{"title":"Overstock - HOUSE \u0026 HOME\/Sustainable Life","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"chickens-2nd-edition","title":"Chickens, 2nd Edition","description":"Hobby Farms Chickens: Tending a Small-Scale Flock for Pleasure and Profit is geared toward the hobby farmer looking to begin his or her own flock of chickens on a small farm or even backyard. Author Sue Weaver, who keeps various exotic breeds and countless barnies on her farm, is an expert on all things livestock and an avowed chicken fanatic. This photo-filled guide begins with ?Chickens 101” and details the physiology of chickens, members of the Phasianidea family, providing beginning hobby farmers with a basic education in the chicken’s unique physical makeup (from wings and feathers to beaks and digestive tracts), behavior, mating, and its unexpected high intelligence. The author offers advice on choosing the right types of chickens to get started: meat, egg, or dual purpose, or maybe even ?just for pets.” The book is an excellent resource for selecting which breed of chicken is best for the hobby farmer,  based on the birds’ traits, such as aggression, personality, noise factor, tolerance for heat, confinement, cold, etc. Chickens also provides information on selecting or building a suitable chicken coop for the hobby farmer’s brood, outlining the basic requirements (lighting, ventilation, flooring, waterers, insulation, safety, and so forth). A detailed chapter on feeding chickens offers essential guidance on nutrition, commercial feeds, supplements, and water requirements. For the chicken hobby farmer looking to start with a clutch of baby chicks (from his own hen or an outside source), the author provides excellent info on incubators and hatching as well as all of the accommodations and preparation required for hens in the nest box. A chapter on selling eggs and broilers provides timetables, requirements, and dos and don’ts to get a hobby farmer’s business off on the right foot. All chicken keepers will find the chapter on health of particular value, with expert advice on preventing common problems and dealing various maladies and diseases. Much detailed information about all of the topics in the book is encapsulated in sidebars. A glossary of over 125 terms plus a detailed resource section of chicken and poultry associations, books, and websites complete the volume. Fully indexed.","brand":"Sue Weaver","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49268083818777,"sku":"608","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-935484-60-8.jpg?v=1697683152"},{"product_id":"pigs","title":"Pigs","description":"All pig raisers will welcome the guidance and helpful tips of experienced rancher Arie B. McFarlen, PhD on the many aspects of raising and tending a small herd of pigs on a hobby farm. From selecting and purchasing the best pigs for a small farm to feeding, housing, and handling, Hobby Farms Pigs is a full-color comprehensive guide that is both practical and entertaining. The author has gathered advice from expert pig farmers from around the country on various topics, and the chapters on keeping pigs healthy and breeding and raising healthy piglets will prove especially helpful to experienced pig farmers as well as neophytes. Resources include an appendix of swine diseases, a glossary of relevant terms, listing of useful associations, books, periodicals, and websites. Fully indexed.","brand":"Arie McFarlen","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49058258059545,"sku":"187","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-933958-18-7.jpg?v=1757518723"},{"product_id":"the-self-sufficiency-handbook","title":"Self-Sufficiency Handbook","description":"Worried about ever-rising fuel bills and longing for the day when you can be off-grid and independent? Anxious about the quality of the food you eat and planning to go organic? Yearning to get back to the way it was but don't know where to start? This book will show you how to achieve the eco-friendly good life. The authors cover the ecological gamut from geothermal heating to crop rotation to soap making. They answer important questions like how much land is really needed to be self-sufficient, whether or not to depend entirely on natural forms of energy, and which farm animals will best meet your needs. There’s practical information here on building an insulated flue pipe chimney, identifying edible wild plants, and composting with worms—as well as recipes for jams, rhubarb wine, cheeses, and more. Packed with full-color photographs, helpful illustrations, and diagrams, Self-Sufficiency Handbook will appeal to urban dwellers who want to adopt certain aspects of greener living and to serious adherents of back-to-basics living.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nInside Self-Sufficiency Handbook\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nInspirational yet practical introduction to a greener way of living.