In the past sheep-rearing was the main means of existence for most Bedouin. Today it is developing in a new direction. For some it is as important as ever, for others it has become only a subsidiary source of income and a safeguard against economic instability. This volume looks at the effects social, political and economic change has had upon the traditional livelihood of the Negev Bedouin. The author considers how, despite all the problems encountered - such as the expropriation of land by the authorities and the demolition of authorized dwellings - sheep-rearing is still considered to be essential and worthwhile for almost all households. Co-operation between the owners of flocks, shepherds, food suppliers and government officials is essential in the determination of grazing areas and pastoral arrangements. These varied interest groups ensure that sheep-rearing continues to occupy an important place in the Bedouin's cultural identity and the flock remains a unifying factor for the Bedouin family and Israeli society.

This inspiring introductory guide provides all the information beginners need to raise ducks successfully in the yard or on a small homestead or farm. Ducks are quickly gaining on chickens as popular animals for the backyard homestead or small farm. They are friendly, productive, good at eating pests, remarkably healthy, and easier to raise than chickens in many ways. Plus, they are exceptionally adorable! This accessible introductory guide features original photography tracking the growth and care of a small flock of backyard ducks, and addresses everything the beginner duck keeper needs to know to be successful, including breed selection, housing, feeding, health care, understanding behavior, and egg and meat production.

The South African government has prioritized a reduction of poverty and increased food security in rural parts of South Africa through agrarian transformation. As the bearers and beneficiaries of rural development initiatives, smallholder farmers, including those keeping livestock, loom large in this arena. Likewise, on international development agendas steered by bodies such as the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), smallholders are prioritized as the engines of national economies. This book, based on a pilot study of two livestock keeping communities along the Mpumalanga-Limpopo border, explores smallholder households in order to paint a picture of the challenges faced by smallholder livestock farmers, the practices and knowledge of primary animal healthcare (PAHC) among these farmers, relationships between the state and the smallholders, gendered issues, and the relationship between poor socioeconomic conditions and the keeping of livestock. This book opens up a variety of research and policy questions that encourage further exploration and study.

Naturally occurring salt tolerant and halophytic plants (trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs) have always been utilized by livestock as a supplement or drought reserve. Salt tolerant forage and fodder crops are now being planted over wide areas. Increasingly, large-scale production of fodder on formerly abandoned irrigated cropland has allowed salt tolerant and halophytic feedstuffs to be mainstreamed into the supply chain for feedlots. Feeding salty feeds to livestock has been evaluated in many countries with good outcomes especially as a way to improve livestock nutrition and productivity. Better ways have been devised to use these potentially valuable feed resources. These feedstuffs are best fed in mixed rations. Substituting conventional fodder with up to 30 percent of the diets comprising halophytic feedstuffs have proved most successful for ruminant livestock but special formulations have been devised for poultry and rabbits. There are big savings on the import of costly feedstuffs and benefits to livelihoods of those dependent on scattered, sparse and unreliable forage/fodder in the world's drylands that cover about 40 percent of the world's land surface. This book is written by leading authorities from many different countries. It reviews past and current work on the animal-oriented aspects of the utilization of feedstuffs derived from salt tolerant and halophytic plants. It brings to the reader (scientist, researcher, academics and their students, policy makers, and livestock operators) an up-to-date analysis of the important issues related to salt-rich feedstuffs (nutrition, productivity, and reproduction).

