Chicken Health Handbook

This must-have reference for the small-flock owner covers the problems and diseases common to chickens of all breeds and ages. Practical charts identify common symptoms and causes of disease, while an alphabetic listing of diseases provides advice on treatment. "THIS BOOK WAS BORN out of years of frustration in trying to deal with chicken diseases and not being able to find a clearly understandable,..." Review "...a first-rate guide for the small producer interested in healthful meat and eggs as well as the exotic breed fancier..." -- American Library Association Paper Pages: 352 Size: 6 x 9 Color: Photographs and illustrations throughout Author: Gail Damerow Order Number: 66611 Written specifically with the small flock owner in mind, this new book by poultry expert Damerow is a must-have reference for anyone who raises chickens. The author provides advice on health topics relevant to all breeds and ages. Hatchability, productivity, incubation, nutrition, parasites, infectious diseases, and anatomy are all covered in this manual. Handy, practical charts help the reader pinpoint common symptoms and causes of diseases, and an extensive alphabetical listing of diseases provides information for treatment ranging from poor egg production to crooked toe syndrome. Fhis book is intended to give lay chicken or flock owners - especially owners of small show flocks or bamyard flocks a detailed outline of all aspects of the health of chickens, diseases of chickens, and good management practices. It is an excellent book in this respect and will be a very useful book or reference for veterinarians who are not poultry specialists but would like to supplement their knowledge of poultry health or disease without reading detailed reference texts. The book is not written by a veterinarian, but by a lay person who obviously has an in-depth knowledge of poultry and has used experienced veterinary poultry specialists to review and support the parts of the book dealing with poultry diseases. The book is well organized into 5 well-written chapters. It starts with general health subjects, such as, what a disease is, reservoirs, biosecurity, and other stress and management details. In later chapters, the author goes into detailed descriptions of diseases, without being excessively verbose. Chapters are divided into subtopics with good descriptive titles. There are many excellent charts that give overviews of the topic being discussed. The author does an excellent job of covering all aspects of chicken health, in ways that poultry veterinarians, poultry service people, and poultry extension workers generally have to deal with poultry; that is, from management, biosecurity, sanitation, nutrition, incubation, and hatching, to descriptions of diseases. There is an excellent index at the end of the book, making it very simple to find any detailed subject. Two possible weaknesses, if you could call them weaknesses, are, first, that the book may be too detailed for lay people and possibly not detailed enough for veterinarians. Secondly, in general, the information supplied is supported by scientists; however, occasionally, some information appears to be opinion without scientific backing. The reader needs to be aware of this. In summary, The Chicken Health Handbook is an excellent book, with lots of good practical information. Even though it is written for lay people, it will also be very helpful to the veterinarian who is not specialized in poultry. Reviewed by Conrad Van Dijk, DVM, AHP, ACPV, Box 209, Shakespeare, Ontario NOB 2PO Truly a must-have for any chicken owner. Arm yourself with the tools you need to prevent health problems & deal with them if they do occur. Specifically you'll learn how to protect your flock from predators, illnesses and toxic plants; to prevent picking; to detect and treat illnesses; how to care for hatching eggs, and more! Don't wait until your birds are sick to buy this book.