An updated and comprehensive manual for selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock brings forth the expertise of five hobby farmers, each of whom has real-life on-the-farm experience with the animals discussed. 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, this must-have resource provides the kind of guidance you need to begin a herd or flock and expand your pens and fencing. Also provided are strategies for marketing and selling your animals' meat, milk, eggs, fleece, or feathers, plus overviews on the animals' history, their behavioral traits, personal anecdotes, and more.

Friendly, dependable, intelligent, and easy to care for, donkeys are increasingly prized by small-scale farmers, horse lovers, and animal enthusiasts. Already, there are hundreds of thousands of donkeys and mules in the U.S., and their population is growing steadily. Donkeys not only pull carts, carry riders, and tote gear for hikers, but they also make terrific stable companions and livestock guardians, and they are renowned for their skills in transport, raising water, milling, and farm tillage. They're also gentle with children and the elderly, making them a popular therapy animal and family pet.
A donkey is not simply a long-eared horse, however; understanding the donkey's distinctive traits is critical to the animal's well-being and usefulness. "The Donkey Companion," by Sue Weaver, offers a comprehensive overview of this hardy creature -- the most complete, up-to-date reference of its kind. Here is everything donkey enthusiasts need to know about the animal's history, physiology, behavior, breed characteristics, daily care, and health needs.
Readers will come to understand this versatile animal, and through understanding will become skilled, satisfied owners. "The Donkey Companion" offers detailed information about different breeds and types; provides tips for finding and selecting the right animal; explains donkeys' daily care and health requirements; and guides readers through the nuances of training, riding, driving, and breeding. The book is enhanced with fun facts, training tips, quotes, photographs, illustrations, and additional resources. From foaling to first aid, and from grooming to professional showing, this extensive guide offers everything a donkey ownerneeds to get the most out of this gentle, hardworking animal.

The Backyard Sheep is the go-to reference for anyone interested in keeping two to a dozen sheep on a small plot of land. Even those with no prior experience will learn how to select the right breed, keep sheep safe and healthy, make them strong dairy and fleece producers and bring out their personalities as pets or companion animals. This book is filled with Sue Weaver's infectious enthusiasm for sheep. Readers will learn that sheep are much smarter than they get credit for and how to tell tham apart from goats. With wit and wisdom, Weaver teaches the skills for milking, shows how to tip a sheep to keep it still and discusses sheep behaviour so nothing comes as a surprise to the newly initiated.

A richly illustrated introduction to the goat—from livestock to beloved pet It may come as no surprise that goats are highly intelligent. They are also curious, gentle, independent, social, and full of character. Among the first domesticated animals, goats are increasingly appreciated today as pets and for their adaptability to a wide variety of environmental conditions. The Goat is a comprehensive, illustrated exploration of the natural and cultural history of this important animal. With engaging text, infographics, and diagrams, and some 250 beautiful color photographs, the book offers a wealth of information and insights about the goat’s distinctive biology and place in human culture, from ancient times to today. Chapters on Domestication, Anatomy & Biology, Society & Behavior, Goat Management, and Goats & People are followed by a visually stunning photographic directory to forty-eight popular breeds, with information about each. The Goat will enchant anyone with an interest in, or a love for, these animals. Provides a comprehensive, illustrated introduction to the natural and cultural history of the goat Features clear and engaging text plus infographics, diagrams, and some 250 stunning color photographs Includes chapters on Domestication, Anatomy & Biology, Society & Behavior, Goat Management, and Goats & People, as well as a photographic directory to forty-eight popular breeds

Miniature livestock are so much more than their good looks. Pint-size animals can be exhibited in 4-H events and at country fairs, mini sheep can be raised for wool or meat, and little cattle can be milked or raised for beef, more productive per pound than their standard counterparts. Tiny horses, donkeys, cattle, and goats can be trained to pull wagons, and miniature animals work as therapy animals in schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. While owners have different reasons for raising miniature livestock, they all share a basic need for essential, expert instruction and advice. That need is met with "Storey's Guide to Raising Miniature Livestock" by Sue Weaver. This is the go-to-guide that takes the mystery out of minis. Breeding, feeding, housing, diet, nutrition, exercise, as well as disease prevention and treatment - new and experienced farmers will find everything they need to keep minis healthy and productive.

