Eggs, meat, milk, wool, fur, feathers, and some priceless bucolic bliss. No hobby farm is complete without critters...possibly a small herd peppering the field or a microflock flapping around the hen house or pond. A single information-packed volume with everything a hobby farmer needs to know about farm animals, this new comprehensive manual to selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock brings forth the expertise of six hobby farmers, each of whom has real-life on-the-farm experience with the animals she discusses. Whether you're contemplating adding a small herd of sheep or goats to your existing hobby farm or you've always wondered about the benefits of raising angora rabbits or Muscovy ducks, Livestock for Your Hobby Farm provides the kind of guidance you need to begin a herd or flock and expand your pens and fencing. With exhaustive detail, the authors offer complete coverage of chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and rabbits, including the housing, health-care, special needs, advantages and challenges of each. -Extensive sections devoted to the seven major farm animals, including profiles of the most popular breeds and varieties -Detailed how-to chapters on the care, handling, feeding, health, and safety of each animal -Special chapters devoted to the breeding and raising of young animals -Recommendations for ways of capitalizing on your livestock's output, from selling eggs, milk, fiber, and so forth -Tips for troubleshooting potential problems and warding off diseases, parasites, and predators

This is a modern pioneer story strongly evocative of the undaunted spirit that shaped Western Canada.

Quaternary Ecology, Evolution, and Biogeography offers an introduction to the study of the ecological and evolutionary processes that have shaped our present biosphere under the influence of glacial-interglacial cycles. Written by an ecologist with paleoecological expertise, this book reviews the climactic changes that have occurred during the last 2.6 million years, along with the responses of organisms and ecosystems. It offers an understanding of the evolutionary origin of extant biodiversity, its biogeographical patterns, and the composition of modern ecological communities. In addition, it explores human evolution and the influence of our activities on the biosphere, especially in the last millennia. This book offers the latest information on how studying the past can contribute to our understanding of present climate issues for a better future, and is an ideal resource for researchers and students in the natural sciences.

Raise a gaggle of geese, the unsung heroes of the small farm While chickens preen in the spotlight, geese are the historic unsung heroes of small farms and homesteads. Providing weed control, large eggs, and entertainment, and acting as "security" over other animals, geese are the ultimate modern homesteading companion. The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese covers everything you need to know to raise geese, including: Profiles of breeds and how to select the best one for your needs How to "imprint" goslings on a person Feeding, housing, animal health, and cold weather care Using geese for weed control, soil improvement, and as "watch-geese" Cooking with goose eggs and meat Additional coverage includes a look at the rich history of geese on farms in North America and Europe that will enhance any goose keeper's enjoyment of these intelligent and unique birds. This practical guide is a must-have essential for the kitchen table of homesteaders, small farmers, permaculturists, and professional farmers looking to add the power of geese to their land.

Felines of the World: Discoveries in Taxonomic Classification and History provides the most recent taxonomic, paleontological, phylogenetic and DNA advances of wild felid and domestic cat species following guidelines dictated by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group. It highlights the importance of felines and their role as predators in maintaining the ecological biome balance in which they have evolved. The book delves into the anatomical, evolutionary and zoogeographic features of fossil and current felid species. Each species is described in detail, detailing its classification, habitat and biological habits. This book also presents the most updated threat and conservation status of each species. This book is an ideal resource for zoologists and paleontologists, primarily those interested in the evolution and features of extinct and extant felines.

Raising a pig is easy to do, even in a small space like a suburban backyard. In just five months, a 30-pound shoat will become a 250-pound hog and provide you with 100 pounds of pork, including tenderloin, ham, ribs, bacon, sausage, and more. For anyone who wants to raise a pig for meat in a backyard or on a small farm, this comprehensive guide explains exactly how to do it, humanely and safely. Livestock expert Sue Weaver covers everything from selecting a breed with great flavor and bringing your shoat home to feeding, housing, fencing, health care, and humane processing.

