˜Theœ Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds

The Hardy, Multipurpose Dominique Chickens That Came To The New World With The Pilgrims And Later Travelled In Pioneer Saddlebags To Help Settle The West Were Once Too Numerous To Count, By 1990 A Mere 500 Hens Survived. This Is But A Single Example Of The Diminishing Diversity Of Farm Animals: Half Of Once-common Livestock Breeds Are Endangered, Others Are Already Extinct. The Need To Preserve Farm Animal Diversity Is Increasingly Urgent, Says The Author Of This Definitive Book On Endangered Breeds Of Livestock And Poultry. Farmyard Animals May Hold Critical Keys For Our Survival, Jan Dohner Warns, And With Each Extinction, Genetic Traits Of Potentially Vital Importance To Our Agricultural Future Or To Medical Progress Are Forever Lost. This Comprehensive Book Features: * Complete Information On The History, Characteristics, Qualities, And Traits Of 138 Endangered Livestock Breeds (goats, Sheep, Swine, Cattle, Horses, Other Equines) And 53 Poultry Breeds (chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese) * Where These Breeds May Be Seen Today * The Degree Of Rarity Of Each Breed In The United States, United Kingdom, And Canada * Information On Feral Livestock Populations * 160 Colour Photographs And Over 80 Black And White Photos And Historical Illustrations The hardy, multipurpose Dominique chickens that came to the New World with the Pilgrims and later traveled in pioneer saddlebags to help settle the West were once too numerous to count; by 1990 a mere 500 hens survived. This is but a single example of the diminishing diversity of farm animals: half of once-common livestock breeds are endangered, others are already extinct. The need to preserve farm animal diversity is increasingly urgent, says the author of this definitive book on endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. Farmyard animals may hold critical keys for our survival, Jan Dohner warns, and with each extinction, genetic traits of potentially vital importance to our agricultural future or to medical progress are forever lost. This comprehensive book features: bull; complete information on the history, characteristics, qualities, and traits of 138 endangered livestock breeds (goats, sheep, swine, cattle, horses, other equines) and 53 poultry breeds (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese) bull; where these breeds may be seen today bull; the degree of rarity of each breed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada bull; information on feral livestock populations bull; 160 color photographs and over 80 black and white photos and historical illustrations "The need to preserve farm animal diversity is increasingly urgent, says the author of this definitive book on endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. Farmyard animals may hold critical keys for our survival, Jan Dohner warns, and with each extinction, genetic traits of potentially vital importance to our agricultural future or to medical progress are forever lost."--Jacket Contents 7 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 13 Abbreviations and Symbols 14 1.Rare on the Farm 16 2. Humans and Animals 22 3. Goats 34 4. Sheep 78 5. Swine 174 6. Cattle 214 7. Equines 308 8. Poultry 416 9. Preserving a Future 490 Appendix 1. Selected Organizations and Journals 501 Appendix 2. Where to See Rare and Historical Breeds 504 Bibliography 507 Index 511