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEssential reading for anyone considering a shift to a more self-sufficient lifestyle, no matter how small the change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmphasis is on the positive aspects of self-sufficiency, such as cutting living costs and eating well.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCovers everything from fitting a wind turbine to making honey from your own beehives.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStep-by-step instructions on keeping animals, growing organic food, and preserving your own produce.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuidelines for creating a self-sufficient home and eco-friendly home improvements.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\"\"This book shows that self-sufficiency is not only better for the planet - it's cheaper and more rewarding!\"\"—Green Rewards\/Sustainability Advisory Panel\"","brand":"Alan Bridgewater | Gill Bridgewater","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49058315895065,"sku":"2348S","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-62008-234-8.jpg?v=1757513611"},{"product_id":"know-your-donkeys-mules","title":"Know Your Donkeys \u0026 Mules","description":"Donkeys really aren't stubborn, they just have a strong instinct for self-preservation! Adults and kids alike will enjoy learning about the many characteristics of these gentle and docile animals.","brand":"Jack Byard","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":48872945058073,"sku":"6141","price":6.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-912158-56-0.jpg?v=1757520294"},{"product_id":"sheep","title":"Sheep","description":"Hobby farmer Sue Weaver provides a perfect primer in Sheep, ideal for novice or experienced sheep keepers looking to expand their hobby farm with a flock of wooly wonders. Illustrated with instructive and beautiful color photographs and loaded with charts and sidebars, this Hobby Farms title will make even newcomers feel comfortable choosing, caring for, and even sheering and milking their own sheep. Weaver begins, “Be they pets or profit makers, sheep should be part of every small-farm scene. They are inexpensive to buy and keep, easy to care for, and relatively long lived, making them great investments.” While sheep dotting a green meadow add beauty—and a possible tax write-off—to any pastoral setting, hobby farmers can choose whether their sheep will be sold as pets, used as providers of milk, cheese, or wool, or raised as livestock for their much sought-after mutton.\nAs a subject, sheep have a fascinating history to tell, as Weaver does in the opening chapter “Sheep from the Beginning,” but once we get through the mythology, biology, and anatomical lessons, the farming begins. Sheep will assist the reader in buying the right sheep for his or her farm or land, based on availability, conformation, health, and so forth. The book offers practical advice, including how to move sheep from one locale to another (with a “ewe haul”). Sheep farming involves the housing, feeding, and guarding of the sheep, all detailed in the book. Weave discusses the use of fences, shelters, pens, and stalls as well as the purchase of the right hay. She also addresses the use of working dogs to control and guard the flock.\nUnderstanding sheep behavior is the subject of the chapter “Sheepish Behavior and Safe Handling,” in which the author discusses flocking dynamics, fleeing instinct, and sheep body and vocal language, leading to practical advice about how to handle and move sheep safely and with minimal fuss. The old adage “A sick sheep is a dead sheep” may not hold completely true in modern times, but it does underscore how important the health of a flock is to a responsible sheep keeper. The chapter “Health, Maladies, and Hooves” (and the appendix “A Glance at Sheep Afflictions”) offers farmers vital information about vaccinations, parasites, and hoof care to be proactive in the flock’s health.\nFor hobby farmers interested in expanding their flocks, the chapter “The Importance of Proper Breeding” is a mini course in breeding and lambing, including bottle feeding, tail banding, and more. All of the joys of wool are captured in the chapter “Fleece: Shearing, Selling, Spinning,” in which the author discusses the tools, skills, and fees required to fleece the flock. The chapter also discusses spinning your own wool and selling the fleece. The final chapter, “Mutton or Milk?” discusses the advantages and desirability of sheep’s milk and the possible markets for milk, cheese, and meat. A glossary of over 100 terms, an extensive resources section (sheep-pertinent organizations, websites, and publications), and an index complete the volume.","brand":"Sue Weaver","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49450104979737,"sku":"1273","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-62008-127-3.jpg?v=1757519592"},{"product_id":"farm-diy","title":"Farm DIY","description":"Roll Up Your Sleeves and Build a Better Farm! Loaded with complete plans and easy-to-follow construction tips, this book offers a creative mix of both practical and decorative projects for working and hobby farms. Veteran family farmers and 4-H