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TrueTrac Cattle

  TrueTrac Cattle   I watched a steer show not that long ago and the heavier the cattle got the more it sounded like someone poured milk on some rice krispies.   There was a lot of popping going on as those heavier steers walked in.   It prompted me to rethink a project we started a few years ago and just didn’t finish. I pulled up those old documents and the trials we did, reworked the formula a bit based on some things we’ve learned since then and the result is TrueTrac Cattle.     TrueTrac Cattle follows the same principles of our very popular swine TrueTrac product. Because it works, TrueTrac has become the industry standard for joint health in show pigs   Since part of our mission statement is simply to tell the truth that’s what we’re going to do.   A big contributor to popping pasterns is cattle that don’t have enough flex so they compensate in their pasterns. There isn’t a lot a supplement company can do about that except to nutritionally support
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Why We Recommend Feeding TrueTrac From Day One

  In 2015, a group of researchers from both private companies and Texas A&M University studied the effects of a combination of chelated trace minerals and eggshell membrane as an intervention and prevention of degenerative joint disease (DJD) and osteoarthritis. (OA) in multiple species including swine.   In a nutshell, they found that supplemental chelated trace minerals were effective in both sows and gilts, reducing the culling rate for lameness by over 35%.      This and other similar studies are why when we formulated TrueTrac we began with specific chelated trace minerals as the foundation.   In the spring of 2019 we did a study in growing show pigs split into three groups.   Our product TrueTrac is a combination of chelated trace minerals, acidified citrus pulp, egg shell meal and other ingredients intended to nutritionally support joint health. Group 1 were controls and they were not supplemented with TrueTrac. The second group were supplemented
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Bloody Back, Cracked Back, Dippity Pig

Whatever name you've heard used this syndrome is a common problem in show pigs and something we get asked about almost daily.  What is it: Pigs that develop painful bloody sores on the back, hind end weakness, and fever.  It tends to be sudden onset so your pig may be fine at evening chores and have a bloody painful back by the next morning.  The “dipping” that people observe is a reaction the pig has to pain in its back. That reaction is responsible for the “dippity pig” name. On a personal note, I can’t tell you how much that silly name grates my nerves so you’ll only hear us calling it bloody or cracked back.    The following picture is a pig that is affected just before he was treated. His temp was 103.5 and he ate about 1/3 of his feed.  What Causes it:  The first thing I want to say is no one knows for certain the cause. But here are some of the theories.  Some folks want to look at existing swine diseases and apply it to this syndrome.  A couple of the common things that fol
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Feeding Tools

These files are free for you to download print and use while feeding your livestock.    Show Pig Care True North Show Pig Program True North Holding Ration Recipe 2021 Numbered Calendar Show Pig Feed Chart Show Lamb Feed Chart  Show Goat Feed Chart Show Cattle Feed Chart 
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Getting ready to Farrow

 This time of year the question "What do we need to have and know to farrow our first gilt?" shows up in our inbox and on social media a bunch.   We aren't going to go into facilities except to say you need somewhere that you can keep 70 degrees or so draft free and provide supplemental heat for the pigs.   The first list of things are what you might need if you have to assist her.  As a rule we try to avoid assisting if we can but show pig producing gilts are decidedly not maternal and sometimes we have to help.  We like to tell folks to get two rubbermaid like totes.  One for the farowing gear and a second in case you want to split suckle. (More on that latter.) Inside the first tote you want to have  at a minimum OB Sleeves , lubricant , pig puller,   chlorhexidine disinfectan t, a small bucket, paper towels, a bottle of calcium gluconate , syringes and needles, and a spray bottle of iodine.   In addition to what is in the container you also want to have a drying agent
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Ulcers in Show Pigs

 One of the topics that always come up are ulcers in show pigs.  There are some infectious diseases that cause vomiting along with scours and certain mycotoxins can cause vomiting.  With those exceptions when you see a show pig vomiting they almost certainly have a gastric ulcer.  So what are the causes of gastric ulcers?      1. Anything that makes pigs go off feed.         2. Feed that is too small particle size. (Ground too fine)     3. Vitamin E/ Selenium deficiency     4. Copper toxicity     5. Significant parasite load  Helicobacter pylori is often found in the mucus lining of the pig stomach and is believed to be an infectious component of gastric ulcers in pigs. Of the five common causes we listed by far the most common one is anything that makes a pig go off feed.  In studies that were meant to measure the effect of out of feed events in finishing pigs they found that about 80% of otherwise healthy pigs that were out of feed for 24 hours developed ulcers. When they extended th
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The Three P's of Show Pig Success

 You are probably wondering what on earth are the three P's.  It is our shorthand way of summarizing what you need to be successful in the show ring.  We put the three P's this way:     1. Pig      2. Preparation     3. Presentation When thinking about the pig itself it's all the thing that go into selecting the right pig.   Preparation is the environment, nutrition, and health of your show pig. Presentation includes skin and hair, training and showmanship. We did a series of videos on the topic you can view here.  Pig   Preparation Preparation
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