally breaking your own neck after getting your horns stuck in a fence aren’t much of an issue for something with human intelligence, unless trimmed regularly (which can be incredibly painful unless done very carefully and skillfully) horns can still grow around and eventually circle back into the animal’s own skull!

The humane thing to do is to burn to death the tissue that would otherwise eventually grow into the horn. It’s fairly painful for the kid, since it’s usually done as soon as kid has developed enough for one to tell where the tissue is so as to be sure the tissue is killed before the horn can start to grow, meaning that the kid is usually too young to safely take very strong anesthetics (AFAIK, at least—I’m neither a veterinarian nor a farmer).

However, although ‘disbudding’ (as the process is called) can be quite painful, ‘dehorning’ (which is required if the horn has already formed), while more likely to occur at an age when the kid can safely take very strong anesthetics, is also far more risky. This is because dehorning both requires a specially trained veterinarian and is far less reliable than disbudding even when done by such a professional, as there’s always the risk that the horn will just grow back anyways—except now they’re deformed and far more immediately threatening.

TL;DR: On the human body (or even on most domesticated goats) horns lose all the advantages they give to wild goats while still retaining some major risks, so you want to do everything you can to keep the horns from developing in the first place—otherwise they’ll end up having to deal with the risky and nail-biting process of carefully shaving down those horns down to just before the horn’s very sensitive bony core every few months, like Ganyu presumably has had to do hundreds of times throughout her very long life. On the upside, at least horn shaving is a good bonding experience with Ganyu, kinda like how getting a shave means trusting somebody enough to let them put an extremely sharp blade directly against your throat without fear of harm, accidental or not.

Well, as terrifying as this all seems, horns growing close to the goat’s eyes can be fixed by the occasional trimming with a saw wire. When the horn grows too close to the eye, I believe people use a saw wire to cut off the tip, but not deep enough where it would hit a nerve/blood vessel. I don’t think it hurts when you trim it just at the tip, but the goats do feel a big vibration through their horns :0

I’m no sheep/goat expert though, just a city girl who watched a few goat trimming videos before lol. Either way, I don’t think Ganyu’s baby would have their horns grow too close to their face. Ganyu is more than capable of taking care of their horns (this includes shaving it when needed) and making sure they don’t grow too long in the first place :)

[plantanarchy]

my one coworker becomes distressed by the concept of being asked to disbud and cut back young plants and i'm like please, you have to understand!!! they will bloom all the more beautifully after a good thwacking!! just a good healthy snipsnip and they'll put their energy into growing strong roots. something something a smidge of adversity now will mean a defiant explosion of flowers later.

[incognitopencil]

The last living elders are the only ones where you can see that these fairies would actually have horns if they were left to grow. The younger generations are all disbudded as infants for certain practicality reasons.

[flowerdeliver]

Unveiling Disbuds Flower: A Journey Through Floral Splendour

Disbuds flower have a longer vase life than many other cut flowers, which makes them a perfect choice for arrangements of flowers in homes, occurrences, and businesses around Melbourne. Their enormous, single blooms with a disc at the centre make them suitable for a variety of floral creations, from exquisite bouquets to elaborate centrepieces, which enhance the look of any environment. Disbuds are available in a variety of colours, allowing for creative flower arrangements and allowing painters in Melbourne to integrate them with various themes, seasons, or colour palettes.

A Wide Selection of Choices with Round-the-Clock Care

With online flower delivery in Altona, you can easily examine and buy your selected blooms by scrolling down the e-commerce website. Physical flower businesses may offer restricted flower alternatives based on the time of year and type of flowers ordered by the florist. With the help of emergency floral delivery services, you can make up for any occasion that you seem to have forgotten.

Flower delivery companies can readily locate the specific bloom species that your partner likes. In addition, the customer care representative may assist you in creating a lovely note to accompany your gift box. Some flower businesses charge a premium for specialised services like rapid flower delivery and same-day delivery.

Assurance of Quality with Experienced Design for Specialised Occasions

Reputable flower delivery businesses in Altona prioritise product quality and freshness. They pick flowers from reputable vendors to ensure that each arrangement is constructed with the freshest flowers available and retains its beauty for as many days as possible.

Florists who specialise in flower delivery in Altona are knowledgeable in floral design and presentation techniques. They may produce gorgeous bouquets and presentations that express the intended message or feeling, such as love, sympathy, admiration, or appreciation. They provide themed arrangements and customisations to match the mood and purpose of each occasion.

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[interruptingkau]

🌻

Most breeds of cattle naturally have horns, which are usually removed when they're calves through a process called disbudding. This removes the tissue that will grow into horns before it is fully attached to the skull and is (probably) less painful and traumatic than dehorning an older cow. Never seeing a dairy cow with horns coupled with the near mythical image of a scary, big horned bull has led many people to believe only male cattle grow horns!