Back To Basics Farming

Domesticated small animals, from the cow to the rabbit, have been enjoyed by human owners around the world since the dawn of civilization, nearly 12,000 years ago. From pets to beasts of burden and even just a friendly face in the barn, animals like these produce thousands of products you use around the house every. This book was written for anyone considering purchasing and raising domesticated animals for family pets, producers of eggs and milk, or a friendly creature in the backyard. You will learn everything you need to know to raise a wide variety of small animals. You will learn how to care for chickens, and how to handle geese and ducks, choosing the correct breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, and more. You will also learn about egg incubation, maintaining poultry health, and how to raise them for meat. Other animals you will learn how to care for include rabbits, goats, sheep, dairy cows, and beef cattle. Small farmers and animal experts have been interviewed in detail and their responses added to this book to provide additional insight into every aspect of raising farm animals. This includes details about how to purchase, house, feed, breed, record, as well as how to gather milk, and even keeping records of births and selling babies. Everything you might need to know about raising small animals for your farm is included in this guide to provide you the first steps to raising domesticated poultry and livestock.

Starting a small scale farm is the dream of Americans young and old, from those who watched the majesty of the great western farm in films during their youth to those who spent their childhood actually working on a farm. However, for many of these individuals it is a matter of logistics and cost that keeps them from realizing their dreams. Raising beef cattle, ducks, rabbits, and any other small animals such as sheep, goats, or chickens takes not only a decent amount of money to get started, but know how that doesn't come in textbooks while in school. This book was written with the intent of providing anyone who has ever wanted to start their own small scale farm the necessary resources and information needed to start raising small animals and cattle. You will learn everything you need to know to raise a wide variety of small animals. You will learn how to care for chickens, from choosing the right breed to raising them for egg production. You will learn how to handle geese and ducks, choosing the correct breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, and selecting the right ones for egg production. You will also learn about egg incubation, maintaining poultry health, and how raise them for meat. Other animals you will learn how to care for include rabbits, goats, sheep, dairy cows, and beef cattle. Small farmers and animal experts have been interviewed in detail and their responses added to this book to provide additional insight into every aspect of raising farm animals. This includes details about how to purchase, house, feed, breed, record, and butcher animals of all types as well as how to gather milk, use goats and cows for maintaining your fields, and even keeping records of births and selling babies. Everything you might need to know about raising small animals for your farm is included in this guide to provide you the first steps to raising domesticated poultry and livestock.

Raising cattle in the 21st century can be a complicated process. With the public conscious slowly turning more toward organic food choices, there are numerous reasons why deciding to grass feed your animals can be not only an effective means of feeding your cattle, but also a way to make more money. This book will guide you through the process of knowing exactly how to switch your methods to effectively raise your cattle on grass feed. You will learn the essential basics of raising your cattle with natural feed and care sources, including how the farming shift in this millennium has changed how things are done. You will learn the various differences between raising cattle for milk and meat production and what you can expect from your cattle. You will learn how to improve your overall farm efficiency while ensuring natural feeding, and how to start analyzing your soil to better improve your livestock and their lifestyle. Dozens of interviews have been conducted with top small farmers and cattle experts and their insight have been included here to help you learn how to properly house your cattle and rear their young, as well as the vital minerals, vitamins, and nutrients your cattle need to be healthy and produce high-quality meat and dairy. This book, for anyone seeking to raise cattle on grass, is ideal for getting a small farm started or renovating an existing farm.

Houseplants are one of the most enduring members of any household, providing a much needed addition of color, fresh oxygen, and character to any room. But every houseplant needs a different amount of care, including water, food, and sunlight. This book was written to provide all plant owners and potential owners the needed steps to keeping their beloved green friends alive, no matter how finicky they can be. You will learn all of the basics of houseplant care, starting with a thorough explanation and glossary of terms that are used to describe different plants and how they grow. You will learn what makes a houseplant different from other plants and how much water, sunlight, and food each plant needs. Their specific needs are even more broken down by showing you all of the various houseplants known in existence and a guide for each type of houseplant with specific care instructions for how they best thrive in a myriad of conditions. Top houseplant experts and gardeners have contributed their insight through various interviews to further the knowledge you can gain from this book and to help you overcome particularly finicky houseplants, finding the right location in the home, avoiding meddling pests and pets, and more. This book, for anyone who has ever wanted to add a little green to their home, is the perfect path to understanding and keeping alive your favorite houseplants.

With more than 500 breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association, there are different feed necessities, housing requirements, incubation times, egg information, and costs of raising just about any of these various breeds. This book provides the details that every potential poultry breeder needs to start creating detailed plans for purchasing, raising, and breeding their new small farm animals. Each breed will be laid out with complete details about everything you need to know to raise them effectively. You will learn exactly which breeds are best for egg production by volume and quality and which ones are best for meat by taste and quality. You will learn the dietary needs of each breed and what they require from you to stay alive in all four seasons as well. Poultry and small farming experts were interviewed for this book to provide detailed insight into how poultry is selected and raised and throughout the book you will find small bits of information about how each breed is different from the rest, what suggestions are offered for raising that particular breed. You will learn which poultry breeds have been used for hundreds of years. Whether you are starting a farm and need a half dozen good poultry breeds for your coups or are just adding a small area on your property to raise some chickens, ducks or turkeys, this guide will provide everything you need to understand and select the proper breed for your needs.

