Chickens are an ideal family pet, requiring less attention than a dog yet being entertaining, productive and educational. For the family and would-be smallholder, chickens are the obvious first step when venturing into keeping livestock. This practical, full colour book, is ideal for the complete beginner. Even someone who has never kept animals before should be able to follow the clear, detailed guidance that is given at every stage. It includes: Planning for your first chickens Understanding Chicken behaviour Choosing housing for different sized gardens Choosing the right chickens for the job Exploring useful equipment such as poultry feeder and drinkers What to feed your chickens on Buying your chickens and introducing them to their new home Routine care for your chickens Outfoxing The Fox - and other predators Eggs - and What to do With Them Dealing with parasites and ailments Keeping a cockerel Broody hens and hatching eggs When Chickens Die Chickens and the Changing Seasons With true-life portraits of chicken keepers, little known facts, and personal anecdotes this accessible book is an easy and enjoyable read, suitable for both adults and children.

Originally published in 1914 by the Tribune Press, Wolf Days in Pennsylvania preserves the fascinating history of Pennsylvania's lost wolves and their hunters, which was already becoming the stuff of folklore and myth during Shoemaker's lifetime at the turn of the twentieth century. With his characteristic penchant for juicy narrative and a naturalist's enthusiasm and respect for the animal, Shoemaker details the decline of the wolf in Pennsylvania during the westward progress of the state's settlement by whites, as its population dwindled over the course of the nineteenth century. He narrates stories of memorable chases and narrow escapes, and the hunters' bravery in their attempts to protect themselves and their communities. The book contains testimony gathered by the author, accompanied by interviews with some of the state's great wolf hunters and rare period photographs of the hunters and their prey.

The history of a cultural landscape This copiously illustrated standard work deals for the first time with all indigenous farm animals of the Alpine arc. The author spent two years travelling around the various Alpine regions, seeking out the original distribution areas and talking with breeders. The reader follows him to visit the last herding dogs native to Eastern Tyrol and Savoy, Evolene cattle - the smallest Alpine cattle - in the Valais, Provencal donkeys, the last of the black Alpine pigs and the rare blue goats of Tyrol. Extensive maps, a detailed history of the former wide variety of Alpine farm animals, interesting facts about conservation status and the history of breeding round off this survey of how the region has been shaped over 7,000 years by mankind and his domestic animals.

This is the true story of an unusual hero. Tall, dark and handsome and often surrounded by an admiring crowd, this is no film star but an eight-year old bay gelding from the Mounted Branch of the Metropolitan Police. Horses such as Merlin go through a challenging training process to prepare them for life in the force. There are three stages of training; red, amber and green. Reports from his early training show that Merlin was sometimes naughty and spirited - but once his training was complete he was disciplined enough to maintain order at some of the toughest and most high-profile events in London. This book looks at Merlin's daily life and duties and his fascinating partnership with his mounted constable, Karen Howell. When Karen first met Merlin during his training it was love at first sight and over the years she has developed an intriguing bond with this brave, eccentric and deeply individual character.

Practical Sheep Keeping [new paperback edition] explains everything you need to know to manage sheep and keep them healthy. Aimed particularly at the keeper of the small flock - say around thirty ewes - the principles nevertheless apply to flocks of all sizes. From choosing and buying, through housing, feeding and routine management, to breeding and lambing, Kim Cardell offers sound advice based on many years' experience.

The mission of the "Animal Genetic Resources" -- an international journal (previously entitled, i>Animal Genetic Resources Information") is the promotion of information on the better use of animal genetic resources of interest to food and agriculture production.L'objectif de Ressources genetiques animales -- un journal international (auparavant intitule Bulletin d'information sur les ressources genetiques animales) est la vulgarisation de l'information disponible sur la meilleure gestion des ressources genetiques animales d'interet pour la production alimentaire et agricole.El objetivo de Recursos geneticos animales -- una revista internacional es la divulgacion de la informacion sobre una mejor gestion de los recursos geneticos animales de interes para la produccion alimentaria y agricola."

This is a practical and comprehensive everything-you-need-to-know guide to chicken breeds for anyone who keeps chickens, is considering keeping chickens or aspires to keep chickens. Comprehensive content features over 70 breeds which reveals how, as well as being useful, chickens are interesting and colourful characters. This guide includes essential practical information on feeding, housing and welfare as well as easy-to-use keys to selecting the most suitable breeds. Chickens make great pets - they are low maintenance living on the scraps that you throw away, and are easy-going, plus they thrive in small urban areas and backyards.

How much do animals eat? Why do eating patterns change? How do physiological, dietary, and environmental factors affect feed intake? This volume, a comprehensive overview of the latest animal feed intake research, answers these questions with detailed information about the feeding patterns of fishes, pigs, poultry, dairy cows, beef cattle, and sheep. Equations for calculating predicted feed intake are presented for each animal and are accompanied by charts, graphs, and tables.