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.

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.

Goats aren't just for farmers anymore. More and more people are keeping goats as pets. They're also choosing to raise them for milk and fibre and are keeping them as pack goats, and companion animals. With minimal space and housing needs, goats are a practical choice for people with small backyards who want to enjoy some of the benefits and pleasures of keeping livestock. "The Backyard Goat" is a perfect resource for anyone looking to raise a goat or two for milk, fibre, or pleasure, this book covers all the essentials of goat ownership. Readers will get to know goats in chapters discussing goat anatomy, different breeds and their histories, and how to choose the right goat for every situation. They'll learn how to play and work with goats, using clicker training to teach them how to do simple tricks, pull and drive carts, and serve as pack goats. They'll learn how to care for their goats by providing proper housing, good nutrition, and a healthy environment. And they'll find specific chapters on milking, shearing, breeding, raising newborn kids, and more.

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

Hobby farmer Sue Weaver provides a perfect primer in Sheep, ideal for novice or experienced sheep keepers looking to expand their hobby farm with a flock of wooly wonders. Illustrated with instructive and beautiful color photographs and loaded with charts and sidebars, this Hobby Farms title will make even newcomers feel comfortable choosing, caring for, and even sheering and milking their own sheep. Weaver begins, "Be they pets or profit makers, sheep should be part of every small-farm scene. They are inexpensive to buy and keep, easy to care for, and relatively long lived, making them great investments." While sheep dotting a green meadow add beauty--and a possible tax write-off--to any pastoral setting, hobby farmers can choose whether their sheep will be sold as pets, used as providers of milk, cheese, or wool, or raised as livestock for their much sought-after mutton.
As a subject, sheep have a fascinating history to tell, as Weaver does in the opening chapter "Sheep from the Beginning," but once we get through the mythology, biology, and anatomical lessons, the farming begins. Sheep will assist the reader in buying the right sheep for his or her farm or land, based on availability, conformation, health, and so forth. The book offers practical advice, including how to move sheep from one locale to another (with a "ewe haul"). Sheep farming involves the housing, feeding, and guarding of the sheep, all detailed in the book. Weave discusses the use of fences, shelters, pens, and stalls as well as the purchase of the right hay. She also addresses the use of working dogs to control and guard the flock.
Understanding sheep behavior is the subject of the chapter "Sheepish Behavior and Safe Handling," in which the author discusses flocking dynamics, fleeing instinct, and sheep body and vocal language, leading to practical advice about how to handle and move sheep safely and with minimal fuss. The old adage "A sick sheep is a dead sheep" may not hold completely true in modern times, but it does underscore how important the health of a flock is to a responsible sheep keeper. The chapter "Health, Maladies, and Hooves" (and the appendix "A Glance at Sheep Afflictions") offers farmers vital information about vaccinations, parasites, and hoof care to be proactive in the flock's health.
For hobby farmers interested in expanding their flocks, the chapter "The Importance of Proper Breeding" is a mini course in breeding and lambing, including bottle feeding, tail banding, and more. All of the joys of wool are captured in the chapter "Fleece: Shearing, Selling, Spinning," in which the author discusses the tools, skills, and fees required to fleece the flock. The chapter also discusses spinning your own wool and selling the fleece. The final chapter, "Mutton or Milk?" discusses the advantages and desirability of sheep's milk and the possible markets for milk, cheese, and meat. A glossary of over 100 terms, an extensive resources section (sheep-pertinent organizations, websites, and publications), and an index complete the volume.