Customer Reviews

Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's about time that a nice & complete book like this on 99.9% of poultry breeds (that even I can afford!) has came out. As an avid chicken lady I used to long for a complete guide with color photos on Chicken and Duck breeds. Finally, Carol Ekarius has gave the "poultry addicted" a book dedicated to the characteristics of each poultry breed.

This book has really nice real photos (not drawings!) of all the included breeds. Also included by the photo's are details of the breeds' personality, the various color combinations, standards of the breed, place and history of orgin, conservation status and any special qualities that the featured breed might have. In most cases the males AND females of each breed are pictured. Other pluses the author includes are: Natural Chicken history, a wonderful glossary of 'poultry jargon', color photos of the various feather patterns- along with a worded definitions. Last but, not least Ms. Ekarius included a very well researched Resource index. If you buy this book (which I suggest) you will find 278 pages printed on nice glossy, flexible paper stock. This isn't the usual small black & white Storey's guide book!

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because quite a few photos of the chicken breeds were only represented by the bantam versions of the breed. I just feel that being the history of the breeds was being represented the standard size chickens should've been used. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone!

Carol Ekarius besides being a wonderful writer is also donating a portion of her proceeds from this book to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy!

What a bargain this big, beautiful book is is! Nice photos and one or two page descriptions of just about all the common US standard bred chickens, plus ducks and geese. Great for the person considering a new breed.

This book can help you determine which breeds are:
-gentle/docile versus aggressive
-calm or "flighty"
-quiet or noisy
-cold-hardy or cold-intolerant
-good layers or poor layers
-brown, white, or tinted egg layers
-largest and smallest
-easy keepers or in need of special husbandry
-plain or fancy-looking!

I've spent hours reading and re-reading this book. :) If you are new to chickens (or ducks or geese) this is a handy and beautiful book which can help you avoid making a mistake that could sour you on chickens. Don't end up with an aggressive flighty bird if you are looking for a cuddly family pet-- check out this book and another great one (which has slightly different kinds of information) entitled "Choosing and Keeping Chickens".

We are hobby farm enthusiasts with a flock of poultry, and bought the book for the illustrations! Comparable to the Standard of Perfection for Poultry, the photographs of rare breed poulty, ducks, geese and turkeys are thoroughly captivating! With detailed information about the genetics and science of the origin and genesis of the species, this book will be treasured by our family for years to come! Recommended!

Nicely done book. Carol Ekarius did a good job illuminating potential and current poultry fanciers and enthusiasts on poultry with a guide on different breeds and their qualities. It is a good coffee table book which will entertain most who open the pages, as with all Storey books.
The photographs are the best thing, in my opinion. Unlike many poultry guides with line drawing and a few photos, pretty much all the birds in here have at least one photo. You know the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. A photo even more.
I suggest everyone who buys a copy buy an extra one and donate it to your local library. Why not, maybe a library of an old folks home! I am sure it will bring back fond memories for many of them.

From the ancient chicken breed Araucana, which appeared before Columbus, to one of the first domesticated breeds now endangered to common breeds, Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds provides a powerful guide packing in North American domestic and wild poultry and adding color photos throughout. Sidebars of detail include identifying characteristics and facts, while notes comment on how each breed was created and marketed, and its special attributes. Both casual poultry farmers to more serious breeders will find plenty of information in a book especially recommended for rural library holdings and any college-level collection strong in agriculture and farm management.

This is a terrific book. I refer to it often. When I do, I am always aware of where this book falls short...consitency. While the chicken section, for example, is organized by layers, meat, etc they do not consistenly tell you how many eggs each chicken lays. Some have this info, some it doesn't even speak about it (even in the layer section). It would be nice if there were a list of facts they consistently provided for each bird.
Also, while the book is filled with wonderful pictures, it is mainly of roosters...it would have been helpful if they provided a more even spread of hens and roosters, or even more useful-more hens, since people are more likely to keep hens than roosters. I would also like to see it include more photos of popular plumage for eac bird. One or two, when there are so many available, seems skimpy.
If a book offered these changes, it would be, in my opinion, the best possible book about individual poultry breeds...until then, this is a pretty dang good book. There isn't any other that is better (so far....hint hint hint publishers!)

This book is full of useful information and fabulous pictures.
Our whole family has spent time pouring over it and we have a waiting list of friends that want to borrow it.
This is not your usual scientific, boring chicken fact book.
I love the fact that they include more information about chicken temperments
and habits that are very useful in deciding which breed to buy.
An excellent reference.

Excellent breed descriptions with mutiple pictures of most to show color variations. Tells you who's on the endangered list and how many eggs to expect over a year. Which are the best broodys and which won't sit at all. Wish I'd had this before I began my backyard flock.

I found the book helpful in identifying feather and colours in chickens. I did learn some background information on breeds I had not known. Unfortunately the book is very American based and I live in Australia. Most of my flock are not identified in the book which was a shame as I wanted to learn more. I loved the illustrations which I was able to link to my hens.

What a great book! I am a 4-H Poultry advisor and am often looking for information regarding breeds, patterns, standards, etc. This book was not only gorgeous to look at, it is filled with wonderful information. I just love it.