Store #2 now offers BAYDOG Service Dog Harnesses!
Head on over to Kissimmee Valley Feed Store #2 to take advantage of these December Astro Sales. Savings valid at our 215 13th Street St. Cloud, FL 34769 only. Stock up and save today! Please note the varying expiration dates.
The Honest Kitchen – FREE Treat:
December 2021
Buy any two bags of our Cookies, Cod Crisps, Ocean Chews, and Purely One Fish Treats, Get 1 bag FREE!
Redbarn – 5.00 OFF
August – December 2021
Get $5.00 OFF all CHEW-A-BULLS Dental Treat Bags
NaturVet – $2.00 Dollars OFF
December 2021
Get $2.00 OFF all NaturVet Products (Limit 6 per customer)
December Astro Loyalty Sales are valid at our 13th Street, St. Cloud location only, while supplies last.
Flock-Tober 2021: Shop at Kissimmee Valley Feed’s Main Store during October and get a FREE limited-edition coop sign when you purchase a large bag of Purina Layer feed*! These signs are popular and we will run out!
Don’t forget to fluff those feathers and polish your hen’s beaks for the 5th annual Purina® Miss Flock-Tober® pageant! Purina® will crown weekly winners of 4 categories this month – chosen by YOU! Find your best #PurinaFed poultry photos and strut over to the Purina Flock Facebook page to enter.
Are your chicks growing? Once your chicks hit 18-20 weeks old or lay their first egg, it’s time to transition to Purina Layena poultry feed to sustain growth and promote egg production! Check out our poultry supplies here! Most importantly, enjoy Flock-Tober 2021!
How to Adjust Gain in Show Pigs: Weighing your market hog can be a tense experience, especially when you start counting down the days until the show.
Does the hog weigh too much? Too little? Should you be alarmed by the weight you see on the scale? For example, do you need to adjust the ration to remedy the situation?
Before you make any decisions, take inventory of the situation.
Above all, consider the following questions:
The maximum weight limit will tell you how much weight the pig has left to gain. This calculation is a simple one:
(Desired weight (lbs.) – Current weight (lbs.)) / Days remaining until show day = Maximum weight gain per day (lbs.)
For example, let’s use 280 lbs. as the show’s maximum weight, and let’s say you have a 266 lb. pig. There are 30 days left until the show. The calculation would be:
(280 lbs. – 266 lbs.)/30 days=0.47 lbs./day
In this scenario, there is reason for concern. The pig can only gain 0.47 lbs. per day until the show. Additional gain would result in discounts due to size.
To avoid situations like this, weigh your pig regularly on a scale or use a measurement tape to estimate weight . However, if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to slow growth in your show pig, here are some products that can help:
| Product Name | Use | Feeding Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Octane® Powerfill® Feed | A fully fortified complete feed for swine which meets all the pig's daily nutrient requirements. Can also be used as part of the total diet to 'spike' or concentrate nutrients in the pig's daily diet. | As a complete feed: 3 lbs. per day; as a supplement: 2 lbs. per day with 2 lbs. regular showpig feed. | |
| High Octane® Champion Drive® Topdress | A pelleted (1/8 inch) high protein topdress that helps with muscle development and concentrates nutrients in the pig's daily diet. This product should be used if the pig needs more top shape and muscle definition. | 1 lb. per day, or more as needed. | |
| High Octane® Fitter 35® Supplement | A pelleted (1/8 inch) high protein topdress that achieves everything that High Octane® Champion Drive® Topdress does, but also helps burn fat by diluting the energy content of the pig's daily diet. Should be used on pigs who need more muscle and less fat. This product is handy for trimming up heads and necks. | Replace 2 lbs. of pig's daily diet with 2 lbs. of Fitter 35® Supplement for the final 14-21 days prior to the show. Normal feeding rate is 1 lb. per day. | Can be fed up to 3 lbs. per day as a complete feed to help slow growth (less than 0.5 lbs. per day gain), help increase lean tissue (muscle) and help reduce fat around the head and neck area. |
| High Octane® Heavy Weight® Supplement | A white powder that resembles milk replacer designed to help improve body fat, growth rate and appetite. | To help improve appetite feed 4 oz. per day; to improve fat cover or growth rate feed 8-12 oz. per day. | More can be fed if the pig will consume more without significantly reducing overall daily feed consumption. |
| High Octane® Power Fuel® Supplement | A reddish brown extruded nugget designed to help supply energy in the pig's diet for growth and fat cover, as well as improve feed utilization. | 1/2 to 1 1/2 lbs. per day. | Can be used to complement High Octane® Heavy Weight® Supplement. |
| High Octane® Depth Charge® Supplement | A pelleted (1/8 inch) supplement that expands rapidly after ingestion to help with rib and fill. It is particularly useful when limit feeding to help keep the pig fuller appearing and help take the edge off of appetite. | 1/2 to 1 1/2 lbs. per day. | It is not recommended to wet this product prior to feeding as it begins to expand when it comes into contact with water. If the product expands to an appreciable amount, it may have a negative impact on voluntary feed intake. |
| High Octane® Paylean® Premix | A pelleted (1/8 inch), high protein, fully-fortified supplement that supplies Paylean®. Paylean® has been proven to increase lean tissue, decrease body fat and increase growth rate. The premix also fortified with extra biotin to help pads and Zinpro® zinc methionine to help protect hooves. | 2 oz. per day in 6 lbs. of feed. |
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to feeding show pigs. Each pig will likely need its own individual feeding plan.