Temple Grandin, North America's most influential advocate of humane livestock treatment, has spent her life developing stress-free facility designs and standards of humane management. In an environment of growing concern regarding large factory-farming practices, Grandin is a voice of reason explaining the benefits of keeping animals calm through every phase of their lives -- benefits that include safer working conditions, higher yields of marketable meat, better-quality meat, and, of course, more humane conditions for the animals.
The first half of "Humane Livestock Handling" reviews the natural behavior and temperament of cattle. Working with the animals' natural instincts, Grandin describes low-stress methods for moving cattle on pastures, paddocks, and feedlot pens. Slow, controlled movement reduces stress and fear, resulting in calmer, healthier cattle. They eat better, are less likely to become sick, and do not run into fences and gates, injuring themselves and bruising the meat. Calm cattle are also far less likely to injure the humans working with them.
The second half of the book is packed with construction plans, diagrams and detailed designs for putting Grandin's ideas into practice. Featuring plans for everything from gate latches to chutes, corrals, and sorting pens for full-scale facilities, there are designs that can be used in both large and small operations. In fact, half of the cattle in North America are already handled in systems designed by Grandin, and the demand for humanely processed meat continues to grow.
Temple Grandin's systems are quickly becoming the industry-wide standard. No livestock operation, small or large, can afford to ignore "Humane Livestock Handling."

From alpha-galactosidases to xylanases, Enzymes in Farm Animal Nutrition provides a comprehensive guide to all aspects associated with enzyme-supplemented animal feeds. It details the history and size of the feed enzyme market, before describing how feed enzymes are manufactured and employed in monogastric, aqua and ruminant diets. This new edition explores considerable advances such as the use of enzymes in fish and shrimp diets, new understanding of how phytases function in the animal, NSPase research and enzymes' extended use in ruminant markets. This book also: - Provides comprehensive coverage of all topics relating to the production, use, co-operativity and analysis of feed enzymes. - Is fully updated throughout, revealing significant developments such as new methods to deliver enzymes (formulations, encapsulations, and liquid spray systems) and advances in enzyme analysis. - Includes brand new chapters on combinations of enzymes, antibiotic-free diets and how to measure response in feed-enzyme trials. Covering biochemistry, enzymology and characteristics relevant to animal feed use, this book forms a valuable resource for academics and students of animal nutrition and production, as well as professionals in the animal feed industry.

The 1984 International Stockmen's School Handbooks include more than 200 technical papers presented at this year's Stockmen's School, sponsored by Winrock International. The authors of these papers are outstanding animal scientists, agribusiness leaders, and livestock producers who are expert in animal technology, animal management, and gene

Animal products are good source of disposable income for many small farmers in developing countries. In fact, livestock are often the most important cash crop in many small holder mixed farming systems. Livestock ownership currently supports and sustains the livelihoods of rural poor, who depend partially or fully on livestock for their income and/or subsistence. Human population growth, increasing urbanization and rising incomes are predicted to double the demand for, and production of, livestock products in the developing countries over the next twenty years. The future holds great opportunities for animal production in developing countries. Animal Sourced Foods for Developing Economies addresses five major issues: 1) Food safety and nutritional status in developing world; 2) the contribution of animal origin foods in human health; 3) Production processes of animal foods along with their preservation strategies; 4) functional outcomes of animal derived foods; and finally, 5) strategies, issues and polices to promote animal origin food consumption. Animal sourced food contain high biological value protein and important micronutrients required for optimal body functioning but are regarded as sources of fat that contribute to the intake of total and saturated fatty acids in diet. The quality of protein source has a direct influence on protein digestibility, as a greater proportion of higher quality proteins is absorbed and becomes available for bodily functions. Animal foods has high quantity and quality of protein that includes a full complement of the essential amino acids in the right proportion. Land availability limits the expansion of livestock numbers in extensive production systems in most regions, and the bulk of the increase in livestock production will come from increased productivity through intensification and a wider adoption of existing and new production and marketing technologies. The significant changes in the global consumption and demand for animal source foods, along with increasing pressures on resources, are having some important implications for the principal production systems. In this book, contributors critically analyze and describe different aspects of animal's origin foods. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific type of food from animal source, its nutritional significance, preservation techniques, processed products, safety and quality aspects on conceptual framework. Special attention is given to explain current food safety scenario in developing countries and contribution of animal derived food in their dietary intake. Existing challenges regarding production, processing and promotion of animal's origin foods are also addressed with possible solutions and strengthening approaches.

