When Jacob Biggle first published his book on the management of poultry, there were more than 300 million chickens and 30 million other domesticated fowl in the United States. Today, the trend continues with thousands if not millions of chickens and other fowl being raised in suburban and urban backyards across America. Biggle’s aim was to “help farmers and villagers conduct the poultry business with pleasure and profit.” To that end, this handy little volume contains all the information the reader needs to know, such as:
The various breeds of chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, and pigeons
The most common diseases and enemies that threaten our feathered friends
Raising hens expressly for eggs rather than meat
The farmer’s flock versus the village hennery
The art of hatching eggs and caring for chicks
Written for the practical farmer who raises poultry and eggs for market,
The
Biggle Poultry Book
will also appeal to collectors of farm ephemera and anyone else who is nostalgic for a simpler way of doing things. Illustrated with sixteen color plates by Louis P. Graham, and hundreds of black-and-white photographs and illustrations throughout,
The Biggle Poultry Book
is as beautiful as it is useful and a treasure for the home library.