At P.H.Winterton, we supply quality poultry bedding in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. As such, we believe it our duty to help our customers with potentially insight tips and tricks to look after their chickens. In the summer, chickens can come under significant pressure from soaring temperatures and extreme heat. It is commonly acknowledged but chickens, much like other animals it must be said, struggle to keep themselves cool during the summer period. In fact, statistically speaking; chickens are in much more danger during the height of summer than during the potentially freezing temperatures of winter. Generally speaking, temperatures over 75 degrees Fahrenheit or 23 degrees Celsius can start to have a drastic impact on your chicken. In these temperatures, chicken can suffer from extreme heat exhaustion and heat stroke. This leads to a decrease in appetite, generally deteriorating health and problems with egg production. In addition, heavier chickens can sometimes become more exhausted in lower temperatures due to their extra body mass. While we might not always see these temperatures from our poultry bedding in Staffordshire and Derbyshire, there is no harm in preparing for when these days eventually arrive. So let’s go over some of our top tips to help your chickens remain cool this summer. Provide Shade We start with what might seem like the most obvious solution to elevating your chicken’s heat exhaustion. It might go without saying but by providing chickens with shade, your chickens will not be directly exposed to the sun. Without the sun beating down on them, your chickens will lead a much healthier lifestyle. You can provide shade to your chickens by simply having trees shelter their poultry bedding or covering their set play area. Give Them Cold Treats During hot and humid days; many of us will indulge in a cold treat such as an ice cream or ice cold drink to help cool us down. This is not too dissimilar to what your chickens can do. When deciding which treats to give to your chickens; you will want to decipher which ones are best for hot weather. Some carb centred treats can actually increase your chicken’s body temperature. As such, you will want to provide your chickens with cold, high...
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Poultry bedding, and even more specifically poultry bedding in Staffordshire, does not garner quite the same level of attention as cubicle and equine bedding does. Exactly why this is the case, largely remains unclear. Whether this is because horses and cows are more commonly kept on farms in much larger bedding or just because the aforementioned animal beddings require regular maintenance. It is largely unclear. All this being said; there is one thing for certain. That is that we offer high quality poultry bedding in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. It is commonly accepted that the most effective form of poultry bedding is shavings and as we have always stated, we supply shavings in Staffordshire and some surrounding areas. You might be asking the question; if I have chickens why should I choose this form of poultry bedding? Well, there are many reasons to do so and we will detail them for you. Health Benefits If you own chicken, the chances are you will want two things from their bedding. One being that your chickens finds the material comfy and cosy and the other being that bedding helps to keep your poultry happy. Some of the benefits of keeping chickens healthy include: helping to keep diseases away; increasing the capacity to produce eggs and improving general more mobility. Increase Scratching When you hear the term chicken scratching, you might think the term sounds rather odd or maybe even aggressive. However, this process is completely natural and often encouraged. Scratching is simply the process that chickens enact when they are searching through their bedding for potential food. Quality, clean shavings encourages your chickens to enact this simple but effective process. Why In Staffordshire? There are many reasons you should consider poultry bedding in Staffordshire. One such reason is the remarkable number of farms across Staffordshire and the Midlands in general which cater and use chickens as livestock. Another reason could be that; Staffordshire on the whole sees quite significant rainfall throughout the year. This highlights the importance of having high quality and effective bedding and sheltering. Do You Require Poultry Bedding in Staffordshire? If you are a farm owner, or just a chicken owner in general, and you are based in Staffordshire; you...
