Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens

Serious poultry farmers and backyard bird raisers have relied on this best-selling reference for more than 20 years. The fourth edition of Gail Damerow's comprehensive handbook is now completely revised and redesigned, making it more accessible and informative than ever. You'll get the most up-to-date details on shelter, food, health care, eggs, chicks, and meat, and recent research into chicken behavior and communication makes the sections on flock management truly authoritative. New color photos and illustrations provide more specificity and information about chicken breeds, anatomy, and health. With 372,000 copies in print, this is the most trusted and comprehensive reference on every aspect of chicken care, housing, feeding, and health care. The full-color new edition features the most current practices and a fresh new design. Gail Damerow has raised chickens for more than four decades and has written extensively about poultry and other livestock, gardening, and rural know-how. Her 17 books include The Chicken Encyclopedia, Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks, and the essential wellness guide for a thriving flock: The Chicken Health Handbook. Preface

1 Choosing a Breed

  Breeds

  Breed Selection

  Purebred versus Hybrid

  Which First – Chicks or Eggs?

  Examining Birds

  Getting Started

2 Fowl Disposition

  Fowl Language

  When the Cock Crows

  Peck Order

  Fowl Intelligence

3 Shelter

  Free Range

  Fenced Range

  Portable Shelters

  Permanent Shelters

  Cages

  Fences

4 Feed and Water

  Water

  The Natural Chicken

  Feed Choices

  Feeding Routines

  Feeders

  Feed Storage

5 Routine Management

  Cannibalism

  Predators

  Weather Considerations

  Coop Cleanup

  Dealing with Manure

  Trimming Procedures

  Handling Chickens

  Enterprise Integration

6 Health Care

  Biosecurity

  Parasites

  Health, Disease, and Disease Resistance

  Poisons and Other Hazards

  First Aid

7 Laying-Hen Management

  Egg Formation

  Layer Nutrition

  Controlled Lighting

  Distinguishing Layers from Liars

  Egg Issues

  Flock Replacement

  Egg Sales

8 Eggs for Eating

  Egg Collection

  Egg Quality

  Egg Safety

  Nutritional Value

  Preserving Eggs

9 Managing a Breeder Flock

  Rise and Fall of Breeds

  Breeding Plan

  Methods of Breeding

  The Gene Connection

  Inbreeding Depression

  Culling for a Healthy, Hardy Flock

  Feeding Breeders

  Mating Logistics

  Artificial Insemination

  Sex Determination

10 Hatching Eggs

  Egg Collection

  Natural Incubation

  Incubating Eggs Artificially

  Candling the Eggs

  The Hatch

  Chick Identification

  Record Keeping

11 Chick Care

  Natural Brooding

  Mechanical Brooders

  Brooder Features

  Feed and Water

  Chick Problems and Solutions

12 Exhibiting Your Chickens

  Why Show?

  Selecting Birds for Show

  Rules of the Game

  Coop Training

  Conditioning

  At the Show

  After the Show

  Become a Master Exhibitor

13 Managing Meat Birds

  Meat Breeds

  Management Methods

  Feeding Meat Birds

  Broiler Health Issues

  Production and Marketing Choices

  Readiness for Butchering

14 Meat on the Table

  Killing

  Picking

  Evisceration

  Cooling

  Cutting Up

  Storing Poultry

  Sanitation and Safety

Glossary

Recommended Reading

Index

Metric Conversion Charts Whether you are raising a few backyard chickens or a flock of 100, this is the book you need to keep your birds healthy and safe. With the most up-to-date information on shelter, food, eggs, chicks, health care, and meat, this time-tested authority can help beginners and seasonsed pros alike find success with a flock. "Not only is Damerow a knowledgeable