Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10552 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Carol Ekarius is the author of Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, as well as several books on small-scale farming. Carol and her husband live with their many critters in Hartsel, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Too much
This book is more for the professional builder then for the do it yourself. I would bother with this one unless you have the skills to build it.

A fantastic, absolutely FANTASTIC book!
I bought Carol's book about two years ago; now it's battered and ragged because it's been hauled around the farm so much, propped up on things as we use its designs to make new stuff. This is one of my all-time favorites. If you live on a small farm and you're a do-it-yourselfer, you NEED this book!

Love this book!
This book is absolutely fantastic for those who are just starting out. There are plans and pictures for every style and taste you may be searching for. It's easy to read...with great graphics.