alumni Samantha and Daniel Johnson present 20 essential projects for aspiring homesteaders. From log jacks, rabbit hutches, and milking stools to a goat see-saw and a barn quilt, clear step-by-step color photographs guide the reader through each hands-on project. An introduction to the DIY mindset explains the positive benefits and satisfaction of building things yourself, and provides an overview of the basic tools and skills needed to complete each task. Farm DIY also includes a background discussion of farming today, and instructions for building an effective farmer’s market display stand for selling your products. Inside Farm DIY · 20 step-by-step, do-it-yourself projects for creating the farm of your dreams. · Build practical items like gates, bee houses, log jacks, rabbit hutches, and milking stools. · Make fun items like a barn quilt and a goat see-saw. · Create an attractive display stand for selling your products at farmer’s markets. · Easy-to-complete projects all feature inexpensive materials and basic techniques.","brand":"Daniel Johnson | Samantha Johnson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49761729610009,"sku":"3321","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-62008-332-1.jpg?v=1728023075"},{"product_id":"starter-coops","title":"Starter Coops","description":"A full-color introductory guide to providing a flock of chickens with their very own digs, Starter Coops addresses the needs of every chicken owner, analyzing what kind of accommodations will best serve the ladies’ needs. Author and chicken enthusiast, Wendy Bedwell-Wilson offers commonsense advice and money-saving tips to get new chicken keepers off to the right start.Starter Coops begins with the necessary elements of every chicken coop?safely constructed, predator-proof, ideally sized, draft-free, and weather-proof?and then goes beyond to personalize the coop to the needs of the keeper and his or her flock. The author discusses power sources, water stations, nesting boxes, and dusting boxes in addition to architectural and design elements.The chapter title ?Tour de Coops” discusses the pros and cons of the various approaches to keeping chickens:  free range, confined housing, yarded housing, and a chicken tractor. The author keeps the focus on the convenience for the keeper as well as what’s best for the girls in terms of behavior, safety, comfort, and so forth.From planning for the future coop and the purchase of the needed tools and materials to the actual construction, this book offers detailed step-by-step instructions to the beginning keeper. Color drawings assist the reader with building  a confined coop, chicken tractor, nesting boxes, portable perches, expanded brooders, A-frame hide, and lean-to hide.In ?Finishing Touches,” Bedwell-Wilson offers some useful and fun advice for chicken keepers as they complete their starter coops. Planting a chicken garden for the birds to forage, building a play area, and adding feeding stations to the coop are some the author’s suggestions. She also discusses the importance of regular cleaning and maintenance?along  with shortcuts and tips to simplify every chore?plus advice about managing pests and predators and seasonal management for the flock.A glossary of terms, resource section, and index are provided.","brand":"Wendy Bedwell-Wilson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49917223928089,"sku":"776","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-935484-77-6.jpg?v=1728461408"},{"product_id":"the-woman-hobby-farmer","title":"The Woman Hobby Farmer","description":"Hobby farming is alive and thriving in semi-rural, suburban, and rural areas across the country, and female farmers have been cited as the fastest growing sector within the farming community in recent years. With more than 1 million women in the United States and Canada describing farming as their primary source of income, and many more for whom hobby farming is just that?a hobby?the time is right for a publication dedicated to hobby farming from a female perspective. Written for women, by a woman, this insightful volume is packed with stories and advice from women hobby farmers and looks at female-specific farming challenges as well as issues that all farmers face.Inside The Woman Hobby Farmer:?Discussions on the who, what, why, and where of hobby farming?Deciding on your farming goals and making a plan?What to expect in your new endeavor?How to decide what to plant and prepare your planting sites?Advice on feeding, caring for, and housing different types of livestock?A look at ?agripreneurship”?running and marketing your hobby farm as a successful business?Stories, quotes, and advice from successful female hobby farmers","brand":"Karen Lanier","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":49790965743897,"sku":"2607W","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/6446\/3129\/files\/978-1-62008-260-7.jpg?v=1728540835"}],"url":"https:\/\/foxchapelpublishing.com\/collections\/overstock-house-home-sustainable-life.oembed","provider":"Fox Chapel Publishing Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}