Pure Poultry : Living Well with Heritage Chickens, Turkeys and Ducks

Houdan. Nankin. Indian Runner. Naragansett. These may sound like exotic place names or unusual varieties of produce, but each actually refers to one of the many hundreds of lesser-known poultry breeds that tempt the livestock owner who's prepared to venture into less familiar territory. Providing an alternative to commercial breeds and hybrids, heritage breeds each boast their own unique set of characteristics and personality traits, and are a valuable (and entertaining) addition to a sustainable food system. __Pure Poultry__ is the first book in nearly a hundred years to focus specifically on heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, and ducks and their role in a self-reliant lifestyle. This timely, beautifully illustrated resource includes: * Detailed guidelines on everything from housing, breeding, and day-to-day care, to processing, cooking, and preserving * Much-needed information on using heritage breeds for egg and meat production * Tips, inspiration, recommended reading, and additional resources * A unique planning worksheet that simplifies the process of starting out with poultry Brimming with quiet humor, __Pure Poultry__ is an immensely readable "how-to and why-to" based entirely on personal experience—including plenty of lessons learned the hard way. __Pure Poultry__ shows how heritage-breed poultry can enhance and deepen anyone's quality of life, whether you have a farm, a small backyard, or a neighbor with space to share. **Victoria Redhed Miller** is a writer, photographer, and off-grid homesteader who raises heritage poultry in the foothills of Washington's Olympic Mountains. Miller blogs about her experiences at potpiesandeggmoney.blogspot.com and canyoncreekfarms.blogspot.com. Front Cover 1 Praise 2 Title Page 4 Rights Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 10 Introduction: (Heritage) Chickens and Turkeys and Ducks: Oh, My! 12 Chapter 1: When Good People Get Poultry 18 Chapter 2: Another Beautiful Day in Paradise 22 Chapter 3: Daydreams 26 Chapter 4: A Slippery Slope: Which Comes First, the Chickens or the Homework? 32 Chapter 5: A Rooster Called Charlemagne 38 Chapter 6: Poultry from Scratch 40 Chapter 7: Turkeys Are People Too — but They’re Not Chickens 44 Chapter 8: Everybody Look Busy — Here Come the Ducks! 52 Chapter 9: Violet, Bumptious and Hampty 58 Chapter 10: Heritage Turkeys (and Chickens)Are More Sustainable, and They Have More Fun 72 Chapter 11: “The Mind of a Turkey” 76 Chapter 12: Chicken Tractors and Slug Slurpers 80 Chapter 13: Hunt and Peck: Putting Natural Foraging Behavior to Work 86 Chapter 14: Turkeys and Chickens as Guard Animals? 90 Chapter 15: Weasels Are Smaller Than You Think 94 Chapter 16: Bobcats with Chicken Breath,and Other Bedtime Stories 100 Chapter 17: Keeping the Ducks Safe at Night 106 Chapter 18: Turkeys in the Canyon 108 Chapter 19: Equal Rights for Unhatched Chicks 110 Chapter 20: Keeping Poultry with Other Farmyard(and Backyard) Animals 118 Chapter 21: Small Farm New Math: If (Chicken Tractor), Then (Pig Plow) 124 Chapter 22: Farm-fresh Eggs: What’s the Big Deal? 126 Chapter 23: Duck Eggs Are Delicious, and Great for Baking 132 Chapter 24: Slaughtering and Processing Poultry 136 Chapter 25: The Best Laid Schemes .... 142 Chapter 26: How to Cook Your Heritage Turkey 148 Chapter 27: Tastes Like Chicken: Making a Case forHeritage Chickens as Meat Birds 152 Chapter 28: Pot Pies and Preservation 158 Chapter 29: Egg Money 168 Chapter 30: The Bigger Picture: Poultry in the Community 174 Chapter 31: Chicken Coop for the Winter-hardy Soul 178 Chapter 32: Back to Standard Time,Which the Birds Never Left 184 Chapter 33: Warmth 188 Chapter 34: Pure Poultry Premise #1: Purebred Birds Are More Sustainable 192 Chapter 35: Pure Poultry Premise #2: Shorten the Food Chain 196 Chapter 36: Pure Poultry Premise #3: Challenge the “Get Big or Get Out” Adage 200 Chapter 37: Pure Poultry Premise #4: Have Fun! 202 Chapter 38: Abundance and Gratitude 204 Chapter 39: On Being Unplugged 210 Chapter 40: Nesting 214 Chapter 41: Tomorrow 216 Appendix A: Poultry from Scratch Worksheet 222 Appendix B: Resources 228 Index 236 About the Author 240 A Guide to Responsible Digital Reading 241

Hatching a sustainable life with heritage poultry

Houdan. Nankin. Indian Runner. Narragansett. These may sound like exotic place names or unusual varieties of produce, but each actually refers to one of the many hundreds of lesser-known poultry breeds which tempt the livestock owner who's prepared to venture into less familiar territory. Providing an alternative to commercial breeds and hybrids, heritage breeds each boast their own unique characteristics and personality traits, and are a valuable (and entertaining) addition to a sustainable food system.

Pure Poultry is the first book in nearly a hundred years to focus specifically on heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys and ducks and their role in a self-reliant lifestyle. This timely, beautifully illustrated resource includes:

• Detailed guidelines on everything from housing, breeding and day-to-day care, to processing, cooking and preserving
• Much-needed information on using heritage breeds for egg and meat production
• Tips, inspiration, recommended reading, and additional resources
• A unique planning worksheet that simplifies the process of starting out with poultry.

Brimming with quiet humor, Pure Poultry is an immensely readable "how-to and why-to" based entirely on personal experience-including plenty of lessons learned the hard way. Pure Poultry shows how heritage-breed poultry can enhance and deepen anyone's quality of life, whether you have a farm, a small backyard, or a neighbor with space to share.