Elsevier's Dictionary of Nature and Hunting" contains terms covering the following fields and subfields:

A. Plants and Ecosystems: Species, Cenoses
B. Animals: Species
C. Domestic Animals: General, Dogs, Horses, Cattle and Poultry
D. Hunting and Fishing: Game Names, Arms, Trapping, Methods.

It includes 5,594 terms, both scientific and common, in English, French, German and Russian and in Latin (for the generally accepted biological terms for European and North Asian plants and animals).

The dictionary was developed with the help of Russian specialists - scientists from the Severtsov Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, officials from the Union of the Hunters and Fishers of Russia, and French colleagues from various organizations dealing with environment protection and natural resources: OMPO (Oiseaux Migrateurs du Palearctique Occidental), ANCGE (Association National des Chasseurs du Gibier d'Eau), ONC (Office National de la Chasse) and CIC (Conseil International de la Chasse et de la Protection du Gibier).

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The last U.S. Army mules were formally mustered out of the service in December 1956, ending 125 years of military reliance on the virtues of this singular animal. Much less glamorous than the cavalryman's horse, the Army pack mule was a good deal more important: from the Mexican War through World War II, mules were an indispensable adjunct to army movement. The author has exhaustively researched the ubiquitous yet nearly invisible army mule. Through his work we learn a great deal about military procurement, transport, and supply, the bedrock on which military mobility rests.

This comprehensive volume examines the interrelationships of nitrogen and energy nutrition of ruminants. It provides exhaustive coverage of basic concepts, applications, and new research developments.
Rumen microbial activity is emphasized. The author, an expert in animal nutrition, discusses new systems of determining dietary energy requirements, the effect of processing feedstuffs, and stress factors. He reviews the availability of nutrients in grains, distillers' grain residues, oilseed meals, molasses, silages, pastures, crop residues, and aquatic plants. Growth stimulants, nutritional management of ruminants in feedlots and pastures, and the value of feed additives are also among the topics considered.
The scope of coverage provided by this volume will make it the leading reference for teachers, researchers, consultants, livestock producers, feed manufacturers, and all others who are involved in ruminant feeding and nutrition.
From the Preface: This volume covers research on various nitrogen and energy feedstuffs and defines terminology commonly utilized in nitrogen and energy nutrition. The utilization of nitrogen and energy in oilseed meals, fish meals, cereal grains, distillers' residues, molasses, silages, grasses, hays, crop residues, animal waste, and nonprotein nitrogen sources is discussed. Details are given on development and utilization of net energy systems, systems for balancing total nitrogen, and nonprotein nitrogen with total digestible nutrients (TDN) or energy components of ruminant diets. Discussions are presented on metabolism, feedlot, milking, and grazing trials. Growth stimulants, processing of feedstuffs, type of animal, and environmental and management factors that affect feed intake, growth, feed efficiency, and quality of product are reviewed.
Emphasis is given to the contributions of ruminal microbes in upgrading forage and nonprotein nitrogen sources to higher-quality bacterial protein, as well as their ability to downgrade high-quality protein and waste nitrogen when protein is fed in excess of microbial needs. Research is presented on means to increase bypassing of the rumen to prevent nitrogen wastage when ruminants are fed concentrate diets. Contributions of ruminal microbes in utilizing cellulosic materials as lignocellulose and hemicellulose as well as starch and other carbohydrates are discussed.

From bears on the Renaissance stage to the equine pageantry of the nineteenth-century hunt, animals have been used in human-orchestrated entertainments throughout history. The essays in this volume present an array of case studies that inspire new ways of interpreting animal performance and the role of animal agency in the performing relationship. In exploring the human-animal relationship from the early modern period to the nineteenth century, Performing Animals questions what it means for an animal to “perform,” examines how conceptions of this relationship have evolved over time, and explores whether and how human understanding of performance is changed by an animal’s presence. The contributors discuss the role of animals in venues as varied as medieval plays, natural histories, dissections, and banquets, and they raise provocative questions about animals’ agency. In so doing, they demonstrate the innovative potential of thinking beyond the boundaries of the present in order to dismantle the barriers that have traditionally divided human from animal. From fleas to warhorses to animals that “perform” even after death, this delightfully varied volume brings together examples of animals made to “act” in ways that challenge obvious notions of performance. The result is an eye-opening exploration of human-animal relationships and identity that will appeal greatly to scholars and students of animal studies, performance studies, and posthuman studies. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Todd Andrew Borlik, Pia F. Cuneo, Kim Marra, Richard Nash, Sarah E. Parker, Rob Wakeman, Kari Weil, and Jessica Wolfe.