While rabbits are well-known for being cute and fuzzy creatures, they can also be very difficult to care for. Whether you're an experienced rabbit farmer or building your first hutch for a pet bunny, The Rabbit-Raising Problem Solver has answers to all of your most pressing questions. In a handy question-and-answer format Karen Patry expertly addresses every aspect of rabbit care, including housing, feeding, breeding, kindling, health, and behavior. This informative, easy-to-use guide has reliable, humane solutions that will keep your animals healthy and happy.

Every farm needs a cow – open the gates! With an approach built around investing for the long term, Homestead Cows prepares homesteaders and small farmers to open the farm gate to cattle, whether a single milk cow or a small beef herd. Homestead Cows covers the A to Z of husbandry: Cow history, biology, diet, and nutrition Understanding what you want, what's involved, and creating a plan Selecting breeds and determining herd size Housing and facilities, transportation, and equipment Financial management and the dollars and cents of cows Breeding and reproduction Cow health and happiness, including safety, handling, and good husbandry Processing, products, and cooking. Cattle are the most productive, versatile, and low-input sources of food and revenue on the farm and can help regenerate and build soil. The secret to success is excellent management, and Homestead Cows distills decades of hard-won, practical knowledge into an essential guide to successful small-scale cattle farming for every homesteader and farmer.

Economic analysis of beef cattle production has been limited by the inability to fully describe the underlying production process. Except for confined feeding of cattle, beef cattle production is the process of growing cattle who consume forages. The animal and the forage possess attributes of both factors and products of production. The production of forage constitutes one production process, animal growth is another production process, and reproduction by female animals is a third production process. Cattle production involves all three processes in such a manner that each influences the outcome of the other. Each process is itself complex and analysis is further complicated when all three are considered simultaneously.

The tools you need to raise and care for beef cattle

Beef cattle farming is a business that continues to grow in the United States and around the world, and it will only grow larger as the demand for beef continues to increase. "Raising Beef Cattle For Dummies" provides you with an introduction to all aspects of raising beef cattle. Packed with expert tips from experienced farmers, it gives any level of cattle-raiser the tools needed to increase the quantity and quality of your farm's output and maintain a healthy herd.

"Raising Beef Cattle For Dummies" is the go-to resource for aspiring cattle farmers. With important information on health, handling, and breeding, and detailed coverage of equipment and supplies, it is teeming with useful information that anyone interested in raising cattle should have.Advice on which beef cattle breeds to rearThe prevention and treatment of common diseasesCaring for pregnant heifers and calving proceduresDietary specifications dependent on breedGuidance on humane managementCreating an open and safe pasture habitat

If you're an aspiring cattle farmer looking to begin raising cattle or an established raiser interested in expanding your herd, "Raising Beef Cattle For Dummies" has you covered."

Sustainable Swine Nutrition As climate change continues to have a significant impact on the modern world, it is crucial to find alternative sources of energy and nutrients for swine production. The development of optimal feeding revolves around a multitude of considerations--genetic variations in the pig, variability, availability, and stability of nutrients in feed ingredients, interactions among nutrients and non-nutritive factors, voluntary feed intake, physical (& social) environment of pigs, and more. Establishing the ideal network of factors will only grow in importance as humans assess the methods for our own food networks. Sustainable Swine Nutrition is a comprehensive book on swine nutrition, covering some fundamental aspects of nutrition--namely digestive physiology, water, protein or amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, energy metabolism, vitamins, minerals, and nutrition and immunology. Providing the most up-to-date information on each of these areas, a major emphasis of this second edition is on recent developments and current advances in the field, with a focus on pertinent issues linked with energy and nutrients. In doing so, the book highlights topics and issues that can contribute to the ultimate goal of successful and sustainable swine production. Sustainable Swine Nutrition readers will also find: Environmentally friendly, optimal feeding strategies for successful and sustainable swine production Recent developments, such as alternative feedstuffs, feed additives, and bioavailability Expanded treatment and new chapters on swine physiology, energy and protein, technology, and more Sustainable Swine Nutrition, Second Edition, is an ideal resource for livestock scientists and industry professionals involved in all aspects of pork production.

