From addled to wind egg, crossed beak to zygote, the terminology of everything chicken is demystified in The Chicken Encyclopedia, a comprehensive A-to-Z reference volume presented in a friendly, highly illustrated format. Chickophiles will find breed descriptions; definitions of the most common conditions, situations, characteristics, and behaviors of chickens; and much more. Whether it’s the difference between wry tail, split tail, and gamy tail; the meaning of hen feathered, forced molt, or quill feather; the characteristics of droopy wing; the content of granite grit; or the translation of a chicken’s alarm call, here are all the answers to every chicken question and quandary, from the practical to the curious.
The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
The A-Z Chicken Companion
From addled to wind egg, crossed beak to zygote, if it concerns chickens, it's covered in this comprehensive encyclopedia. Now you can find the answers to all your chicken questions quickly, easily -- and accompanied by illustrations.
What do mille fleur and mooney spangled feathers look like?
Which breeds lay blue-green eggs?
What's the difference between inbreeding and outcrossing?
What's the difference between outer thick and inner thin egg white?
Why do chicken legs have dark meat, while breasts have light meat?
What's the difference between a flat and a flight? A false wing and a wingette?
What are the key signs of the most common chicken predators?
What's the difference between brooding and incubating?
What are the best ways to catch a chicken?
How (and why) do you hypnotize a chicken?
Why do chickens molt?
How is a crested chicken's anatomy unique?
From addled to wind egg, crossed beak to zygote, if it concerns chickens, it's covered in this comprehensive encyclopedia. Now you can find the answers to all your chicken questions quickly, easily -- and accompanied by illustrations.
What do mille fleur and mooney spangled feathers look like?
Which breeds lay blue-green eggs?
What's the difference between inbreeding and outcrossing?
What's the difference between outer thick and inner thin egg white?
Why do chicken legs have dark meat, while breasts have light meat?
What's the difference between a flat and a flight? A false wing and a wingette?
What are the key signs of the most common chicken predators?
What's the difference between brooding and incubating?
What are the best ways to catch a chicken?
How (and why) do you hypnotize a chicken?
Why do chickens molt?
How is a crested chicken's anatomy unique?
About the Author
Gail Damerow is the go-to chick gal. Her books have sold over 790,000 copies and include The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, and The Chicken Encyclopedia. Gail is the editor of Rural Heritage magazine and writes regularly for Backyard Poultry magazine and Dairy Goat Journal. She and her husband operate a family farm in Tennessee.
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More About the Author
Gail Damerow and her husband operate a family farm in Tennessee where they keep poultry and dairy goats, tend a sizable garden, and maintain a small orchard. They grow and preserve much of their own food, make their own yogurt and ice cream, and bake their own bread. Gail has written extensively on raising livestock, growing fruits and vegetables, and related rural skills. She shares her experience and knowledge as a regular contributor to Backyard Poultry magazine, as a contributor to numerous other periodicals, and as the author or contributor to more than a dozen country skills how-to books.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have in my poultry library, text dating back to 1860, including the farm series alongside poultry science college text books.
I buy chicken books! Back in the 90's, I carried Gail's book titled Chickens in your Backyard and I was hooked on all things poultry!
I was also hooked on all things written by Gail Damerow ever since... from periodical articles, to what I consider her benchmark work The Chicken Health Handbook (no serious poultry person should be without a copy).
The reason I mention this, is that I would be considered extremely well informed, read and experienced with poultry. I am a licensed Poultry Technician, have kept free range chickens for over a decade, teach about chickens and have hatched more than I can count. It is easy to let pride get in the way and assume that I know all there is to know about chickens... closing the door on new text and published works.
Then comes a new and much needed title to the scene... and by none other than my favorite farm animal author, Gail Damerow! I clicked "buy" without even reading all the content nor going beyond the title. The Chicken Encyclopedia arrived in the middle a snow storm, just in time for me to sit by the fire and delve into this new and fabulously illustrated chicken reference.
Not five minutes into it, I have learned something new! I get my note pad, as I'm scheduled to give a talk on chickens in less than a week... wow... I didn't know that (under my breath)... something as common as the chicken egg, ground I've well covered (or so I thought) over the years. Yes, white ear lobe = white shell... sure, red ear lobe = brown shell (old news)... but hold the phone! Blue egg shells (as one may get from the Ameraucana) have the color through the thickness of the shell, yet the brown shell (as one may get from a Rhode Island Red) have brown pigment only in the surface layer! What?! This I did NOT know... ("> In an instant, I am deeper in my knowledge of poultry!
I found one "aha" moment after another, page by page, illustration by illustration. 319 pages chockablock FULL of meaningful information.
I wanted a hard bound edition, these pages and cover will be dog eared and worn down in no time at all! The photography is Top Notch, the illustrations are not the recycled images I have found over and over in other texts... Bethany Caskey gets a A+ from me on her illustrator prowess (flawless).
This is a grand book, extremely well designed, easy to access information, dense with useful facts and terms. I feel robbed that I did not have this 20 years ago... when I was heavy on the learn. But the good news is, for the new poultry generation and those to come, this will certainly be a common site on many a coffee table and book shelf. I suggest it also belongs in biology class rooms.
Gail does it again and I feel, has stepped above all her previous works with this single book.
It's for anyone who has questions about breeds, terms, traits, physiology and all things chicken... without loading the reader with scientific mumbo jumbo that has no practical end.
My only complaint... inexpensive binding... page six has already begun to come free of it's stitching. I will anxiously await the hard bound edition and would consider any price to be well worth it!
This is indeed a TRUE Encyclopedia Regarding Chickens... what are you waiting for? Have questions? The answers are here! Buy The Chicken Encyclopedia without reservation, you won't be sorry.
