Farmers and fanciers keep an astonishing variety of poultry breeds and these birds provide meat and eggs to nourish us and feathers to keep us warm. Their quirky personalities and charming good looks make them farnyard favourites. They inspire passionate devotion from show breeders and provide a living for farmers. Presented here, breed by breed, are more than 120 farnyard fowl - from chickens and turkeys to emus and pheasants. For each animal, readers will find stunning colour photography, a brief history, and a detailed description. The identifying characteristics included for each breed are: class (standard and bantam); size (for cocks and hens); appearance of comb, wattles, and earlobes; colour (everything from black-breasted red to silver laced); place of origin; conservation status; and special qualities (including longevity, size and quantity of eggs, quality of meat, and other relevant uses). Author Carol Ekarius provides enough information to satisfy both the dedicated browser and the serious farmer weighing the pros and cons of multiple breeds. Now farmers, breeders, backyard chicken keepers, and unabashed poultry fanatics will have a definitive guide of their own. If it's poultry - fair or fowl - it's in this book.

Reviews

" Dave Pasternack is a fisherman, and his reverence for seafood shows in everything that comes from his kitchen. On occasion, the food actually makes me vibrate with pleasure." -- Ruth Reichl, in Gourmet