Pigs are a very special breed of animal in that they can be almost as much a pet as they are a potential source of meat and income. The proper raising of pigs is much disputed for this reason and there are multiple ways to go about it. This book provides every necessary detail you need to start raising pigs immediately, from selecting the breed of your pigs to how they will be fed. You will learn the difference between pigs that are raised for meat and those that are used for disposal of compost or as pets. You will learn how the process of home butchering and processing is completed and what you can do to start fitting and showing your pigs in competition. You will learn the ins and outs of the pig raising business, including the breeds you will encounter, the expectations of you by other pig farmers, and the details you need to see to when you purchase your first pigs. Dozens of interviews with top pig farmers and experts from around the country have been gathered for this book and provide a detailed look at how the industry is run, including the management of a pig herd, the health care of your pigs, and the daily operations that must be completed in caring for your pigs. If you are interested in the process of breeding and raising pigs, this book will provide every bit of information you need to get started.

Small scale farming has grown greatly in popularity during the last two decades, with a greater turn in public awareness toward locally grown, organic, grass fed products that have not been modified, chemically altered, or poorly fed. This book will show any potential small scale farmer how to start raising their livestock and marketing it to the organic, natural lifestyle community. You will learn how to start the basic outline for your new small farm, including which livestock to raise, how to build their pens and habitat, and what you will be feeding them to maintain a healthy, organic farm. You will learn the basics of animal husbandry, from genetics and breeding to feeding, building locations, and proper health and reproduction care. You will learn how to find yourself in the right niche for selling your products and the legalities you must see. Hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews have been conducted with top experts in farm management to provide you with details about farm planning, financial planning, and proper livestock planning. A complete appendix will detail the various breeds and needs of cattle, chickens, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep to help you select the right livestock for your farm. In addition, you will learn the basic composition of most feeds, different grasses and legumes you can use, and find a plethora of outside resources to utilize. For anyone with dreams of a small farm and raising livestock in their future, this is a book for you.

Properly raised chickens can be a major boon to any household looking to save money on eggs and poultry. Learning what chickens need to survive, from the feed they eat, to the housing they require, is a necessary step for anyone looking to raise them. In this book, you will find a complete guide to understanding how chickens are raised on a small farm, from hatching to egg cultivation, and ultimately slaughter. There is a 16 page color insert showcasing different breeds as well as general chicken photos. You will learn how to start understanding chickens and their numerous breed types, of which there are more than two hundred. You will learn how to purchase your own chickens and how to effectively handle them. You will learn what kind of housing your chickens need and the proper methods and forms of feeding each breed. Details about how to breed chickens for egg production and how to collect and store the eggs is included, as well as information on how to manage your breeders and hatch eggs for raising your own chicks. Top chicken farms and experts have been interviewed for this book and their expertise and experience has been compiled to form additional sections on maintaining chicken health, the various different seasons and how they affect chicken care and how to raise chickens for meat. Everything you need to know about raising chickens is included in this guide in great detail, the perfect starting place for any new chicken farmer.

Beekeeping is both a hobby and a practical business plan that many individuals have taken up in recent years as a viable way to culture a valuable natural resource and have fun in the process. In any given year, an effectively built beekeeping business can bring profits up to 500 percent of your investment according to numerous private beekeepers. The benefit of growing your own honey and selling it to local customers for between $3 and $6 a pound depending on how you cultivate and whether your honey is completely organic can be a huge boon for anyone with the money and time to invest. This book walks all motivated potential beekeepers through the process of building and operating their beekeeping business from the ground up, ensuring it is both a fun hobby and a great way to make a little extra money on the side. You will learn everything you need to effectively start beekeeping for profit and fun, including what materials you need, what kinds of bees are best for honey or wax production. You will learn all of the fundamental safety equipment you need to effectively handle the bees and where to place your hives on your property to take advantage of natural circumstances. You will learn the basics you need to understand what bees do and how they interact, including details about the queen bee, the worker bees, drones, and foragers. You will learn how seasonal changes affect your colonies, and how to use your smoke to access and gather honey from your bees. The best in home beekeeping professionals have been interviewed and their expertise and insights have been gathered here for you to review, providing additional details about the kinds and methods of honey gathering that you can profit from you. You will learn how to install everything and keep your colonies updated. You will learn how to keep the necessary records and how to sell your honey and what the best prices for that honey is. You will learn what is involved in opening a colony and how to manage pests effectively without endangering the bees or the honey. You will learn how to manage your hives in the winter and fall and what you can do with everything your bees produce. For anyone who has ever considered beekeeping as a hobby or source of side income, this is the book for you.