I buy chicken books! Back in the 90's, I carried Gail's book titled Chickens in your Backyard and I was hooked on all things poultry!
I was also hooked on all things written by Gail Damerow ever since... from periodical articles, to what I consider her benchmark work The Chicken Health Handbook (no serious poultry person should be without a copy).
The reason I mention this, is that I would be considered extremely well informed, read and experienced with poultry. I am a licensed Poultry Technician, have kept free range chickens for over a decade, teach about chickens and have hatched more than I can count. It is easy to let pride get in the way and assume that I know all there is to know about chickens... closing the door on new text and published works.
Then comes a new and much needed title to the scene... and by none other than my favorite farm animal author, Gail Damerow! I clicked "buy" without even reading all the content nor going beyond the title. The Chicken Encyclopedia arrived in the middle a snow storm, just in time for me to sit by the fire and delve into this new and fabulously illustrated chicken reference.
Not five minutes into it, I have learned something new! I get my note pad, as I'm scheduled to give a talk on chickens in less than a week... wow... I didn't know that (under my breath)... something as common as the chicken egg, ground I've well covered (or so I thought) over the years. Yes, white ear lobe = white shell... sure, red ear lobe = brown shell (old news)... but hold the phone! Blue egg shells (as one may get from the Ameraucana) have the color through the thickness of the shell, yet the brown shell (as one may get from a Rhode Island Red) have brown pigment only in the surface layer! What?! This I did NOT know... ("> In an instant, I am deeper in my knowledge of poultry!
I found one "aha" moment after another, page by page, illustration by illustration. 319 pages chockablock FULL of meaningful information.
I wanted a hard bound edition, these pages and cover will be dog eared and worn down in no time at all! The photography is Top Notch, the illustrations are not the recycled images I have found over and over in other texts... Bethany Caskey gets a A+ from me on her illustrator prowess (flawless).
This is a grand book, extremely well designed, easy to access information, dense with useful facts and terms. I feel robbed that I did not have this 20 years ago... when I was heavy on the learn. But the good news is, for the new poultry generation and those to come, this will certainly be a common site on many a coffee table and book shelf. I suggest it also belongs in biology class rooms.
Gail does it again and I feel, has stepped above all her previous works with this single book.
It's for anyone who has questions about breeds, terms, traits, physiology and all things chicken... without loading the reader with scientific mumbo jumbo that has no practical end.
My only complaint... inexpensive binding... page six has already begun to come free of it's stitching. I will anxiously await the hard bound edition and would consider any price to be well worth it!
This is indeed a TRUE Encyclopedia Regarding Chickens... what are you waiting for? Have questions? The answers are here! Buy The Chicken Encyclopedia without reservation, you won't be sorry.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is my fifth book written by author Gale Damerow. While I respectfully enjoy her previous works, this may be her best yet. Its just over 300 pages in length, and contains facts, illustrations and photographs from cover to cover. There's even a section toward the back, citing various breed traits, which will serve the reader(s) well. Gale Damerow has set the bar with this book, The Chicken Encyclopedia. And, despite being certain I knew everything about chickens, I've already learned enough on the initial review, to justify its modest price.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Kristi C.
Format:Paperback
Gail Damerow is a well-known name when it comes to chickens, having written the Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and The Chicken Health Handbook. In The Chicken Encyclopedia, Damerow gathers an A to Z guide for chicken owners and enthusiasts. At over 300 pages, this book is a comprehensive reference to terms used for breeds, anatomy, disease and more. Special highlights on some topics, such as "beak trimming", "droppings" and "self-sufficient breeds", plus color illustrations provide an expansive overview to everything chicken.
While maybe not a book that you will spend leisurely reading cover to cover, The Chicken Encyclopedia is a must for those owning chickens. There is always something to learn, and Gail Damerow has provided a bright, accessible and informative reference.
While maybe not a book that you will spend leisurely reading cover to cover, The Chicken Encyclopedia is a must for those owning chickens. There is always something to learn, and Gail Damerow has provided a bright, accessible and informative reference.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice browse and reference but not a must have
If you have read Gail Damerow's book Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, you will find The Chicken Encyclopedia's content to be redundant. Read more
Published 5 days ago by S. Sinclair
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never stop learning
This book is very informative. Anyone who has a curious nature and loves chickens...well, you can't go wrong. Never stop learning
Published 10 days ago by conpok1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Resource for novice and experienced.
Something for everyone. Well organized. Excellent illustrations. Easy to access specific information. I already had one of my own and bought this as a gift for a beginner.
Published 1 month ago by Ann Goble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good
Nice book. Very helpful to all with whom I have shared it. Has a lot of information and is easily understood.
Published 3 months ago by H. E. Noble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
This book may seem like an unusual gift for a seven-year-old, but not if you are my son. He loves all things chickens and this book, which we gave him for his birthday, is perfect. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Miss Piggy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for those interested in breeds of chickens!
My mother is 86 and always has these weird looking chickens. Now she can read and find out what kind she has. Good
reading for the northern cold snow days!
reading for the northern cold snow days!
Published 4 months ago by david e cadle
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book
I loved this book. It is very easy to find things and as a ton of information that is interesting and helpful.
Published 4 months ago by Tracie L. Lucas
5.0 out of 5 stars
My wife uses this as her chicken Bible
I bought this for my wife who is the main chicken tender. She frequently refers to it and has used to solve several chicken related problems. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dohn Riley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
Very informative,,I read this book from cover to cover in one evening and enjoyed every word. I've been raising chickens for a year now and need all the information I can get!
Published 8 months ago by Lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars
ESSENTIAL REFERENCE GUIDE
A must for every backyard chicken lover -- not only gives you the information but does it with lots of pictures to help you understand the terms.
Published 8 months ago by KickingSixtyChick
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