AEN-177: Basic Principles for Laying Out Farm Infrastructure on Livestock Operations

By Steve Higgins
Published on Feb. 20, 2025

Livestock operations require comprehensive infrastructure to efficiently produce livestock.

AEN-176: Providing and Improving Drinking Water for Livestock

By Steve Higgins
Published on Aug. 9, 2024

Water is a fundamental requirement for livestock. Depending on the species, livestock will consume two to six times more water than forages or feed. Nevertheless, drinking water quality for livestock is commonly overlooked, which can result in huge implications to animal health, well-being, and optimal productivity.

AEN-175: Rain Traps for Watering Livestock in Remote Locations

By Steve Higgins
Published on Mar. 25, 2024

The availability of abundant, clean water can be the most limiting factor for a grazing operation. Rainfall has been harvested for thousands of years to provide water for crops, humans, and livestock. A familiar example is a cistern adjacent to a barn or house.

AEN-173: Shelterbelts for Livestock

By Steve Higgins
Published on Dec. 19, 2023

Livestock must maintain a normal body temperature to optimize their production potential. Providing shade and protection from wind are two ways producers can aid in managing the impact of temperature-related stress on their livestock.

AEN-169: Cattle Winter‐Feeding Area Evaluation

By Lee Moser and Steve Higgins
Published on Sep. 13, 2022

Winter feeding of cattle is necessary in Kentucky, since forages are dormant from late fall to spring. To prevent damage to multiple pastures by the creation of mud from livestock and tractor traffic, producers traditionally select a small area to "sacrifice" for this task.

AEN-167: Backyard Chickens as Garden Fertilizer Generators

By Steve Higgins
Published on Mar. 11, 2022

Having backyard chickens can be a fun, educational, and rewarding experience. There are many reasons why people keep backyard chickens, with availability of fresh, colored eggs, food security, and enjoying the birds as pets among them. However, for some, the goal is to obtain the rich manure that chickens produce to fertilize their garden.

AEN-165: Improving Cow Paths

By Steve Higgins
Published on Dec. 17, 2021

The energy expended by a large animal traveling on a slope can be tremendous. To compensate, grazing animals create trails, which run parallel to a slope. These trails allow animals to graze the upper slope, while standing on flat ground, which provides energy and grazing efficiencies.

AEN-161: Planning and Designing Suburban-Urban Poultry Housing in Kentucky

By James Ash and Steve Higgins
Published on Sep. 29, 2021

Interest in suburban-urban poultry keeping continues to increase. The main reasons for keeping poultry are for eggs and meat, and to address food sustainability or security issues. Poultry are also enjoyed as pets, for ornamental purposes, and providing enjoyment.

AEN-163: Creating a Hub with Dry Lots for Small Ruminants

By Steve Higgins
Published on Sep. 16, 2021

A typical small ruminant operation needs to graze, feed and water animals daily. In addition, other activities such as milking, winter feeding, kidding or lambing, managing sick stock and handling for herd health need to be accomplished routinely or seasonally.

AEN-159: Using Drones to Monitor Fence Lines

By Joshua Jackson
Published on Feb. 16, 2021

The escape of livestock is a serious concern for producers. Escaped animals can potentially damage property and/or injure people, especially when they are loose in undesired areas. Fence line inspection and the monitoring of gates, wires, and latches is a time-consuming task that must be regularly conducted to mitigate the risk of escape.