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, Guest Edited by Dr. Nigel B. Cook, in collaboration with Consulting Editor Dr. Robert Smith, focuses on Housing to Optimize Comfort, Health and Productivity of Dairy Cattle. Article topics include: The housing dilemma: natural living vs. animal protection; Calf barn design and management; Lying time and its importance to the dairy cow: impact of stocking density and time budget stresses; Feeding behavior, feed space and bunk design, and management for adult dairy cattle; Maximizing comfort in tiestall housing; Free stall design and bedding management; Maternal behavior and design of the maternity pen; Housing the cow in transition to optimize early lactation performance; Ventilation systems for adult dairy cattle; Cooling systems for dairy cows; Designing dairy herds with automated milking systems; and Low stress handling areas for dairy cow barns.

Horse Pasture Management begins with coverage of the structure, function and nutritional value of plants, continuing into identification of pasture plants. Management of soil and plants in a pasture is covered next, followed by horse grazing behavior, feed choices of horses, management of grazing horses, and how to calculate how many horses should be grazing relative to land size. Management of hay and silage are included, since year-round grazing is not possible on many horse farms. A number of chapters deal with interactions of a horse farm with the environment and other living things. As an aid in good pasture management, one chapter explains construction and use of fencing and watering systems. Contributions are rounded out with a chapter explaining how the University of Kentucky helps horse farm managers develop their pasture management programs.

This title covers everything small farmers and backyard homesteaders need to know to keep a single cow or a small dairy herd as a productive part of their food supply - from selecting a breed, maintaining animal health, feeding, and providing shelter to milking and making homemade dairy products. Just one cow can easily provide all the milk, cheese, and other dairy products one family needs. A dairy cow, such as a Jersey, will give six gallons of milk a day, compared with a dairy goat that gives just up to three quarts. Per capita cheese consumption is twice the level it was 25 years ago, and it shows no signs of levelling off, according to the USDA's Educational Research Service.

China is one of the world's largest developing agricultural countries and dominates the international livestock revolution in terms of its aggregate size and growth rate. While the sheep meat industry is still in the early stages of development, it is an excellent example of the upheaval taking place in Chinese agriculture. This book focuses on the growing sheep meat industry while drawing on associated research from other areas of the Chinese livestock section. Using this research, the authors use the sheep meat industry case study to illustrate the broader trends that apply more generally to the Chinese livestock sector, especially in the case of ruminant livestock.

Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal: Panthera Onca at the Meeting of the Waters details the lives and behaviors of this subpopulation of jaguars through one-of-a-kind photographs from 26 international photographers, as well as illustrations, maps, waypoints, scientific insights, field journal excerpts and personal narratives. The book seeks to understand how locals can coexist with these cats while benefitting financially through ecotourism. Users will find this book to be a conceptual model to apply to other subpopulations in order to save jaguars throughout North and South America. It is an ideal resource for researchers and practitioners in wildlife conservation, naturalism ecotourism and biologists.

Imagine a weekend breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, and honey from your own chickens, pigs, and bees. Or a holiday meal with your own heritage-breed turkey as the main attraction. With "The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, " even urban and suburban residents can successfully raise chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, pigs, and honey bees. It s easier than you think, and it can be done on small plots of land. This essential guide covers everything from selecting the right breeds to producing delicious fresh milk, cheese, honey, eggs, and meat. Whether you want to be more self-sufficient, save money, or just enjoy safer, healthier, more delicious animal products, you ll find all the information you need in "The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.""

