Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

The perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of having that little place in the country, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers tried-and-true, expert advice on raising healthy, happy, productive farm animals: chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, and dairy cows.

Each chapter focuses on a different animal, discussing the pros and cons of raising the animal, housing and land requirements, feeding guidelines, health concerns, and a schedule for routine care. Species that are easy to raise, hardy, and companionable are profiled. First-time farmers will discover simple, clear instructions for caring for animals throughout the year, as well as guidelines for processing barnyard products such as milk, wool, and eggs. Combining practical advice from real experts, easy-to-use checklists and charts, a seasonal care calendar, and detailed black-and-white illustrations, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers a comprehensive review of the ins and outs - the tribulations and triumphs - of living with and caring for a small barnyard.

Average Customer Rating:

Huge disappointment

Customer Rating:

After 20+ years of horses, we decided to expand our little farm to include animals that pay their way. First came the dairy goats, then chickens & hogs. I have other Storey books, so I was really looking forward to receiving this and was so disappointed when it arrived! The information is very basic, and HOGS AREN'T MENTIONED AT ALL, yet it has a large section on cattle, which generally require a little more than a "backyard." The part on goats was a condensed version of YOUR GOATS: A KID'S GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING. The parts that were included were word for word, paragraph for paragraph. As for chickens, the information on egg layers was pretty good, although I would have liked to have seen at least basic plans for building a coop/nest-boxes. That's a different book. But Damerow only touched lightly on broilers, with no information whatsoever on butchering (chickens or any other animals), although she did plug yet another book for that. But for this book, killing/cleaning chickens was addressed in 2 sentences telling you to have an experienced friend or neighbor teach you. Not bad advice, but while you're at it, skip the book and just keep that same friend/neighbor close by...

Excellent starting point

Customer Rating:

If you are wondering whether you have the resources to raise one of these more common varieties of livestock, this book will answer your questions. Not exhaustive (is anything really?) but more detailed and thorough than you might expect. This will provide you with enough information to determine if it is possible for you to raise tha animal in question - whether it be for profit or just to put safe food on the table.

A wonderful starter for backyard livestock

Customer Rating:

"Barnyard in Your Backyard" is truly what it claims to be "A beginner's guide" to several species of livestock. Much of the information contained in it is definitely a good place to start if you're thinking about raising any of these breeds in your small or large lawn. While I've found similar information on several aspects of the individual species, it was nice to have them compiled into one "manual" and I thoroughly appreciated the special notes the author made about how these species might get along with each other in a domestic livestock situation, including beneficial and potentially detrimental aspects (such as increased disease risk). Even though it is transparent which species and breeds the author prefers, the information is quite adequate to help you determine what species and breeds you might appreciate. The references and resources provided in this book are excellent pointers to get more comprehensive information on any animal that you wish to research further. There were only two drawbacks to this book: 1) the assumption that only commercial rations were appropriate to feed your animals (and no references to more organic or free-range dietary resources); and 2) the conspicuous absence of pigs! I'm sure the pigs were left out because many jurisdictions do not allow pigs anywhere near civilization even though they are remarkably easy to care for - the poor pigs are so discriminated against! I was surprised to see such a large chapter on Cattle, since they do require a significant amount of land (not just the average suburban yard) but the information was good. If you've been thinking about getting livestock to supply some extra food or even a more aesthetic pleasure, this is a great start!

Quick start guide

Customer Rating:

This is a good book for those who are just starting out. "Barnyard in Your Backyard" gives good, practical information on how to raise several different types of animals. This book would be perfect for someone trying to decide which animals to raise and it guides you through each step based on the care, size requirements etc of each group. Each animal section covers health, breeds, uses, finances, and more. Excellent resource for the first-time farmer or wanna-be farmer. The book has lots of colorful photographs throughout. The author left out the care and raising of pigs.

I loved this book!	Customer Rating:
I read it cover to cover. We will be starting our little farm in 2009, so I have been collecting pertinent reference material. It REALLY spurred my enthusiasm for raising our own food. Now on to "Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game"...