Just as gardeners who save seed from their gardens to grow again the next year find their plants ever more adapted to the local soils and climate, so too will poultry keepers who breed their own birds create healthier and more productive flocks.
Small-scale breeding gets more attention in this revised version of Virginia homesteader Harvey Ussery’s encyclopedic guide to raising chickens and other fowl. “I hope many of my readers will be inspired to breed their own stock,” he says. “I have expanded the discussion of using natural mothers to raise the hatchlings produced by your breeders. There is no joy like it, especially if you have children to share the miracle.”
Usury has also included new material on clan mating systems, Icelandic chickens, chicken runs, and mobile shelters like chicken tractors, eggmobiles, and pasture pens.