A comprehensive and thoroughly revised text on dairy science that contains information on the most recent developments The fully updated third edition of Understanding the Dairy Cow explores the scientific principles that provide a foundation for understanding the animal's body system. The comprehensive text also reveals how to properly manage dairy cattle with economic efficiency whilst taking into consideration the cow's welfare. The revised new edition contains expanded coverage on topics including insight into cow behaviour and welfare, genetic selection indices, new strategies for control of mastitis and lameness and information on the overworked cow. It also contains the most recent developments in breeding, nutrition and management. Is an authoritative text on the dairy cow that covers a wide-ranging subject area including the science, disease and husbandry Presents the information and knowledge necessary for the efficient and humane management of cows Includes expanded coverage on a variety of topics such as cow behaviour and welfare, and genetic selection indices Highlights major new developments in the field Covering both the basics and recent developments in dairy science, Understanding the Dairy Cow 3rd Edition is ideal for students in agriculture and veterinary science and for professionals working in the complex business of dairy farming.

The book aims to bring together the essential information on animal behaviour for those concerned with the husbandry, management and welfare of farm animals. It provides information to make fuller use of labour, reduce accidents, and increase the wellbeing and productivity of farm livestock.

Rangeland ecosystems which include unimproved grasslands, shrublands, savannas and semi-deserts, support half of the world's livestock, while also providing habitats for some of the most charismatic of wildlife species. This book examines the pressures on rangeland ecosystems worldwide from human land use, over-hunting, and subsistence and commercial farming of livestock and crops. Leading experts have pooled their experiences from all continents to cover the ecological, sociological, political, veterinary, and economic aspects of rangeland management today. This book provides practitioners and students of rangeland management and wildland conservation with a diversity of perspectives on a central question: can rangelands be wildlands? * The first book to examine rangelands from a conservation perspective* Emphasizes the balance between the needs of people and livestock, and wildlife* Written by an international team of experts covering all geographical regions* Examines ecological, sociological, political, veterinary, and economic aspects of rangeland management and wildland conservation, providing a diversity of perspectives not seen before in a single volume

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This handbook is based on presentations made at the International Stockmen's School, January 8-13, 1984. It includes papers on beef cattle genetics and selection; general anatomy and physiology; reproduction; behavior and animal welfare; feeds and nutrition; and health, diseases, and parasites.

Stimulating and thought-provoking, this important new text looks at the welfare problems and philosophical and ethical issues that are caused by changes made to an animal's telos, behaviour and physiology, both positive and negative, to make them more productive or adapted for human uses. These changes may involve selective breeding for production, appearance traits, or competitive advantage in sport, transgenic animals or the use of pharmaceuticals or hormones to enhance production or performance. Changes may impose duties to care for these animals further and more intensely, or they may make the animal more robust. The book considers a wide range of animals, including farm animals, companion animals and laboratory animals. It reviews the ethics and welfare issues of animals that have been adapted for sport, as companions, in work, as ornaments, food sources, guarding and a whole host of other human functions. This important new book sparks debate and is essential reading for all those involved in animal welfare and ethics, including veterinarians, animal scientists, animal welfare scientists and ethologists.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor and Francis, an informa company.

Through a richly detailed examination of the practices of spinning yarn from the fleece of llamas and alpacas, Earth, Water, Fleece and Fabric explores the relationship that herders of the present and of the past have maintained with their herd animals in the Andes. Dransart juxtaposes an ethnography of an Aymara herding community, based on more than ten years fieldwork in Isluga in the Chilean highlands, with archaeological material from excavations in the Atacama desert.
Impeccably researched, this book is the first systematic study to set the material culture of pastoral communities against an understanding of the long-term effects of herding practices.

