Award-winning author Temple Grandin is famous for her groundbreaking approach to decoding animal behavior. Now she extends her expert guidance to small-scale farming operations. Grandin's fascinating explanations of how herd animals think - describing their senses, fears, instincts, and memories - and how to analyze their behavior, will help you handle your livestock more safely and effectively. You'll learn to become a skilled observer of animal movement and behavior, and detailed illustrations will help you set up simple and efficient facilities for managing a small herd of 3 to 25 cattle or pigs, or 5 to 100 goats or sheep. Revered animal behavior expert Temple Grandin offers small-scale farmers of all levels her unique insights into cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, along with practical guidance on how to safely and humanely move, handle, and restrain livestock.
Temple Grandin is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human, as well as Thinking in Pictures, Humane Livestock Handling, Improving Animal Welfare, and The Autistic Brain. Dr. Grandin's humane livestock facility designs have been adopted all over the world, and she is a consultant on animal welfare to several segments of the fast food industry. Her work has been featured on NPR, 60 Minutes, and The Today Show and in the New York Times and Time and Discover magazines. The story of her life was made into an Emmy Award-winning HBO movie titled Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Expert Knowledge for Small Farms
Keep your animals calm and safe with Temple Grandin's groundbreaking insights and methods, now tailored specifically for small farms. Understand the behavior, fears, and instincts of cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep, and set up the most humane, healthy, and productive systems and facilities on your farm.
Farm Smarter with Dr. Grandin's Principles:
- Gather and drive your herd by working with grazing animals' instincts for avoiding predators.
- Move your herd at the pace of its slowest member.
- The leader of the herd or flock is usually not the dominant animal.
- Moving sheep through a gate is like siphoning water; never break the flow of their follow-the-leader instinct.
- Prevent many serious behavior problems by raising young animals in social groups with other animals. Introduction
Part One: Understanding Animal Nature
1: How Animals Perceive the World
2: Genetics and Learned Behavior
Part Two: Handling Livestock Humanely and Safely
3: Working in Pastures and Pens
4: Moving Animals through Chutes and Handling Facilities
Part Three: Focus on Facilities
5: Building or Buying Handling Facilities
6: Corral Layouts
7: Caring for Animals at the End
Additional Reading
Web Resources
Index
