living with chickens PB 1/30/09 10:41 AM Page 1 NATURE $16.95 ($24.95 in Canada) RR “Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!” OO Chickens—why not? Tens of thousands of people in all areas of the country —Pat Malone, president of the American Poultry Association enjoy raising these birds, whether for food or companionship. Of course, SS you may want to read LIVING WITH CHICKENSjust for the sheer joy of it. SS Straightforward prose and illustrations give any future chicken farmer the tools he II EE or she needs to get started. Jay Rossier draws on his own experiences and those of RR his fellow poultrymen in discussing everything from feeding and housing the birds to keeping marauders from invading the coop. Personal anecdotes, interesting facts, and lush, full-color photographs round out this indispensable guide. LL JAY ROSSIER, coauthor of A New Lease On Farmlandand a contributor to Northern II Woodlands magazine, looks after various fowls with his wife and children at their VV home in Vermont. GEOFF HANSEN’S photographs have appeared in Newsweek, USA Today, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe. He lives in Vermont with his II wife and daughter. NN GG “LIVINGWITHCHICKENSwill help birds and their owners live in harmony and health.” ww —Stephen Green-Armytage,Extraordinary Chickens ii tt “Beautifully realized with superb photographs—chock full of hh information—a chicken aficionado's delight.” —Mark Lewis,The Natural History of the Chicken CC “A wonderful book,the most comprehensive and easily-digested book HH about chickens I’ve come across. Anyone with an interest in chickens will be advised to toss the other books and keep this one.” —The Valley News II CC “An uncommonly beautiful book to look at,with just enough lore about these underappreciated animals to keep those of us entertained,who,in KK the end,will leave the nuggeteering to someone else.” —The Arkansas Times EE “An excellent introduction to chicken basics.” NN —Library Journal SS Cover photograph by Geoff Hansen; colorized by Peter Blossom Cover design by Yann Keesing 00013 U EEvveerryytthhiinngg YYoouu NNeeeedd ttoo KKnnooww ttoo $16.95 P C ISBN 1-59228-013-7 6 6081301695 9 RRaaiissee YYoouurr OOwwnn BBaacckkyyaarrdd FFlloocckk 51695> THE LYONS PRESS E Guilford, CT 06437 A THE N www.LyonsPress.com 9 781592280131 The Lyons Press is an imprint LYONS JAY ROSSIER • Photographs by GEOFF HANSEN of The Globe Pequot Press PRESS 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page i I V I N L G a w i th A S N C HIC K E 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page ii 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page iii V I I N L G a w i t h A S N C E HIC K everything you need to know to raise your own backyard flock j J u Jay Rossier Photographs by Geoff Hansen Introduction by the American Poultry Association, Inc. j J u The Lyons Press Guilford, Connecticut An Imprint of The Globe Pequot Press 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page iv F Previous Page:A group of hens and roosters race out for their morning breakfast at Lianne Thomashow’s home in Strafford, Vermont. About six months after moving to Vermont from Brooklyn, New York, Thomashow started her flock, and she now has a dozen chickens on her quarter-acre lot in the village. Copyright © 2002, 2004 by Jay Rossier Photographs copyright © 2002 Geoff Hansen ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to The Lyons Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437. The Lyons Press is an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press. 10 9 8 7 6 5 Printed in China Cover Design: Yann Keesing Illustrations: Greg Crawford Text Design: M. A. Dube Sidebar engravings: www.arttoday.com ISBN 978-1-59228-013-1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page v To Andy, Sam, and Liam 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page vi 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page vii C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi Chapter 1 The Charm of Chickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Chapter 2 Where Your Chickens Will Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Chapter 3 Getting Eggs to Hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Chapter 4 Raising Chicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Chapter 5 Buying Adult Chickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Chapter 6 Feeding Your Chickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Chapter 7 Hens and Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Chapter 8 Butchering Your Meat Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Chapter 9 The Health of Your Chickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 Chapter 10 Chickens and Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163 Appendixes Chicken Breeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171 Hatcheries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Equipment and Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 Cooperative Extension Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197 F Opposite:An apple tree frames Tom Powers’ chicken house in South Royalton, Vermont. Built in 1983, the building is too far from the main house, according to Powers: “I’ve had to dig a 100-foot path through the snow ten times some winters.” O o vii 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page viii 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev: 01-LWChick i-xvi,1-47rev 1/30/09 9:01 AM Page ix A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S FORMANYREASONSTHISBOOKOWESITSEXISTENCEto the patience, persistence, and good humor of Ann Treistman of The Lyons Press. Many thanks also to Geoff Hansen for his photographs and friendship, and The Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, for the use of theirspace. Many friends and acquaintances have shared their chicken experiences with me and helped in other ways, but I had particularly valuable assistance from Gerry Coleman, Alex Keats, Bob Machin, and Mary Hays. Finally, many thanks to MaryAnn Dubé for her design, and to Kevin Lynch and Chris Mongillo at Lyons for their hard work on the production of this book. —Jay Rossier THANKSAREDUETOCHICKENFARMERSCarrie Maynard, Tom Powers and Lianne Thomashow, the Vermont Bird Fanciers Club, author Jay Rossier, and especially editor Ann Treistman at The Lyons Press. —Geoff Hansen, Photographer F Opposite:One of Lianne Thomashow’s birds, spending an afternoon in the chicken coop on a cold afternoon. O o ix