Family Breeding Digest Magazine 2021 Upd

By the Editors of Homestead Heritage Press

Ridgely argued that the American Poultry Association’s standard for a perfect Silkie (five toes, walnut comb) or the perfect Nigerian Dwarf (specific height limits) has no correlation with maternal instinct, parasite resistance, or foraging ability. She wrote: “You are not breeding for a photograph. You are breeding for a 3 AM snowstorm, a dog attack, a failed hay harvest. The 2021 family breeder must prioritize the ‘triple threat’: fertility, feed conversion, and temperament. Everything else is decoration.” This article generated more angry letters to the editor than any other in 2021—and more thank-you notes a year later when those who followed her advice had surviving herds, while those who bred for “ribbons” had empty barns. For the data-driven breeder, the 2021 issues provided charts and benchmarks that remain useful today. Table 1: Minimum Breeding Herd Sizes (2021 Recommendations) | Species | Minimum Trio (Male/Female) | Absolute Minimum to Avoid Inbreeding Depression | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Chickens | 1:10 | 3:30 (with rotation) | | Ducks | 1:4 | 2:12 | | Rabbits | 1:4 | 3:15 | | Goats (Dairy) | 1:6 | 2:20 | | Sheep (Hair) | 1:8 | 2:25 | | Pigs (Pastured) | 1:3 | 2:10 | Table 2: Cost Per Head to Raise a Replacement Breeder (US Averages, 2021) | Species | Feed to 6 mos | Vet/Supplies | Total 2021 Cost | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Chicken (pullet) | $3.20 | $1.50 | $4.70 | | Meat Rabbit | $12.50 | $4.00 | $16.50 | | Goat (doe kid) | $85.00 | $25.00 | $110.00 | | Lamb (ewe) | $120.00 | $35.00 | $155.00 |

If you are lucky enough to find a copy at a farm auction or a library discard sale, grab it. Not because it is rare, but because in an age of disposable internet advice, that magazine had weight. It taught families how to build living, breathing, breeding legacies. family breeding digest magazine 2021

These tables became so popular that the magazine sold a laminated wall poster of them for $14.95 in late 2021. What set Family Breeding Digest apart from commercial farming magazines was its “Breeder’s Exchange” section. In 2021, this section grew from two pages to eight.

appear on eBay and Etsy for $25–$40 per issue, or $150 for the full year set. Digital PDFs of the 2021 volume were briefly available on the magazine’s Gumroad store, but as of 2025, those have been taken down due to copyright reversion to individual authors. By the Editors of Homestead Heritage Press Ridgely

Show-ring standards are actively destroying small-farm genetics.

Whether you are a new homesteader trying to hatch your first eggs under a broody hen, or a seasoned shepherd designing a linebreeding chart for your third generation of dairy goats, the wisdom contained in those 2021 pages remains startlingly fresh. The 2021 family breeder must prioritize the ‘triple

And that never goes out of print. Have a memory of the 2021 issues? Share your story in the comments below. And for ongoing advice, follow the unofficial Family Breeding Digest alumni group on MeWe.