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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

A comprehensive and balanced overview of animal agriculture in contemporary society! It develops the principles of animal biology as a science within the context of life-cycle production of animals for economic and biologic efficiency. Individual chapters describe and analyze particular animal industries such as dairy cattle, poultry, aquatic animals, etc. The book also discusses a wide variety of animal products.

This book explores the current trends and challenges of sustainable goat meat and milk production in different global contexts, providing valuable insights into this industry in adverse environments like mountain, semiarid and arid regions. It also includes contributions from international experts discussing goat reproduction, genetic diversity and improvement, as well topics such as animal health, welfare, socioeconomic aspects, and many other issues regarding the environmentally friendly and economically viable exploitation of goats. This is a highly informative book providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in sustainable agriculture and socio-economic aspects, as well as goat breed conservation, genetic diversity, and veterinary care. These subjects are complemented in a second volume providing a detailed description of more than 40 indigenous goat breeds and several ecotypes found in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

Behavior is shaped by both genetics and experience--nature and nurture. This book synthesizes research from behavioral genetics and animal and veterinary science, bridging the gap between these fields. The objective is to show that principles of behavioral genetics have practical applications to agricultural and companion animals.

The continuing domestication of animals is a complex process whose myriad impacts on animal behavior are commonly under-appreciated. Genetic factors play a significant role in both species-specific behaviors and behavioral differences exhibited by individuals in the same species. Leading authorities explore the impact of increased intensities of selection on domestic animal behavior. Rodents, cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, herding and guard dogs, and poultry are all included in these discussions of genetics and behavior, making this book useful to veterinarians, livestock producers, laboratory animal researchers and technicians, animal trainers and breeders, and any researcher interested in animal behavior.
Includes four new chapters on dog and fox behavior, pig behavior, the effects of domestication and horse behaviorSynthesizes research from behavioral genetics, animal science, and veterinary literatureBroaches fields of behavior genetics and behavioral researchIncludes practical applications of principles discovered by behavioral genetics researchersCovers many species ranging from pigs, dogs, foxes, rodents, cattle, horses, and cats

For much of human history, most of the population lived and worked on farms but today, information about livestock is more likely to come from children's books than hands-on experience. When romanticized notions of an agrarian lifestyle meet with the realities of the modern industrial farm, the result is often a plea for a return to antiquated production methods. The result is a brewing controversy between animal activist groups, farmers, and consumers that is currently being played out in ballot boxes, courtrooms, and in the grocery store. Where is one to turn for advice when deciding whether to pay double the price for cage-free eggs, or in determining how to vote on ballot initiates seeking to ban practices such as the use of gestation crates in pork production or battery cage egg production? At present, there is no clear answer. What is missing from the animal welfare debate is an objective approach that can integrate the writings of biologists and philosophers, while providing a sound and logical basis for determining the consequences of farm animal welfare policies. What is missing in the debate? Economics.
This book journeys from the earliest days of animal domestication to modern industrial farms. Delving into questions of ethics and animal sentience, the authors use data from ingenious consumers' experiments conducted with real food, real money, and real animals to compare the costs and benefits of improving animal care. They show how the economic approach to animal welfare raises new questions and ethical conundrums, as well as providing unique and counter-intuitive results.

The space, setup, and equipment required to raise and process poultry are minimal when compared to other types of livestock, which is part of what makes chickens such an appealing choice for small-scale meat producers. Expert butcher and teacher Adam Danforth covers the entire slaughtering and butchering process in this photographic guide specifically geared toward backyard chicken keepers and small-farm operations invested in raising meat responsibly. With step-by-step photos, detailed instructions, and chapters dedicated to necessary tools and equipment, essential food safety measures, how to prepare for slaughter and process the birds quickly and humanely, how to break down the carcasses into cuts, and how to package and freeze the cuts to ensure freshness, this comprehensive handbook gives poultry raisers the information they need to make the most of their meat.

Chickens, with their natural beauty and big personalities, are beloved for the humor and wisdom they bring to daily life. Few are better acquainted with chickens' charm than Melissa Caughey, who has introduced the appeal of owning a flock and chronicled the lives and personalities of her own backyard birds in her best-selling books. In Chicken Wisdom Frame-Ups, she delivers that charm for all to enjoy, anywhere a dose of inspiration might be needed. Sage sentiments meet delightful chicken photography on 50 individual cards, and with a pull-out table-top frame included, you can display your favorite card or easily swap it out for one that fits the mood or suits the moment. It's an all-in-one package that delivers the joy of keeping chickens -- without having to clean the coop!