Gail Damerow - Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginners Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cattle

The Backyard Homestead, edited by Carleen Madigan.

A complete guide to growing and raising the most local food available anywherefrom ones own backyard.
368 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-60342-138-6.

Small-Scale Livestock Farming, by Carol Ekarius.

A natural, organic approach to livestock management to produce healthier animals, reduce feed and health care costs, and maximize profit.
224 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-162-5.

Starting & Running Your Own Small Farm Business, by Sarah Beth Aubrey.

A business-savvy reference that covers everything from writing a business plan and applying for loans to marketing your farm-fresh goods.
176 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-697-2.

Storeys Guide to Raising Series.

Everything you need to know to keep your livestock and your profits healthy. All new editions of Beef Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Dairy Goats, Meat Goats, Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys, Poultry, Rabbits, Raising Horses, Training Horses, and Llamas. New additions to the series: Miniature Livestock and Keeping Bees. Paper and hardcover. Learn more about each title by visiting www.storey.com .

Storeys Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle, and Pigs, by Carol Ekarius.

A comprehensive, colorful, and captivating in-depth guide to North Americas common and heritage breeds. 320 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-60342-036-5. Hardcover with jacket. ISBN 978-1-60342-037-2.

Storeys Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, by Carol Ekarius.

A definitive presentation of more than 120 barnyard fowl, complete with full-color photographs and detailed descriptions.
288 pages. Paper. ISBN 978-1-58017-667-5. Hardcover with jacket. ISBN 978-1-58017-668-2.

These and other books from Storey Publishing are available wherever quality books are sold or by calling 1-800-441-5700. Visit us at www.storey.com .

MANY LIVESTOCK BREEDS are suitable for the backyard. Which breed is best for you will depend in part on your climate, your space constraints, and your economic resources. For example: If you live in the north where winters are harsh, you might consider the rugged Highland cow, which was developed in the tough terrain of the Scottish highlands. If you live in the south where summers are particularly sultry, you might choose a more heat-tolerant breed, such as the Miniature Jersey.

In the following pages, we showcase a number of wonderful breeds for the small-scale backyard raiser. Consider this your starting point for exploring all of the unique breeds available to you.

Chickens come in a wide variety of breeds, colors, and feather patterns. Weve chosen a couple of hardy dualpurpose breeds that will keep you in eggs for a few years and ably fill your stew pot when production declines, as well as a laying breed that produces unusually colored eggs.

Araucana A South American breed that lays blue eggs, the Araucana is unique. When crossed with any other breed, its offspring, also known as Easter Eggs chicks, will produce greenish blue eggs, and occasionally green, pink, or yellow ones.

Plymouth Rock A dual-purpose breed, the Plymouth Rock is kept for both meat and eggs. It is a very hardy breed, it has a docile disposition, and hens make good mothers. Birds can be raised in confinement or free-range.

Wyandotte The Wyandotte is a good laying and meat bird. Because of its relatively short back, a dressed Wyandotte is nearly proportional to a Cornish-Rock bird found at the store. It is very hardy, and it is generally docile.

Three things to consider when choosing a turkey variety are size (it has to fit in the oven), color (dark pinfeathers on a roasted bird can be off-putting), and whether the bird is a heritage or industrial variety. Weve highlighted three heritage breeds that are a good size for a family.

Bourbon Red One of the older breeds developed in the United States, the Bourbon Red has some desirable traits: it is a good forager (nice for pest control), and it has a relatively heavy breast, light-colored pinfeathers for a clean body when picked, and richly flavored meat.

Bronze Though ancestor to the Broad Breasted Bronze (a large bird that was once the main commercial turkey), this turkey is smaller and able to reproduce naturally. It has bronze feathers, which, when seen in the light, have high iridescence in shades of copper and blue, and dark pinfeathers.

Royal Palm Though developed as an ornamental bird, the Royal Palm is a good size for a small familys dinner table. When displayed, the banded markings on its tail feathers are breathtaking. It is a good flyer and forager, so prepare strong fences.

Most duck breeds can be kept for both meat and eggs, though some, such as the Muscovy, are best for meat, and others, such as the Runner, are best for eggs. Most good layers produce white-shell eggs and breeds with white or light-colored feathers pluck cleaner.

Muscovy A very large bird, the domestic Muscovy is raised for meat that is known for being less greasy than the meat of some Mallard-derived breeds. As a voracious omnivore and active forager, it is great for pest control. It is a quiet and personable duck.