In the last few years, poultry-keeping has enjoyed massive growth, with heavy TV coverage featuring chefs such as Jamie Oliver. It is another symptom of our weariness of mass-produced, tasteless supermarket food - the appeal of being able to nip into the back garden to get fresh eggs for breakfast, knowing that the hens have been well kept, fed and loved. This highly practical book is aimed at beginners to the hobby and will explain everything you need to know to get started keeping chickens, from how to choose, house, feed and handle them to how many eggs they will lay, their affect on the local ecosystem and protection from foxes.

In Elephant House, photographer Dick Blau and historian Nigel Rothfels offer a thought-provoking study of the Oregon Zoo's Asian Elephant Building and the daily routines of its residents-human and pachyderm alike. Without an agenda beyond a desire to build a deeper understanding of this enigmatic environment, Elephant House is the result of the authors' unique creative collaboration and explores the relationships between captive elephants and their human caregivers. Blau's evocative photographs are complex and challenging, while Rothfels's text offers a scholarly and personal response to the questions that surround elephants and captivity. Elephant House does not take sides in the debate over zoos but focuses instead on the bonds of attentiveness between the animals and their keepers. Accompanied by a foreword from retired elephant keeper Mike Keele, Elephant House is a frank, fascinating look at the evolving world of elephant husbandry.

Adaptable, resilient, yet often overlooked, the goat - sometimes called the 'poor man's cow' - is found in nearly every part of the world where humans live. But our relationship with this strange yet familiar animal is oddly ambivalent. In Goat, Joy Hinson explores the reasons behind this unease, from our interaction with the endangered wild goat species of remote mountainous regions to the more familiar farmyard goat. This book traces the history of the animal, moving from their evolution through their domestication and global spread to the role of goats in the modern world. It considers in particular the harm done by the indiscriminate importing of tamed goats, which formed huge feral populations on the Galapagos Islands and Australia, for example. It considers the place of goat products in both the culinary and medical traditions of the world, from the time of Pliny the Elder who recommended pouring goat urine into the ear as a cure for neck pain, to the use of a bezoar stone as an antidote to poison. Goat also explores the connections between goats and wrongdoing and questions whether the goat really deserves its reputation for promiscuity and lasciviousness.Across the globe goats are part of our culture, art and tradition: from goat festivals in the U. S. to the Christmas Goat in Sweden. An exciting new addition to Reaktion's Animal series, Goat presents readers with this frequently neglected animal's fascinating history, life and role in today's world.

No creature has been subject to such extremes of reverence and exploitation as the chicken. Hens have been venerated as cosmic creators and roosters as solar divinities. Many cultures have found the mysteries of birth, healing, death and resurrection encapsulated in the hen's egg. Yet today, most of us have nothing to do with chickens as living beings, although billions are consumed around the world every year. In "Chicken" Annie Potts introduces us to the vivid and astonishing world of Gallus gallus. The book traces the evolution of jungle fowl and the domestication of chickens by humans. It describes the ways in which chickens experience the world, form families and friendships, communicate with each other, play, bond, and grieve. "Chicken" explores cultural practices like egg-rolling, the cockfight, alectromancy, wishbone-pulling and the chicken-swinging ritual of Kapparot; discovers depictions of chickenhood in ancient and modern art, literature and film; and also showcases bizarre supernatural chickens from around the world including the Basilisk, Kikimora and Pollio Maligno. "Chicken "concludes with a detailed analysis of the place of chickens in the world today, and a tribute to those who educate and advocate on behalf of these birds. Numerous beautiful illustrations show the many faces (and feathers and combs and tails) of Gallus, from wild roosters in the jungles of Southeast Asia to quirky Naked-Necks and majestic Malays. There are chickens painted by Chagall and Magritte, chickens made of hair-rollers, and chickens shaped like mountains. The reader of "Chicken "will encounter a multitude of intriguing facts and ideas, including why the largest predator ever to walk the earth is considered the ancestor of the modern chicken, how mother hens communicate with their chicks while they're still in the egg, why Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece required him to play a chicken, whether it's safe to take eggs on a sea-voyage, and how "chicken therapy" can rejuvenate us all. This book will fascinate those already familiar with and devoted to the Gallus species, and it will open up a whole new gallinaceous world for future admirers of the intelligent and passionate chicken.

