Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Cows and horses, donkeys and mules, sheep and goats, pigs and fowl, even llamas are living on small farms and in backyard barnyards throughout the United States. But how and where are these critters being housed?
Author Carol Ekarius knows. In How to Build Animal Housing, she provides dozens of plans--with illustrated, step-by-step instructions--for species-specific shelters that are well ventilated, safe, appropriate for the animals, appealing, convenient, and a solid value for their owners.
The book is essential reading for anyone interested in animal health and welfare. It includes complete plans and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for sheds, coops, hutches, multipurpose barns, and economical easy-to-build windbreaks and shade structures. Ekarius covers new high-tech, portable structures made of plastics and fabrics, such as hoop houses and hen spas, as well as more traditional alternatives, such as straw-bale structures. Always practical, she enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-build kits and modular barnyard buildings and includes designs for watering systems, feeders, chutes, stanchions, and more--the essentials that help owners keep their animals healthy and happy.
Ekarius wisely emphasizes the importance of careful planning, choosing an appropriate housing site, and complying with local zoning regulations; pest control, basic housing maintenance, and insurance costs are also discussed. Real-world advice from farmers and veterinarians on the types of housing and facilities animals like best enliven the text throughout.
How to Build Animal Housing is the most comprehensive and useful guide of its kind. For small-scale farmers, hobby farmers, do-it-yourselfers, and animal lovers, this book is indispensable.
About the Author
Involved with the sustainable agriculture for years, author Carol Ekarius is a full-time livestock farmer whose natural approach to livestock management shines in her Storey book, Small-Scale Livestock Farming. She has also written articles for various newspapers and magazines. Carol is on the board of directors of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota and the board of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. She lives and farms in Colorado with her husband, Ken Woodard.
How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More,Carol Ekarius,Storey Publishing, LLC,1580175279,Agriculture - Animal Husbandry,Construction - General,Design and construction,Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry,Housing,Livestock,Pets,Reference,Technology & Industrial Arts,TECHNOLOGY / Construction / General,Technology / Agriculture / Animal Husbandry
Book Advices:
Recommended Books