Raising Animals for Fiber


Book Description

Fiber farmer Chris McLaughlin offers a comprehensive guide to raising sheep, goats, angora rabbits, and alpacas for wool. With practical information on breeds, housing, feed, breeding, heath care, shearing, and more, Chris helps the reader to decide which species will best serve their lifestyle criteria and needs.




Raising Animals for Fiber


Book Description

• A comprehensive guide to raising sheep, goats, angora rabbits, and alpacas for producing fiber • Provides practical information on housing, fencing, feed, grooming, shearing, plucking, basic health care, breeding and birthing • Includes a comparison of popular breeds and how their fiber differs from breed to breed • Features a frank discussion of the energy and commitment that it takes to raise livestock, and how much room and land each animal species will need • Contains essential biosecurity practices to prevent spreading pests and infectious animal diseases, as well as advice on hand spinning and crafts to utilize your homegrown fiber




Livestock


Book Description

Most livestock in America currently live in cramped and unhealthy confinement, have few stable social relationships with humans or others of their species, and finish their lives by being transported and killed under stressful conditions. In Livestock, Erin McKenna allows us to see this situation and presents alternatives. She interweaves stories from visits to farms, interviews with producers and activists, and other rich material about the current condition of livestock. In addition, she mixes her account with pragmatist and ecofeminist theorizing about animals, drawing in particular on John Dewey’s account of evolutionary history, and provides substantial historical background about individual species and about human-animal relations. This deeply informative text reveals that the animals we commonly see as livestock have rich evolutionary histories, species-specific behaviors, breed tendencies, and individual variation, just as those we respect in companion animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. To restore a similar level of respect for livestock, McKenna examines ways we can balance the needs of our livestock animals with the environmental and social impacts of raising them, and she investigates new possibilities for human ways of being in relationships with animals. This book thus offers us a picture of healthier, more respectful relationships with livestock.




Fiber Farming 101


Book Description

"Fiber Farming 101: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Animals for Yarn" is a comprehensive and accessible manual crafted for individuals eager to embark on the rewarding journey of fiber farming. Tailored for beginners, this guide demystifies the art of raising animals specifically for their luxurious fibers. From sheep to alpacas and rabbits, readers will learn the essentials of animal husbandry, breed selection, and ethical fiber harvesting practices. With practical insights, step-by-step instructions, and real-world anecdotes, "Fiber Farming 101" empowers aspiring fiber farmers to create a sustainable and ethical fiber production system. From tending to the animals' well-being to processing and spinning their fibers, this guide covers every aspect of the fiber farming process. Whether dreaming of cultivating your own yarn or simply interested in sustainable agriculture, "Fiber Farming 101" provides a holistic and beginner-friendly approach to turning the dream of raising animals for yarn into a rewarding reality.




The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook


Book Description

This one-of-a-kind encyclopedia shines a spotlight on more than 200 animals and their wondrous fleece. Profiling a worldwide array of fiber-producers that includes northern Africa’s dromedary camel, the Navajo churro, and the Tasmanian merino, Carol Ekarius and Deborah Robson include photographs of each animal’s fleece at every stage of the handcrafting process, from raw to cleaned, spun, and woven. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is an artist’s handbook, travel guide, and spinning enthusiast’s ultimate reference source all in one.




On the Farm


Book Description

A collection of moving and soulful portraits of beloved farm animals, alongside surprising facts, entertaining anecdotes, and captivating histories of these heritage breeds on American farms. “The beauty and breadth of heritage animal breeds is on full display in this delightful and gorgeous book.”—Isabella Rossellini, actress and author of My Chickens and I Animal lovers, homesteaders, eco-conscious consumers, and fans of beautiful photography alike will cherish the charm of On the Farm’s stunning portraits and stories. With over 150 photographs, renowned animal photographer Aliza Eliazarov invites us to take a closer look at the animal breeds taking center stage in the regenerative farming movement. Along with fun facts about the domesticated animals who have shaped and changed our world—goats, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and farm dogs—On the Farm features sometimes quirky, sometimes harrowing personal tales of amazing animals. Meet Bilbo, the donkey in love with truck tires; Kurt, the diminutive Angora goat with a miraculous birth story;and Princess Peppermint, an anxious pig with a taste for cocktails. The focus on rare and heritage breeds will enlighten and inform you about the astonishing variety of livestock and poultry, as well as the impact that the loss of this biodiversity is having on global food security. Equal parts fine art and field guide, shot entirely on location at small farms and homesteads, On the Farm delivers us to the pastoral with an enjoyable meditation on the animals that civilization has grown alongside.




Guide on How to Raise Animal for Fiber


Book Description

Some of us go for traditional textiles for yarn-focused crafts like knitting, crocheting, and weaving as well as spinning, embroidery, needlepoint, needle felting, wet felting, and fiber dying raising backyard or hobby farm fiber animals continues to rise in popularity. Inside this book, you will learn the comprehensive introduction to raising livestock for wool. this handbook focuses on different fiber animal species to tackle all your questions and curiosities. If you've been considering raising your own animals for fiber, then GUIDE ON How To Raise Animal For Fiber is your go-to reference. Get a copy now and learn more....




Shearing Day


Book Description




Ultimate Guide to Hobby Farm Animals


Book Description

· Extensive sections devoted to the seven major farm animals, including profiles of the most popular breeds and varieties · Detailed how-to chapters on the care, handling, feeding, health, and safety of each animal · Special chapters devoted to the breeding and raising of young animals · Recommendations for ways of capitalizing on your livestock's output, from selling eggs, milk, fiber, and so forth · Tips for troubleshooting potential problems and warding off diseases, parasites, and predators · New edition vetted and updated by Dr. Mark McConnon DVM, hobby farm professionals and veterinarians for the most up-to-date information available on the market for shelter, care, health, medicine, nutrition, behavior, marketing, and profit




The Good Living Guide to Keeping Sheep and Other Fiber Animals: Housing, Feeding, Sh


Book Description

A comprehensive and inspiring guide small-scale fiber farming and wool crafting. Fiber crafts—such as knitting, weaving, and crocheting—continue to surge in popularity, with sites like Ravelry (a social media community for the wool obsessed) gaining more than six million members. Artists are seeking quality raw materials in greater numbers. The cottage industry of supplying not only raw fleece, but handcrafted yarns, is strong. Janet Garman has a small fiber flock (including Pygora fiber goats) and shares her expertise, as well as interviews, tips, and advice from fiber farmers and craftspeople across the country. In these pages, readers will learn the basics of properly raising sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and rabbits, with tips on selecting animals, feeding, housing, breeding, and healthcare. From there, instructions are provided for shearing, sorting, skirting, washing, picking, carding, combing, and spinning the wool. Enthusiasts will also find recipes and instructions for natural, plant-based dyes and advice for selling your finished yarn. The proper care of fiber animals leads to a superior yarn product. Lapses in good care can show up in the fleece. As the demand for quality yarn and fiber grows, more people are becoming concerned with the animals’ treatment and care. Give your animals a good home and a happy life and enjoy superior fleece and yarn products for your own homestead or to sell.