A distinct symbol of the desert and the Middle East, the camel was once unkindly described as half snake, half folding bedstead. But in the eyes of many the camel is a creature of great beauty. This is most evident in the Arab world, where the camel has played a central role in the historical development of Arabic society. Beauty pageants are still held for camels in some Arabic countries, and an elaborate vocabulary and extensive literature have been devoted to them. In "Camel", Robert Irwin explores why the camel has fascinated so many cultures, including those in places where camels are not indigenous. He traces the history of the camel from its origins millions of years ago to the present day, discussing such matters of contemporary concern as the plight of camel herders in the Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, the alarming increase in the population of feral camels in Australia, and the endangered status of the wild Bactrian in Mongolia and China. Throughout history, the camel has been appreciated worldwide for its practicality, resilience and legendary abilities of survival. As a result it has been featured in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Poussin, Tiepolo, Flaubert, Kipling and Rose Macaulay, among others. From East to West, Irwin's "Camel" is the first survey of its kind to examine the animal's role in society and history throughout the world. Not just for camel aficionados, this highly illustrated book is sure to entertain and inform anyone interested in this fascinating and exotic animal.

From the milk we drink in the morning to the leather shoes we slip on for the day, to the steak we savour at dinner, our daily lives are thoroughly bound up with the cow. Yet there is a far more complex story behind this seemingly benign creature, which Hannah Velten explores here, plumbing the rich trove of myth, fact and legend surrounding the cow, bull and ox. From the plowing field to the rodeo to the temple, Velten tracks the constantly changing social relationship between men and cattle, beginning with the domestication of aurochs around 9000 BC. From there, "Cow" launches into a fascinating story of religious fanaticism, scientific exploits and the revolutionary economic transformations engendered by the trade of the numerous products derived from the cow and bull. Velten explores in engaging detail how despite the creature's prominence at two ends of a wide spectrum Hinduism venerates the cow as one of the most sacred members of the animal kingdom, while beef is a prized staple of the Western diet the animal is essentially viewed today as a objectified commodity more than as a living creature. Thought-provoking and informative, "Cow" restores this oft-overlooked herbivore to the nobility it richly deserves.

In A Field Guide to Cows, John Pukite provides all the facts?so even the novice can identify and get to know America?s fifty-two breeds of cattle. Every entry in this entertaining yet completely usable book features an illustration that highlights each breed?s most easily identifiable traits, such as coloration pattern and body shape. The book includes a checklist of breeds so the die-hard cow watcher can keep track of sightings, a list of essential garb and gear for cow watching, a glossary of terms, a listing of breeder associations, and more. Fascinating cow trivia is interspersed throughout. Informative, amazing, and amusing, A Field Guide to Cows is the indispensable companion for would-be cow tippers, farmers, city folk, agriculturalists, interstate drivers, 4-H?ers, vacationing families, and everyone who likes to moo at cows.
Cow Facts
There are approximately 350 squirts in a gallon of milk
Old cows in India have their own nursing homes
From 1866 to 1895 cowboys drove about 10,000,000 cattle out of Texas

What a wonderful idea: a book about cows And what a labor of love Only a child of the mountains knows what a calming effect the ringing of cow bells has on stressed spirits.' Markus Lanz, television host. Cows are special animals to Andreas C. Studer. Ever since he was a boy growing up with cows in Interlaken, he has been fascinated by these peaceful creatures. High-quality products like savory cheese, fresh butter and bitter melting milk chocolate would be impossible without their milk. While photographing he has discovered many beautiful unknown locations in Switzerland, as well as meeting many Swiss cows. Attracted to their passive temperment he has included descriptions of idyllic country life and how good it is to be a Swiss cow. Text in English, French and German.

The donkey is an integral part of the Irish landscape and tradition. This new, enlarged edition of a book originally published in 1969 traces the evolution of the species from its origins in Africa and central Asia to its arrival in Ireland in the early mediaeval period, and the multiple uses to which it was put in transport and agriculture. The life of the donkey is described with tender insight drawn from the author's own experiences, from breeding to welfare, whether as pets or beasts of burden. Its afterlife in literature, folklore and mythology is evoked by James Stephens, Rev. J.P. Mahaffy, R.L. Stevenson, G.K. Chesterton, Patricia Lynch, Patrick Kavanagh and others. The ass in the Bible, its cousin the mule and its relatives abroad also find a place, ranging from Somalia, Kenya, Iran and Andalusia to Kentucky and New Orleans, concluding with the legendary donkey of the 1915-16 Gallipoli Campaign. Photographs by the author and by Bill Doyle, with a select bibliography, make up this popular history of one of Ireland's most beloved animals.

Some reviewers call "Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia the best reference work on animals ever published. Others call it the legacy left to us by famed zoologist and animal lover, Bernhard Grzimek. The original set, published in Germany in the late 1960s, is internationally renowned for its scientific reporting, coverage and illustrations, and serves as a major point of reference for researchers and students studying the animal kingdom. Thorough articles familiarize readers with animals found everywhere on the globe, detailing their life cycles, predators, food systems, overall ecology and much more. Thomson Gale proudly presents the first completely revised and updated version of this acclaimed set in 30 years. Staying true to the original scientific pedigree, our new editions of "Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia are sure to serve the needs of students at every academic level.