Advances in Poultry Welfare provides a targeted overview of contemporary developments in poultry welfare. The reviews in the volume address topical issues related to poultry welfare research and assessment, with a focus on identifying practical strategies for improvement as well as information gaps that remain to be filled. Part One provides an introduction to poultry production systems and gives a broad overview of current poultry welfare issues. Part Two moves on to review several aspects of poultry management, focusing on hatchery practices, early rearing, and slaughter. Part Three deals with welfare assessment on the farm, while Part Four explores continuing challenges, such as feather pecking and skeletal problems. This is followed in Part Five by a discussion of emerging issues, with chapters covering alternative parasite control methods, backyard poultry production, mass depopulation, and genetic approaches to reducing the impact of environmental stressors on welfare. This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry. With its expert editor and international team of contributors, Advances in Poultry Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, veterinarians involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of poultry.

Advances in Agricultural Animal Welfare fully explores developments in the key areas of agricultural animal welfare assessment and improvement. Analyzing current topical issues, as well as reviewing the historical welfare issues, the volume is a comprehensive review of the field. Divided into five sections, the book opens in Part One by reviewing advances in animal welfare science, examining cognitive psychology, genetics and genomics. Part Two then looks at transdisciplinary research in animal welfare, with coverage of bioethics, welfare and sustainability from both environmental and food safety perspectives. Part Three explores the process of translating science into policy and practice, followed by discussion on the global achievability of welfare standards in Part Four. Finally, Part Five highlights some emerging issues in agricultural animal welfare. This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and aquaculture. With its expert editor and international team of contributors, Advances in Agricultural Animal Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, practicing vets involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of agricultural animals.

Advances in Pig Welfare analyzes current topical issues in the key areas of pig welfare assessment and improvement. With coverage of both recent developments and reviews of historical welfare issues, the volume provides a comprehensive survey of the field. The book is divided into two sections. Part One opens with an overview of main welfare challenges in commercial pig production systems and then reviews pig welfare hot spots from birth to slaughter. Part Two highlights emerging topics in pig welfare, such as pain and health assessment, early socialization and environmental enrichment, pig-human interactions, breeding for welfare, positive pig welfare and pigs as laboratory animals. This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. With its expert editor and international team of contributors, Advances in Pig Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, veterinarians involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of pig.

Proper nutrition is the most important contributor to equine health and well-being. Responsible horsekeepers feed their animals a healthful, nutritionally balanced diet portioned out in quantities that suit the age, size, and activity level of each horse. Thriving horses that stay healthy and strong into old age are those whose nutritional needs are being met.

Leading equine nutritionist Melyni Worth explains the many ways in which diet affects a horses health, temperament, and performance, and then goes on to provide a detailed study of equine nutritional requirements. Horse owners will understand the roles played by fats, proteins, minerals, electrolytes, and vitamins and will learn how to evaluate weight and overall well-being and plan a corresponding diet. Year-by-year concerns are addressed here, as well as the specific needs of brood mares, performance horses, and other working animals. Worth also stresses the importance of giving horses plenty of access to pasture and explains the benefits of additives and herbal supplements.

Common health problems such as colic, cribbing, and ulcers can often be corrected through a change in diet. Worth discusses possible solutions and also helps owners of horses with more complicated health needs. Challenges such as insulin resistance, Cushings disease, metabolic bone disorder, and tying-up syndrome can all be managed or improved by carefully monitoring the horses feed.

Comprehensive and authoritative, yet easy to understand, "The Horse Nutrition Handbook" is the essential reference for everyone who owns or cares for a horse.

Advances in Sheep Welfare examines the recent advances made in sheep welfare assessment, handling and management, providing state-of-the-art coverage of the welfare needs of one of the world's most widely farmed animals. The book begins with an introduction to sheep welfare in Part One, with chapters covering biology and natural behavior, sheep production systems, and consumer and societal expectations for sheep products. Part Two goes on to highlight new advances in sheep welfare assessment, before Part Three outlines a wide range of solutions to sheep welfare challenges. The final section looks ahead to the future, considering what sheep welfare will look like in 2030 and beyond. This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. With its expert editors and international team of contributors, Advances in Sheep Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, veterinarians involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of sheep.