Below are three common scenarios and feeding program suggestions:
#1 Example: Increasing Pig Gain
#2 Example: Slowing Pig Gain
#3 Example: Stopping Pig Gain
These three examples clearly show that diet formulation varies greatly from animal to animal. A pig that has 1.57 lbs. per day to gain isn’t going to need the same diet as a pig that has 0.47 lbs. per day to gain.
In addition, consider the following additional factors when feeding your show pigs:
Remember that your pig has to look its best in the show ring. Knowing your pig’s weight, taking time to adjust diets as needed, and making sure you’re using a high quality feed program are all essential to finding yourself in front of the backdrop.
In conclusion, Kissimmee Valley Feed has a great selection of Show Feeds to help you raise a champion!
Forage makes up between 50 and 90 percent or more of a horse’s diet. Much of the forage part of the diet comes in the form of hay. Because it’s such a big part of the ration, a good quality hay can help keep a horse healthy, while a poor quality hay can be detrimental. This is why, as nutritionists and horse owners, we put a big emphasis on the quality of hay we feed.
The nutritional value of hay is the most important factor when determining its quality. This begins with the stage of plant maturity at time of harvest. Young, immature plants contain more nutrients than older, stemmier plants. Though after hay is harvested, the level of horse hay quality goes beyond the age of the plant at harvest.
When selecting your horse’s forage, keep these six signs of good quality hay in mind:
Think about the leafy greens you eat. You likely prefer greens with leaves rather than just stems. The same is true for your horse. Look for more flat leaves in the hay and fewer round stems; this indicates the plant was less mature when cut. More leaves typically mean higher digestibility and nutrient content for your horse.
Stems smaller in diameter or finer are also indicators of higher quality horse hay. Small stems mean the plant was less mature when cut. To test stem size, grab a handful of hay and give it a squeeze. Good quality hay is soft and pliable, and feels good in your hand. If it feels like you’re squeezing a handful of sticks, it is not a good choice of hay to feed your horse.
No matter the species of plant, hay with little to no seed heads or blooms indicates a younger, early maturity plant, and thus a higher quality hay. For example, timothy hay should be cut in the pre-bloom or early-bloom stage when you see little to no seed heads; and alfalfa should be cut when you see few to no blooms.
On our farm, there’s nothing like haying season. We love the smell of fresh hay. The same is true for your horse. Good quality hay should have a fresh cut smell and appearance. Avoid musty, moldy or off-setting smelling hay, because it can reduce palatability and indicate poor quality.
Hay should be primarily made up of the harvested forages. Look for a clean forage with little to no dust. Even if the majority of the hay is high quality, hays containing dirt, mold, weeds, trash or other foreign materials indicate poorer quality hay and may be unfit to feed to horses.
Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions. Storage condition and age have a significant effect on vitamin content of hays. Many vitamins, such as vitamins A and E, are not stable over time and lose biological activity. After approximately six months, almost all vitamin A and E activity levels are lost. The nutritional value of hay is compromised with increased exposure to heat, sunlight and rain, which speed up this process.
When good quality hay for your horse is scarce or too costly, you may need to compensate for poorer quality hay. You can do this by supplementing with a quality balanced horse feed. Hay balancers help provide the missing essential nutrients the horse requires in the diet. In some cases, they can replace hay in the diet entirely.
Equine feeds and supplements available at Kissimmee Valley Feed offer built-in forage for situations where hay is not available in a horse’s diet.
Article source: Purina Animal Nutrition
Saint Cloud, FL 34769..
Phone: 407-957-4100
Fax: 407-957-0450
Mon-Fri: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday Closed
St. Cloud, FL 34769
Phone: 407-892-4040
Mon-Fri: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday: Closed