The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals

Starred review from February 1, 2014

Space-conscious homesteaders will enjoy learning how to raise a multitude of farm animals on as little as a tenth of an acre.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2011
Old MacDonald had a farm, and so can you and your neighbor, says Backyard Poultry contributor and former Rural Heritage editor Damerow. She operates a Tennessee family farm not only to secure safe food and enjoy the stress-reducing presence of animals but also in pursuit of self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability. In her informative and candid how-to, she assures readers that they can start modestly. Two rabbits in a carport or on a back porch and a handful of chickens in a corner of the garden (depending on ones weather zone) can supply meat and eggs. From advice organized by breed and focused on small-scale production on as little space as a standard, one-eighth-acre lot, readers can learn about the backyard provision of veggies, salmonella-free eggs, organic meat, fleece and fiber for spinning, fresh honey, milk, butter, and cheese. Illustrations, charts, a glossary, a resources list, and the obligatory chapter on butchering add up to a must-read for do-it-yourself and back-to-the-land enthusiasts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)