Hobby Farm Animals: A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, Chickens, Ducks, Goats, Pigs, Rabbits, and Sheep

by Sue Weaver, Ann Larkin Hansen, Cherie Langlois

No hobby farm is complete without critters! Eggs, meat, milk, wool, fur, feathers, and some priceless bucolic What's a hobby farm without a small flock or herd (or several)? Inside this book, five experienced hobby farmers and writers share the wisdom and knowledge gained from years of animal keeping for pleasure and profit. This information-packed 384-page volume contains everything a hobby farmer needs to know about farm animals, whether you want a small herd peppering the field or a microflock flapping around the hen house or pond! A comprehensive manual to selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock, this book brings forth the expertise of five hobby farmers, each of whom has real-life on-the-farm experience with the animals she discusses. If 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, then Hobby Farm Animals will provide 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, beef cattle, pigs, and rabbits, including the housing, health care, special needs, advantages, and challenges of each. You'll find extensive sections devoted to the seven major farm animals, including an overview of the animal's history and advice on selecting the right animals for your particular farm, lifestyle, and aspirations; the type of shelter, facilities, and amenities you'll need for your animals; how to feed balanced nutrition at all life stages; a look at typical behavior traits and how to best handle and work with your animals; a responsible raiser's healthcare plan, including vaccinations, health clearances, common illnesses, and first aid; discussions on breeding cycles and methods, caring for pregnant females, and caring for baby animals; strategies for marketing and selling your animals' meat, milk, eggs, fleece, or feathers; anecdotes, insight, and helpful hints from seasoned animal raisers. Get the comprehensive guidance you need to welcome each type of livestock onto your farm and into your life, with Hobby Farm Animals !

383 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Sue Weaver has written hundreds of articles and ten books about livestock and poultry. She is a contributing editor of Hobby Farms magazine and writes the “Poultry Profiles” column for Chickens magazine. Sue lives on a small farm in Arkansas, which she shares with her husband, a flock of Classic Cheviot sheep and a mixed herd of goats, horses large and small, a donkey, two llamas, a riding steer, a water buffalo, a pet razorback pig, guinea fowl, and Buckeye chickens.

Reviews

[LaDonna Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starter book.

[Kayleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this as a reference book. It has actionable information for a beginner. It gives you things to think about, like:
- why do you want cows (meat? milk? pet?)
- what kind of breeds suit your goals
- what you need to do before you get a cow (so it doesn't live in your garage!)
- the logistics of how to get a cow
- the logistics of how to get rid of a cow
- how to care for and feed it in between the getting and getting rid of

That's just one animal. It goes into detail for all the animals listed in the title.
This isn't an exhaustive book, but it is the one with actually useful information I want to start with.

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed this and really liked the overview of the way to raise the different animals. This is a good place to start for the beginner animal raiser.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with information

This book contains in-depth detailed information valuable to anyone who is contemplating keeping livestock and farm animals. I recommend it.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for someone deciding whether to add animals to their farm (whether it's a backyard farm or one with actual acreage.) Gorgeous pictures, and the information seems to be pretty much spot on; including a surprisingly in-depth coverage of all aspects of animal care. Including specialized indo on brooding/hatching chicks. I especially appreciate the fact the author presents animals as both being capable of being beloved pets AND useful for meat/eggs. Too many books are either horrified that you might want to keep a couple ducks for pets AND keep a flock for meat raising - or else they're all about the meat/eggs, and don't ever acknowledge that a chicken is no different from a dog or cat in their ability to be a great pet.