The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds

The main aim of this volume is to preserve genetic diversity in domestic livestock by setting out, in some detail, information about those breeds of farmyard animals which are endangered. The book provides a detailed guide to the history, characteristics and traits of 138 livestock breeds and 53 poultry breeds, including goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, horses and asses, chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.

The book begins with a study of the relationship, over centuries, between man and domesticated animals, with explanations of the complex biological process of domestication. Such a process goes back a very long way – witness the...