Few consumers are aware of the economic forces behind the production of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Yet omnivore and herbivore alike, the forces of meatonomics affect us in many ways.

Most importantly, we've lost the ability to decide for ourselves what - and how much - to eat. Those decisions are made for us by animal food producers who control our buying choices with artificially-low prices, misleading messaging, and heavy control over legislation and regulation. Learn how and why they do it and how you can respond.

Written in a clear and accessible style, "Meatonomics" provides vital insight into how the economics of animal food production influence our spending, eating, health, prosperity, and longevity

"Meatonomics" is the first book to add up the huge "externalized" costs that the animal food system imposes on taxpayers, animals and the environment, and it finds these costs total about $414 billion yearly. With yearly retail sales of around $250 billion, that means that for every $1 of product they sell, meat and dairy producers impose almost $2 in hidden costs on the rest of us. But if producers were forced to internalize these costs, a $4 Big Mac would cost about $11.

"The nations of Subsaharan Africa experienced declining levels of food production per capita throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in the area of livestock production. Addressing that problem, the authors of this book assess in a systems context the environmental, biological, and social constraints on future African livestock development and consider prospects for improving productivity, They focus especially on changes needed in production and marketing systems, pointing to important policy considerations . The book is divided into four parts containing twenty-one chapters, each authored by one or more respective authorities in his or her field. Each section in its own way addresses the entire set of questions; topics include aspects of animal breeding and nutrition, anthropology, economics, ecology, farming systems, governmental policy, land tenure, marketing, modelling, and veterinary medicine."

Investigation of the complex issues surrounding the links between bovine tuberculosis and infected meat - with a contemporary resonance in the BSE scare. By the late 1890s, the question of bovine tuberculosis (TB) and infected meat had become one of national importance, reflecting a national sense of fear. Although the extent of the threat to health proved uncertain, bovine TB hadcome to stand at the centre of debates about diseased meat and public health. The anxiety it caused was part of a longer story, linked to concern over food safety, changes in how tuberculosis was understood, and to worries over diseased meat and the 'evils' of the urban meat trade. The Bovine Scourge explores the debates and fears that came to surround bovine TB, meat and public health between the 1860s and 1914. It traces how diseased meat and bovine TB emerged as a public health issue, examines the measures adopted to protect the public, and addresses how by the Edwardian era milk had become the major source of concern in discussion of bovine TB. It also raises important questions about the history of food safety, the concerns generated by diseased meat, and the role of the public health and veterinary profession in preventing the sale of contaminated food. KEIR WADDINGTON is a senior lecturerin the School of History and Archaeology at Cardiff University.

The farming of animals for meat and milk confronts a stark dilemma. While world demand from a growing and more affluent human population is increasing rapidly, there are strong counter-arguments that we should eat less meat and pay more attention to environmental protection, animal welfare and human health and well-being. The aim of this book is to identify and explain the causes and contributors to current problems in animal husbandry, especially those related to 'factory farming', and advance arguments that may contribute to its successful re-orientation. Husbandry is considered in its broadest sense, namely the productive and sustainable use of the land for the good of all (plants, humans and other animals). The first part of the book outlines principles and arguments necessary to engage with current problems: depletion of natural resources and destruction of environment, animal welfare, food and health, fair trade and sharing resources. These arguments are illustrated by examples and sufficient evidence to justify the argument without obscuring the message. The second part presents a series of constructive proposals for change and development in animal husbandry, both in the developed world and subsistence agriculture. These include more integrated crop and livestock farming systems, the ethics of animal welfare and environmental management, and the evolution of a new social contract whereby the rights of the people to a fair share of good, safe food and a green and pleasant land are matched by a shared responsibility to preserve these things.