Description: A single, information-packed volume with everything a hobby farmer needs to know about farm animals, this newly updated and comprehensive manual to selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock brings forth the expertise of five hobby farmers. With exhaustive detail, the authors offer complete coverage of chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and rabbits, including the housing, healthcare, special needs, advantages, and challenges of each. 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. New to this edition is updated information across all topics for the most complete and up-to-date insight in hobby farming, from shelter, care, health, and medicine to nutrition, behavior, marketing, and profit.
Brief description: Chris McLaughlin is the author of eight books written about her life passions; gardening and small livestock. Her work can be found in Fine Gardening Magazine, Hobby Farm Home Magazine, Urban Farm Magazine, The Heirloom Gardener Magazine, and Mother Earth Living. Online, she's been a staff blogger for Finegardening.com, About.com, Fix.com, From Scratch Magazine, and many more websites. Chris is currently secretary of The Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association. She and her family enjoy an active and entertaining life on their flower and fiber farm in the Northern California foothills where they grow flowers commercially and Angora goats.