Chicken literature?

[Tubaman]

Hi,

I love reading the posts and topics in the forum and I find it all very interesting and informative 17 but for times when I am away from the computer can anyone suggest any literature on keeping/breeding chickens?

What sort of books have people got and read, are there any that you wouldn't be without - the essential chicken keeper's bible!

Would love to know what people suggest as I love a good page turner :mrgreen:

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Tubaman. I find chicken books in cheap book shops and second hand bookshops. The old ones are the best I think and make good reading. But one new book stands out above all the others I have read and I often take it on flights or in waiting rooms -Gale Dumelow's 'Storeys' Guide to Raising Chickens'. Storey's do a series of books on livestock, each with a different author. This large book has everything in it I think and i haven't found a single item to disagree on.

 

[Icemaiden]

Hi Tubaman.
I enjoy Practical Poultry magazine. It's less pink & fluffy than "My Chickens" & you can sometimes get good deals like 5 issues for £5 on the internet from magazine retailers- Unique is one that springs to mind.
Haynes do a chicken manual too which is quite comprehensive (though it doesn't tell you how to give them an oil change) :lol:

 

[Marigold]

A book that I've found invaluable is The Poultry Farmer's and Manager's Veterinary Handbook, see Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1861262612/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1861262612&linkCode=as2&tag=poultrykeeperforum-21
As the title suggests, this is written mainly for commercial poultry farmers, but nevertheless it succeeds in being very readable and clear and useful to those of us who just keep a few birds and want to know how to look after them properly. It emphasises good management practices and disease prevention strategies, and also goes into detail of how to diagnose diseases and infestations and how they can be spread and treated. I've found it a really interesting handbook, useful to anyone, whatever their level of expertise or interest.

Two more that I enjoyed are by David Scrivener, who is a Poultry Show judge and very experienced breeder, Popular Poultry Breeds and Rare Poultry Breeds. See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1847971032/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1847971032&linkCode=as2&tag=poultrykeeperforum-21
And http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1861268890/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1861268890&linkCode=as2&tag=poultrykeeperforum-21
Both books take you through the history and description of each breed, with excellent colour photos. His style is interesting and lively, and these books are worth a read whether you are just wanting to look up something about a specific breed, or are thinking of getting a breed you haven't experienced before.

 

[Tubaman]

Thank you all for the suggestions, have ordered practical poultry as a result....looking forward to the first issue!
17

 

[chrismahon]

Having done a bit more travelling and read a few more books I thought I would add them here.

The good. Raising Chickens for Eggs and Meat by Mike Woolnough ISBN 978-1-904871-42-2. If I wrote a book at this moment in time it would probably turn out something like this. Concise and well structured it covers all aspects the title suggests. The author favours Light Sussex for good reason -I like Wyandottes personally. The only thing I disagree with that stands out in my mind is his treatment of red mite -Jeyes Fluid is very toxic stuff and the thought of soaking a coop in it and replacing the birds after a few hours horrifies me.

The bad (very). Beginner's Guide to Keeping Chickens by Lee Faber ISBN-13:978-1-86147-265-6. I bought this at the beginning of a long and boring sea crossing to the UK, priced at special half price offer of £2.99. I didn't read it all as I rapidly tired of the scanty facts and inaccuracies. Then I got to the absolutely ridiculous. Illnesses covered include "Scaly Leg: Your chickens will have scaly legs. The mites live on the legs under the scales which start to lift up and can give the bird trouble walking. You are probably best off asking the vet about this problem. He will put something on the legs, which effectively suffocates the mites. Dipping their legs in OLD ENGINE OIL is messier, but also does the trick….." £2.99 wasted then!

Practical Poultry is now available as a download apparently. It is cheaper than a standard subscription they tell me, but of course if you start printing copies off it won't be. We're thinking about getting it because the delivery costs over here are very high.

 

[chrismahon]

Another trip and more reading, a lot more than expected because an Air Traffic Control strike in France combined with a Ryanair electrical failure made the return flight 5 ½ hours. Raising Chickens by Gail Dumelow continues to fascinate me. I'm on the section about 'Dominant and Recessive traits' when breeding.

A visit to the Charity Bookshop in Lichfield got me two books. One I had to leave in the UK because of the baggage restrictions, but I read the other.
'Chickens in your Backyard, a beginners guide' by Rick and Gail Lutterman. A 1976 publication ISBN 0-87857-125-6. American in origin and written in a very enlightened, plain speaking and entertaining way. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Whilst they have their way of doing things and I have mine we are not so far apart. The section on 'Roosters' was very informative as was the introduction and 'Words you should know' section. A very good beginners guide I thought and a good buy at £1.99 second hand. Perhaps Amazon has it?

 

[Nitram]

Great thread, gives me a few more books to check out.One I would suggest for beginners like myself is "The joy of keeping chickens" written by Jennifer Megyesi with awesom photos by Geoff Hansen. It is a US book published by Skyhorse Publishing in 2009. It has more then enough info to get one started out right, it is a good starter book, it does not touch in depth on breeding or showing them, but does have enough info to let one decide if they may want to research deeper into breeding or showing. The lady who wrote it started out very small and expanded her flock and shares a lot of personal stories.