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With the Cheltenham Festival firmly in our rear view mirrors and spring now upon us; many horse owners will be contemplating the various ways they can prepare their beloved horse ready for the upcoming season of summer. From revamping their equine bedding, to reinvigorating their exercise regime, to scheduling a rigorous diet plan. There are numerous ways you can make sure your horse is ready for this changing season. At P.H. Winterton, we pride ourselves on empathising your horses’ comfort and health. This is one of the many reasons we are quality purveyors of horse bedding in Staffordshire and Cheshire. As such, we would like to detail some of the best ways to prepare your horse for summer to ensure their success for the whole of the summer season and the rest of the year. Implement A Nutritional Diet If your horse has spent much of winter in their comfy and homely equine bedding not participating in much exercise due to potentially treacherous conditions; then they might have developed an unhealthy lifestyle. The best way to start their path back towards a healthier living is by implementing a nutritional and healthy diet. Naturally, a horse’s diet should consist mainly of grass and/or hay as these are high in fibre which provides your horse with all the necessary nutrition. However, you should pay particular attention to ensure they do not consume too much as this might have a negative overall impact on their health. Exercise Regime Following on nicely regarding a healthier lifestyle; now your horse is eating healthy, they should accompany this with an all encompassing exercise schedule. Summertime mornings are the optimal time for your horses to exercise. This is because the weather is not so cold for exercising to be impractical or provide your horse with significant discomfort, whilst the temperatures are yet to hit the extreme highs meaning there is minimal chance of your horse suffering from heat exhaustion. Clean The Stables You have probably heard about spring cleaning your home, however; you should consider performing your spring cleaning on your horse’s stables too. It is sometimes recommended to clean the stables out twice daily as well as replenishing the hay and sawdust that is in...
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Any owner of a horse will probably have clean and well kept equine bedding which enables their horse to lie down and get a sufficient night sleep. Therefore, many owners will probably populate the flooring with our industry leading sawdust or shavings as this is one of the comfiest bedding options. While this form of bedding has many benefits; one potential problem is the fact that your horse might want to eat their bedding. This might at first just seem like a mild annoyance as you will have to keep replacing the previously eaten sawdust or shavings. However, letting your horse snack out on their bedding can actually have dire consequences. Especially if this is not kept in check over time. One such issue is the fact that your horse can develop intestinal obstruction and colic if they consume large amounts of their own bedding. Accompanying this is the fact that naturally, sawdust and shavings can become dusty overtime, the dust attracts unwanted bacteria which means that when your horse eats a of their bedding; they are putting themselves at danger of developing a nasty cough or becoming ill. At P.H.Winterton, we provide high quality horse shavings from Staffordshire and, in our time, we have learnt a thing or two about good bedding practices. Therefore, allow us to detail ways to stop your horse from eating their bedding. Quick and Easy Techniques An old fashioned way of thinking is to believe that because a technique is quick and easy, the technique is subsequently less effective. There are many quick and easy ways you can use to stop your horse from eating their bedding. Some of them include: Keep Your Horse Busy A great way to take your mind off of something is to keep busy. This also rings true for horses. On average, it is estimated horses spend 16 hours a day eating. Much of this statistic is attributed to the fact the horse could be eating due to boredom. If you keep them busy, such as getting them to go out on rides, they will feel less of a need to pig out on their bedding. Mix In The Old, With The New When putting new shavings or...
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Cubicle bedding in Staffordshire and all around the country will have recently been littered with cows gearing up for the inevitable freedom spring will bring. Temperatures are on rise and as such, grass will seem all the more appealing. In order for your cows to maximise their spring experience, you will want to control and monitor their weight. Many animals wish to control their weight in the spring and during the build up to summer. Whilst many people believe this is due to pure aesthetic, being in better physical condition actually offers a vast range of benefits. During the hotter months, if your cows are overweight they will not only find mobility significantly harder but they might struggle with heat exhaustion. There are many ways to help your cows control their weight, so let’s take a look at some of the most effective ways we can do this. Monitor Their Protein Intake Feeding your cow’s protein provides many advantages. Proteins are essential to your cow’s energy and productivity levels. Without vital proteins, your cows will not be able to carry out simple exercises and furthermore; they will not be able to roam fields freely to collect their all important food. However, you will be sure not to overfeed your cows too much protein. It is recommended that most cows require 1.5 pounds of protein a day. During periods of gestation, your cow might require up to 2 pounds. This can vary even more when your cow is lactating; during this period your cow usually requires much more. Whilst you might evaluate that feeding your cow too much protein will cause them to gain weight (this can sometimes be the case), overfeeding them protein can actually cause your cow to lose weight. But this is not normally the healthiest option. If they over consume protein, your cows can end up burning off ammonia which can be a detriment to your cow’s health. Exercise Just like humans, the more exercise cows get can help them lose weight. If cows are provided with comfy cubicle bedding, they might not want to stand up from their suitable slumber. However, you should motivate your cows to get up and get some much needed exercise....
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