Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition

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