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More than 128 birds strut their stuff across the pages of Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, the ultimate primer for farmers and fanciers alike. Admire the handsome black and white plumage of Lakenvelder roosters, read the fascinating history of the Blue Hens of Delaware, and marvel at the petite size and toylike appearance of Call ducks. And if you’re curious to know which heritage turkeys are making a comeback, look no further. This definitive guide to North American barnyard and wild fowl includes a brief history of each breed, detailed descriptions of identifying characteristics, and colorful photography that celebrates the birds’ quirky personalities and charming good looks. If it’s fowl facts and photos you want, you’ll find them all here.

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This latest addition to Storey's venerable Guide to Raising Series gives you the essential, expert instruction and advice you need to successfully raise miniature livestock. Sue Weaver clearly explains the ins and outs of breeding, feeding, housing, diet, nutrition, exercise, disease prevention and treatment and much, much more. Whether you're a new or an experienced farmer, you'll find everything you need to keep your minis healthy and productive.

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The romance of the farm calls to all of us at some point in our lives. For some, the appeal lies in the promise of a simpler lifestyle marked by honest work and results you can hold in your hands. For others, the farm is a lineage to our past. It conjures images of dewy meadows, Mason jars, ripe tomatoes and the pure companionship of a trusted horse or dog.

Usually, our dreams of going back to the farm remain dreams. But in growing numbers, today's enterprising city-dwellers are finding ways to make it happen. Whether your dream farm is just a few acres with a big garden and a rabbit hutch or an 80-acre tract with a horse corral and big red barn, John Deere's Hobby Farm is just the guide you need to get started on your adventure. With full-color photos and step-by-step projects it will give structure to your dream and take you one big step closer to achieving the real thing.

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Here is a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just one-quarter acre — and earn $10,000 in cash annually. This is not back-to-the-land utopianism, but a tested and pragmatic method that can be applied in small lots in rural, suburban and even urban areas. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, Brett Markham's advice will teach you what you need to know:

• Saving, buying, starting, and selecting seeds
• Maintaining and improving soil
• Preventing and eradicating pests and diseases
• Compost, crop rotation, and timing
• Using organic methods
• Garden planning to meet dietary requirements
• Raising poultry
• Raising and pruning fruits and nuts
• Canning, freezing, and dehydrating
• Selling your excess produce for top dollar
• And more!

More than just a how-to guide for self-sufficiency, Mini Farming teaches you the underlying principles of mini-farming so you will have the knowledge to make your own unique applications. Materials, tools and techniques are detailed with over a hundred photographs, tables, diagrams and illustrations.

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CLEARANCE ITEM. PREVIOUS RETAIL PRICE WAS $34.95. AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

In Over the Rainbeau, Lisa Schwartz conveys the romance and challenges of her journey from tending a pair of goats to building a multifaceted sustainable farm in the New York City suburbs and becoming an award-winning cheese maker. This inspirational memoir comes to life with tantalizing original and chef-created recipes, aspirational how-tos and captivating photographs. The book is a seasonal journey of Lisa and the farm and is presented with beautiful seasonal color palettes. Each season contains memoirs written with beautiful accounts of life on the farm.

Over the Rainbeau contains 64 delicious recipes, with 15 recipes from renowned chefs including Dan Barber and Adam Kaye of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Michael Anthony of New York City's top rated Gramercy Tavern and Robert Weland of Poste Brasserie in Washington, D.C. The book's "One Steps" include Starting with Herbs, Homemade Yogurt and Composting to enable readers to take incremental steps to add sustainability to their lives.

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From the rooftop terraces of New York City to the sprawling lawns of rural America, the backyard chicken movement has taken hold and is making a massive impact among city dwellers and country folk alike. As the authority on rural know-how, GRIT magazine has long been leading the charge and is now proud to introduce its special Guide to Backyard Chickens.

At 100 full-color pages, this one-of-a-kind reference book is designed to arm you with all the information needed to enjoy the simple country pleasures of farm-fresh eggs and poultry, straight from your own backyard.

GRIT's Guide to Backyard Chickens includes an extensive collection of relevant articles, including:

• Raise a flock from mail-order chicks.
• Top tips for keeping your flock healthy.
• What to do with all those delicious eggs: recipes galore.
• Guide to controlling ticks and other backyard pests.
• Enjoy fresh eggs all year long.
• Top tips for keeping your flock safe from predators.
• Chicken coop and chick brooder plans.
• How to hatch fertile eggs to replenish the flock.
• Save money by growing your own meat.
• Choose the right chicken breed.
• Raise chickens in the city.

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CLEARANCE ITEM. PREVIOUS RETAIL PRICE WAS $29.99. AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Whether you want to grow a few vegetables or you're ready to go whole hog and relocate to the countryside, this invaluable handbook will guide you through every aspect of a self-sufficient lifestyle. Packed with practical information, expert advice and real-life experiences, this is the ultimate reference book for anyone who wants to make the move toward natural living.

• Make your home self-sufficient: Find out all you need to know about eco-building, recycling and traditional crafts such as spinning, weaving, dyeing, making candles and tanning hides.
• Grow your own fruit and vegetables: Detailed instructions and tips on how to cultivate more than 100 vegetables, fruits and herbs.
• From crop to kitchen: Learn how to prepare and preserve your food, including information on drying, freezing, canning, bottling, brewing, basic butchery and making your own bread, butter, yogurt and cheese.
• Food from the wild: Discover how to forage for food with a practical wild food calendar and identification guide.
• Raise your own livestock: Expert advice on choosing and keeping chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, goats, sheep, cows, bees and more.

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A full-color, accessible primer on starting a backyard barnyard. When the going gets rough, the rough . . . start raising their own food. In the first full-color guide of its kind, author and small farm owner Laura Childs reveals exactly what it takes to start raising your own animals, including chickens, geese, goats, sheep, pigs and cows. Childs discusses what you can expect to harvest from your animals — from eggs to milk to meat to wool — based on her own real-life experiences. Whether you want to raise a few chickens for eggs alone, try your hand at a few goats with the aim of making your own cheese, or are looking to sustain your family and make some extra money from raising and selling beef, this is the book for you.

Childs offers general information for each breed and animal, from how to get started to what to feed and where to house the animals. This invaluable guide is the perfect first book for anyone interested in starting a backyard barnyard or a small farm — or simply dreaming about the idea. 100 color illustrations.

About the author

Laura Childs spent 30 years as a self-professed “downtown city girl” before breaking free from urban life when her daughter was born. Her website goodbyecitylife.com chronicles their adventures on her small, self-sustained farm in Ontario, Canada, where she raises goats, chickens, horses and other animals.

Recommended Product for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, MOTHER EARTH NEWS is recommending books to readers. For 40 years, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has been North America’s “Original Guide to Living Wisely,” creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.

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This book gives you all the information you need to start your own local foods business. You'll get plain-English advice from a self-proclaimed farm-girl-turned-entrepreneur on:

• Trends in niche agriculture and local foods
• Creating a business plan for a small-scale or hobby venture
• Assessing your home marketplace and uncovering niches not yet served
• Financing options, especially grants and cost-sharing programs
• Free or low-cost marketing ideas
• Basic strategies for surviving the first year in business
• And more

About the author

Sarah Beth Aubrey was born into a family of farmers and was raised to believe, like Scarlett O'Hara, that it is land that sustains after all else. In addition to operating her company, Aubrey's Natural Meats, Aubrey writes and speaks extensively on agriculture, the rural lifestyle and small farm development.