The Backyard Chicken Bible: The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens PDF
Preview The Backyard Chicken Bible: The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens
THE BACKYARD CHICKEN BIBLE the complete guide to raising chickens ERIC LOFGREN Living Ready BOOKS IOLA, WISCONSIN www.LivingReadyOnline.com Thanks A special thanks to my mother, who, with her love and support throughout the years, has made this book possible. Dedication This book is dedicated to all the young boys and girls out there who have a dream of raising chickens. Don’t give up on your dream. Table of Contents THANKS AND DEDICATION PREFACE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: LET’S TALK CHICKENESE Learning a New Language Poultry Terminology Common Abbreviations USDA Poultry Classifications Cage Free Free Range Antibiotic Free Hormone Free Chemical Free Natural Naturally Raised Vegetarian Fed Certified Organic Certified Humane American Humane Certified United Egg Producers Certified Food Alliance Certified Animal Welfare Approved CHAPTER 2: PREPARING TO KEEP CHICKENS Poultry Economics What Chickens Need What Chickens Eat Treats and Goodies Selecting a Breed Rhode Island Red New Hampshire Red Barred Plymouth Rock Delaware Ameraucana Leghorn Sex-Links Cornish Cross Building a Coop Nest Boxes Artificial Lighting Weather Extremes Avoiding Predators Gardening with Poultry Composting with Chickens CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED WITH CHICKS All About Chicks Setting Up Your Brooder The Life Stages of Chickens 0 to 6 Weeks of Age 6 to 14 Weeks of Age 14 to 22 Weeks of Age Young Adults Broody Hens Surrogacy Breaking a Broody Hen Moving a Broody Hen All About Eggs How an Egg Is Formed Color Versus Taste Egg Freshness and Storage Incubating Eggs Some Basic Rules Egg Viability Heat Source Egg Turning Humidity Candling Lockdown Hatching After the Hatch Keeping Records Dos and Don’ts Uh Oh, What Happened? Fall Chicks CHAPTER 4: MAINTAINING YOUR FLOCK Hierarchy of Poultry Society Bringing in New Birds Transitioning Chicks and Chickens Changing a Flock’s Dynamics Poultry Personality Aggressive Roosters Bathing and Grooming Your Chickens Clipping Wings Trimming Toenails Trimming Beaks Spurs Molting Why Have They Stopped Laying? Genetics Sex-Links and Auto-Sexing Crossbreeding CHAPTER 5: POULTRY DISEASES AND AILMENTS Is There a Doctor in the House? Parasites Worms Mites and Lice Scaly Leg Mites Stick-Tight Fleas Ailments Curled Toes Pasty Butt Slipped Achilles Tendon Spraddle Leg Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies Flip-Over Syndrome Water Belly Diseases Aflatoxicosis Avian Influenza Bumblefoot Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) Coccidiosis Fowl Pox Infectious Bronchitis Infectious Coryza Marek’s Disease Newcastle Disease Respiratory Fungal Infections Sinusitis Other Problems Botulism Ethylene Glycol Poisoning Impacted Crop and Flush White Birds Turning Yellow Cannibalism Medications Vaccines Injectables and Ingestibles Tablets and Capsules Solubles Other Medicines National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) APPENDIX A: CHICKENS AND CHILDREN APPENDIX B: FUN WAYS TO USE YOUR EGGS Hard-Boiling Fresh Eggs Blowing Out Eggs Natural Egg Dyes Alternative Egg Dyes Egg in a Bottle APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The list of books you might like
