Heinrichs - The How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need to Know, Updated & Revised

HOW TO RAISE

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

CHRISTINE HEINRICHS

First published in 2013 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Copyright 2007, 2013 by Christine Heinrichs

Softcover edition published in 2007. Digital edition published in 2013.

All photographs are from the authors collection unless noted otherwise.

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

FFA and the FFA emblem are registered trademarks of the National FFA Organization and is used under license.

Use of the FFA mark and name does not represent an endorsement by the FFA of this product or an endorsement by FFA of the manufacturer or provider of this product.

The contents of this book were reviewed and approved by Dr. Clint Rusk, Associate Professor of the Youth Development and Ag. Education Department at Purdue University, in accordance with industry standards.

We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only.

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Digital Edition: 978-1-61058-677-1
Softcover Edition: 978-0-7603-4377-7

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Editor: Jordan Wiklund

Design Manager: James Kegley

Cover design by: Carol Holtz

Design by: Mandy Kimlinger

Photo credits

Front cover: Shutterstock

CIP data on file with the Library of Congress

W hen I wrote the first edition of this book in 2006, chickens were unusual, even quirky, in contemporary life. The time was right, though. Since the book was published in 2007, chickens have become the latest addition to households, schools, and community gardens. Theyve been called the mascot of the local-food movement.

When I first brought chickens to my backyard in San Jose, California, in the 1980shigh-tech Silicon Valleys halcyon daysvisitors often remarked, Ive always wanted to have chickens.

Writing this book was a gift that blessed my life every day. The opportunity to spend my time writing about chickens was one I had long hoped for. Chicken people are the most interesting and helpful group of people I have encountered. A phone call from a chicken person always brightens my day. I am grateful to all who called me with comments, ideas, suggestions, and problems. Every one of them enriched me.

They eagerly shared their knowledge and photos with me. Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch is the reigning expert on heritage breeds and how far industrial breeds have departed from them. Tomas Condon; Don Monke, president of the Wyandotte Breeders of America; Christopher McCary of the American Buckeye Poultry Club; Ethel Ealson; Jim Ward; Lyle Behl and his daughter Suzanne Behl Daugherty; Cyndy Carroll of Syrinx Farm in Monroe, Georgia; Christopher Wallen, Joseph Marquette, and Robert Gibson of Yellow House Farm in New Hampshire; and Susan Nicolas all have my deep gratitude. Gina Bisco educated me on Chantecler down. Christophe Deneve of Mouscron, Belgium, explained that towns chicken policy. Dennis Harrison-Noonan is a chicken coop designer and builder extraordinaire. Karl Hammer of Vermont Composting Company demonstrated how chickens can be welcome farm workers.

Mary Ann Harley contributed her reliable good nature. Jeremy Trost offered support, kind words, and his creative touch to matters both poultry and literary. Barry Kofflers website, www.feathersite.com, has been a resource and an inspiration. His comments have often straightened out my confusion. Jennifer Floyd shared her antique poultry library with me, copying many items so that I could have them to refer to.

Other writers have published books about chickens since then. They have become friends as well as colleagues. Im honored to be in the company of writers such as Patricia Foreman, Kelly Klober, Harvey Ussery, and Horst Schmudde. Horst generously shared photos and lore about the Oriental Gamefowl, on which he is the authority. Harvey shared his experience with deep-litter management and his hands-on caponizing.

I met many people along the way. Jim McLaughlin and Judith Kleinberg helped me on issues of small-flock processing, a bottleneck issue between small producers and consumers. Todd Wickstrom of Heritage Foods USA took time from his busy day to help me understand the role his company is creating for itself as a food broker to connect small producers with their customers.

Ron Kean, University of Wisconsin Extension Poultry Specialist, answered so many questions for me. His enthusiasm for teaching and for poultry is an asset to the universitys poultry program. Im grateful he invited me to speak to his Poultry Consortium Center of Excellence class and join them for lunch afterward. Cherrie Nolden helped me at library presentations about chickens. She shared her knowledge of practical poultry raising along with the knowledge she was gaining as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. Rob Porter, DVM, avian pathologist for Wisconsin, shared information he developed to help small-flock owners for the Health chapter.

K. J. Theodore graciously shared her medical and scientific knowledge, beyond the extensive material on her website, www.shagbarkbantams.com. Dave Lewis answered my questions on breeding and culling. Elizabeth Gering brought me up to date on the chickens enjoying life at Madisons Troy Gardens.

Elaine Belanger, editor of Backyard Poultry, helped provide an outlet for my chicken writings. We share a sense of humor that often lightens my day.

Ted Feitshans of North Carolina State Universitys Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics enlightened me on voluntary agricultural districts and other legal strategies to keep agricultural land in use. He went further and read and improved the chapter on that subject.

Karen Dunn, Information Services Librarian at Steenbock Memorial Library, University of WisconsinMadison, went far beyond her job to seek out references and help me learn the skills I needed to take advantage of them. Her patience and good humor are exceptional. Maia McNamama, a reference librarian at the Madison Public Library, extended to me the first invitation to give a public presentation on chickens. It was unique for the library to echo with a roosters crow. Her talent for connecting people helped me more than once. Stacey McKim explained digital images in terms even I could understand.

Friends are invaluable. Susan McElhinney, Jan Gibbons-Ohr, Sharon Guynup, Sharon Wilson, Laura Paskus, and Melissa Miller Young cheered me on. Mary Zanonis warmth and good humor inspired me further. Kay and Cheryl Nelson read chapters and commented, always tactfully. Ed Hart of Cattails Farm in Illinois sent me the Dorking and Icelandic eggs that provided the nucleus of my backyard flock.