Turkeys are an excellent source of succulent meat, rich eggs, and nutrient-dense manure, and raising them is a rewarding and profitable activity for many farmers. With helpful tips on acquiring organic certification, processing both meat and eggs, and marketing your products, you'll have all the information you need to successfully raise your own healthy and productive turkeys.

Guest Edited by Drs. Brad White and Daniel Thomson, this issue focuses on Feedlot Processing and Arrival Cattle Management. Articles include:Management of pre-conditioned calves / impacts of pre-conditioning, Vaccinations, Pregnancy management, Internal and external parasite management, Health equipment management, Feeding Holsteins, Starting calves on feed, and more!

Since the middle of the twentieth century the world has witnessed a succession of political and social disruptions. Globalisation, technological advancement, climate change, human migration, war and conflict - all have caused major worldwide upheavals. In this light, it's unsurprising that conservation of rare breed animals has been neglected. Yet the preservation of these genetic resources - this biological diversity - is an essential ingredient of sustainable life on Earth, and not something we can afford to lose. This book challenges often repeated 'facts' about livestock farming, straight from the horse's mouth. In it, rare breeds expert Lawrence Alderson CBE argues for a reasoned and evidence-based approach from political and public circles. Correcting misconceptions as he goes, he recounts the creation and development of the rare breed conservation movement, addresses extinctions and genetic safe-guarding measures, and considers where we go from here. Challenged as we are by climate change, sustainability and feeding the world, perhaps it is these endangered animals that hold the answer - perhaps with them, we can adapt to our changing environment and see a way forward to a more certain future.

Omlet's easy-to-clean, safe and stylish Eglu chicken houses became an instant design icon when they were launched in 2004. Omlet quickly became most popular brand among chicken keepers, appealing to a new generation of people wanting to keep chickens as pets in their back gardens. This complete guide covers everything a novice chicken keeper needs to know, and reimagines the way you live with and look after your chickens. From helping you select the right variety of chicken to buy and setting up your coop, through to training them, rearing chicks and even showing them at events, this really is a one-stop guide to becoming a confident and expert owner. As well as background history on the chicken, there is a wealth of information on eggs and delicious recipes for cooking your eggs perfectly. Questions posed by Omlet's chicken-keeping customers are all answered here, with special emphasis on how to look after your chickens, dealing with common pests and diseases, and a year round planner to help you keep on top of the little maintenance jobs. With advice on practical matters such as runs and coops, to what and how to feed your chickens for maximum fowl fitness, this eggcellent guide from Omlet aims to ensure you have the happiest chickens on the planet.

Cows and horses, donkeys and mules, sheep and goats, pigs and fowl, even llamas are living on small farms and in backyard barnyards throughout the United States. But how and where are these critters being housed?
Author Carol Ekarius knows. In "How to Build Animal Housing," she provides dozens of plans--with illustrated, step-by-step instructions--for species-specific shelters that are well ventilated, safe, appropriate for the animals, appealing, convenient, and a solid value for their owners.
The book is essential reading for anyone interested in animal health and welfare. It includes complete plans and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for sheds, coops, hutches, multipurpose barns, and economical easy-to-build windbreaks and shade structures. Ekarius covers new high-tech, portable structures made of plastics and fabrics, such as hoop houses and hen spas, as well as more traditional alternatives, such as straw-bale structures. Always practical, she enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-build kits and modular barnyard buildings and includes designs for watering systems, feeders, chutes, stanchions, and more--the essentials that help owners keep their animals healthy and happy.
Ekarius wisely emphasizes the importance of careful planning, choosing an appropriate housing site, and complying with local zoning regulations; pest control, basic housing maintenance, and insurance costs are also discussed. Real-world advice from farmers and veterinarians on the types of housing and facilities animals like best enliven the text throughout.
"How to Build Animal Housing" is the most comprehensive and useful guide of its kind. For small-scale farmers, hobby farmers, do-it-yourselfers, and animal lovers, this book is indispensable.