Ruth Heller’s prose and pictures are the perfect means for discovering the variety of oviparous animals and their unique ways of laying eggs.”A highly original book, on the improbable subject of eggs…Simple enough for three-year-olds, and complex enough for those considerably older.” –The New Yorker”Bold, bright illustrations complement the informative text…A touch of humor and rhyme leave youngsters with a wealth of information–and an impressive new vocabulary word.” –The Mailbox

Language Notes
Text: Spanish Original Language: English
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The most comprehensive full-color chicken book available. Finally backyard farmers who want to keep a few hens for eggs have a bible that’s attractive enough to leave out on the coffee table, and inexpensive enough to purchase on a whim. This comprehensive guide, written in charming prose from the perspective of an organic farmer, will appeal to readers who are interested in raising chickens, or simply want the best knowledge about how to cook them. With this in mind, farmer and animal expert Jennifer Megyesi discusses all the basic details of raising the birds—general biology, health, food, choosing breeds, and so on—and she cuts through the smoke to identify what terms like “organic,” “free-range,” and so on really mean for poultry farmers and consumers.No chicken book would be complete without information on how to show chickens for prizes, and this is no different, but The Joy of Keeping Chickens also stresses the importance of self-sustainability (more…)

ReviewThe Country Today (Eau Claire, WI), March 28, 2007 “No matter if you’re a neophyte in animal ownership or a seasoned farmer with years of experience, you’ll learn something in these ‘how-to’ books. Best of all, they are approved by the FFA, which means you can feel good about handing them to your future farmer.”                                                                                                                                                                   Midwest Book Review, April 2007 “How to Raise Chickens is a comprehensive manual for novice and experienced chicken raisers … an all-inclusive guide, written in straightforward terms to be accessible to readers of all backgrounds … an absolute ‘must-have’ for anyone considering the practice.”   Backyard Poultry Magazi (more…)

From Booklist
Chickens are hot right now, as attested by articles on backyard chickens in the Wall Street Journal and House and Garden (not to mention Martha Stewart and her palatial henhouses). Kilarski is a self-proclaimed “city chick,” and her approach to chicken keeping reflects this background. This is a book for people who want to keep chickens in the city or suburbs, not for those with large flocks in the country. Kilarski also makes an important point–keeping chickens in this context really means keeping hens, as roosters with their crowing are generally illegal in urban areas. In eight short chapters, the author covers the basics of chicken keeping, including feeds and feeding, coop and henhouse design, breeds that are suitable for backyard flocks, and recipes featuring the fresh eggs that the hens will provide. Sidebars offer factoids about chickens and poultry keeping. The text is profusely illustrated with period advertisements and includes a color gallery of (more…)

From Booklist
Although most people think the term poultry refers to chickens, it also includes other domesticated farm birds, such as ducks, geese, and turkeys. Livestock breeder Ekarius covers all these birds and more in her colorful guide to poultry varieties. After an introductory chapter on poultry genetics and breeding, the author begins with the most numerous of poultry, the chickens. She takes a breed-by-breed look at each type, divided into the laying breeds, the meat breeds, and the ornamental breeds. A short write-up describes the breed, giving a little of its history and development. Boxed facts list the poultry show class, the size, details of the feather color, comb and wattles, place of origin, conservation status (many breeds are rare or endangered), and any special qualities. Waterfowl, turkeys, and other birds, such as guinea fowl, ostriches, and pigeons, each receive similar treatment. Beautiful photographs illustrate each breed. An extensive glossary, a

From Library Journal
These two new books are targeted at anyone with a couple of acres (and even city dwellers where ordinances permit) who would like to raise a few farm animals for meat, milk, eggs, or simply enjoyment. Both volumes are intended for beginners and are written by nonexperts who nonetheless can offer a great deal of practical information and advice based on their own experiences. Peck-Whiting and her family have dabbled in raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, pigs, and cows on their country homestead in the mountains of northern Washington. In Farm Animals, she devotes at least a chapter or two to each of these species while saving the most space for pigs. (She previously wrote Pigs and Other Stories.) The author crams her book with personal anecdotes, enthusiastically sharing the successes and failures of her ventures in a casual, down-to-earth style. While Farm Animals gives readers a relatively quick survey of a variety of livestock and (more…)

From Booklist
The editor of Rural Heritage has written a first-rate guide for the small producer interested in healthful meat and eggs as well as the exotic breed fancier raising birds for show. Having published a number of general guides to backyard poultry, including one for children, Damerow here concentrates on everything that can go wrong: diseases; problems associated with keeping birds in close quarters or caging them; litter; cannibalism; vitamin deficiency, resulting in poor molting; incubators that are too hot or too cold; predators; and the invasions of rats. She stresses that the best preventative measures involve protecting one’s flock against outside influences (such as wild birds or other chickens), careful culling, and balanced nutrition. Damerow is a good writer, carefully walking the line between insulting the reader’s intelligence, a flaw with many books of this sort, and giving more technical information than growers need. Her discussion of how one keep (more…)

From the Back Cover
Bring your chickens home to roost in comfort and style! Whether you’re keeping one hen in a small backyard or 1,000 hens in a large free-range pasture, you will find the perfect housing plan in this comprehensive handbook. Author and farmer Judy Pangman combed the country to select these 45 plans for housing both laying hens and meat birds (chickens or turkeys). The coops range from fashionable backyard structures featured in the annual Seattle Tilth City Chickens Tour and the Mad City Chickens Tour in Madison, Wisconsin, to the large-scale, moveable structures Joel Salatin has fashioned for Polyface Farm in Virginia. You’ll also find plans for converting trailer frames, greenhouses, and backyard sheds; low-budget alternatives for working with found and recycled materials; and simple ways to make waterers, feeders, and nestboxes. A gallery of color photographs provides other creative ideas to get you going. With basic building skills, a little elbow gr (more…)

The striking images in Extraordinary Chickens showed that “the world of chickens is a world of wonders” (New York Times Book Review). Now, in a follow-up to the extraordinarily successful first book from Stephen Green-Armytage, the photographer presents 61 breeds and 5 species, including 14 breeds not previously included in the first book, a new series of chicken couples, and virtually all new images. Capturing with his camera chickens of all sizes, shapes, and colors, he illuminates gorgeous feather patterns worthy of French fabric designers, as well as elaborate wattles, elegant crests, and many other details. Through his exquisite photographs, he captures the surprising and expressive personality of these amazing creatures. Included are breeds developed in Japan, Malaysia, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Poland, Australia, South America, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere. For breeders and enthusiasts, this volume will be a treasure they must (more…)

Do you raise chickens as part of the family or as a livelihood? Are you looking for helpful information to provide the best care for your chickens? Or are you just curious to learn more about this popular animal? Choosing and Keeping Chickens provides detailed information about the most prevalent types of chickens. Learn all about their appearance, key traits, general temperament, health concerns, and estimated life span. This book also describes characteristics of the eggs laid by each type of chicken as well as birds that best mix with each breed, so you can make better choices in setting up your coops. Seasonal guides detail the changing needs of chickens over the course of a year and reveal what every chicken keeper should look for as well as how to best arrange chicken housing during various climates. Whether you seek help with your chicken keeping, or just want to know more about chickens, Choosing and Keeping Chickens can help you beco (more…)