Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds: Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Emus, Guinea Fowl, Ostriches, Partridges, Peafowl, Pheasants, Quails, Swans

by Carol Ekarius

More than 128 birds strut their stuff across the pages of this definitive primer for intrepid poultry farmers and feather fanciers alike. From the Manx Rumpy to the Redcap and the Ancona duck to his Aylesbury cousin, each breed is profiled with a brief history, detailed descriptions of identifying characteristics, and colorful photography. Comprehensive and fun, Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds celebrates the personalities and charming good looks of North America’s quirkiest barnyard birds and waterfowl.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Reference, Gardening, Agriculture, Birds

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2007

About the author

Carol Ekarius is a freelance writer.

Reviews

[Mahlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the hundredth time I've read this book, literally. I absolutely love it and can never grow tired of reading it. Anyone who loves chickens, ducks, turkeys, or birds (not pet store birds) should read this!! The photography is absolutely beautiful and you can clearly see the detail of the birds. Who knew there were so many breeds?

[Jacqueline J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. The info was not complete. In most cases it lacked information about how many and what color eggs you could expect from each breed. Whether the birds were flighty or docile etc. My biggest gripe was that most of the illustrations of chickens were of the bantam version of the bird. For someone totally uninterested in bantams, I wanted to see what the large original bird looked like. And they do in most cases look different. Bantams generally have a different body stance and look about them. I want to see the big egg laying version.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to detail what you need to know about poultry breeds. Good for a beginner to mid-level poultry owner.

[Susan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was first experience with a Storey's text and I will be searching for more! Beautiful photos abound and for anyone interested in poultry (primarily chickens) there is plenty of information regarding a variety of breeds.

The history and classifications of the birds are covered and makes for excellent trivia knowledge. As an avid chicken afficiando, this book has helped generate a new flock wish list!

[Kim Stence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but not detailed. More of a picture book.

[Brianna Sowinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew there were so many varieties of poultry or how funny, beautiful and fascinating they are!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Very informative! Considering buying it to have on hand for reference.

[Brent Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, lots of helpful pictures. There are so many cool breeds to learn about!

[C is for **censored** · Rating 4 out of 5]

The star rating given reflects my opinion within ‘the official goodreads rating system’.

1 star: Didn’t Like it
2 stars: It’s Okay
3 stars: Liked it
4 stars: Really Liked it
5 stars: It Was Amazing

I don’t really give a rat-fuck that there are some who think I ‘owe’ an explanation for my opinion. Nope, nada, and not sorry about it.

Sometimes I may add notes to explain what my opinions are based on, and sometimes I don’t. I do this for me, on my books, in my library and I don’t ‘owe’ any special snowflakes a thing. Fuck off if you don’t like it and stop reading my shit.

Particularly given the ‘modifications’ to reader’s personal content going on (and outright censorship), unless particularly motivated I will not comment in detail.

It would help if GR was forthcoming in the new ‘appropriate’ and would make a site-wide announcement delineating the new focus from a reader-centric site to one that is now for authors and selling.

[Nanci · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, an interesting book about the history, biology, breeds, and genetics of the world of poultry: chickens, ducks, geese and other species.

Beautifully illustrated with full color pictures of selected breeds with detailed information about their purpose, temperament, and needs to care for them properly. Heritage and rare breeds are included with an appeal to consider the more rare breeds for genetic diversity and the future of biodiversity.

A great book to read for anyone considering adding chickens to their household for eggs, meat or simply the pleasure of having poultry in your life.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book to read (look at!). :) I poured over the information on each poultry breed mentioned. I appreciate the information on their conservation status, size and various attributes, and I love the pictures of these glorious birds.

This is an awesome book to read if you want to raise poultry, as it will help you discern the traits you need to look for in a breed and what appeals to you. I think it would also be a lot of fun for a child or the infirm.

The book, of course, is not inclusive to all breeds. This was a disappointment to me, as I'm looking at some rare breeds. For most, this won't be an issue.

[Fiona Endsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book alot, I only wish it was bigger! Full of beautiful photography, brief histories and descriptions of north American barnyard and wild fowl it's a joy to flip through. Now as well as the heritage turkeys I want to keep, I can add Saxony ducks, Norwegian Jaerhon chickens, White-Faced Spanish chickens,ect. to the list. I hope that more people who can keep fowl will be inclined to preseve rare heritage breeds.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book with really great pictures and descriptions of poultry. It was even so interesting that I read about the ducks and turkeys in which I really have no interest. It did not have a master chart of temperment, egg color, size, hardiness, etc. which would have been nice. But, the pictures make up for that.

[Enesmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing how much use this book has gotten at our house. It's already getting ragged. The descriptions of the breeds are fun and the photos helped me identify the breeds of three mystery chickens in my flock.

[Erin Burke Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

When picking out breeds, we have found this book to be most helpful. It provides beautiful photographs of breeds and plenty of information to make informed decisions for your flock. It would be a perfect gift for someone who keeps chickens.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all of the breeds I wanted to read about were in here. Think of it as a coffee table book

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh brave new world that has such fowl in it,

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for being well edited, clear, and seemingly complete.

[Gabrielle W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! There are so many pictures of different poultry and of course, it also has info on the breeds!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about chickens!

[Jessica]

Read like a beautiful encyclopedia.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on poultry breeds.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never would have thought that an encyclopaedia of poultry could be so entertaining. I almost want a pet Silkie now. Almost.

[Cole Gaskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, especially since I have chickens myself