Books
I OWN AND REGULARLY REFER TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE BOOKS. I have deliberately listed them in no particular order; it’s not a very long list, and I thought I’d try to encourage you to look it over and pick out a few.
Turkey Production, L.E. Cline, Orange Judd Publishing, 1st Edition, 1929.
It might be a challenge finding a copy of this book, but in my opinion it is well worth the effort, and well worth reading.
Chicken Tractor, Andy Lee and Patricia Foreman, Good Earth Publications, 3rd Edition, 2011.
A positively delightful, as well as insightful, read.
Day-Range Poultry, Andy Lee and Patricia Foreman, Good Earth Publications, 2005.
More useful and entertaining information by the authors of Chicken Tractor.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, Dave Holderread, Storey Publishing, 2001.
Excellent all-around handbook by an acknowledged expert on raising waterfowl. Highly recommended.
All Flesh Is Grass: The Pleasures and Promises of Pasture Farming, Gene Logsdon, Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 2004.
Gene Logsdon is one of my very favorite writers. This is a wonderful guide to raising poultry and other livestock on pasture. It includes descriptions of many pasture plants.
Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn and Thomas Keller, Norton, 2005.
Lots of good recipes and techniques for curing meat and making sausages. Some conflicting information on the subject of using nitrates, but otherwise a very good book that I use regularly.
How to Build Animal Housing, Carol Ekarius, Storey Publishing, 2004. Fabulous handbook for building all kinds of housing and shelters for livestock, from the smallest nest box or rabbit hutch to a great big beautiful milking barn. Includes essential information about minimum space requirements for different animals, and much more.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, Gail Damerow, Storey Publishing, 3rd Edition, 2010.
Classic and very useful reference for raising chickens, from hatching through slaughtering.
The Farmstead Egg Cookbook, Terry Golson, St. Martin’s Press, 2006. I love this little book. Lots of recipes and ideas for ways to use and showcase those farm-fresh eggs.
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine, Eds., Robert Rose, 2006.
Handy reference book with many interesting recipes for canning and preserving. It doesn’t have much on pressure canning, but what canning book does?
Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, Carol Ekarius, Storey Publishing, 2007.
You might buy this book for the gorgeous photography alone, but you’ll want to read the articles too. Extremely helpful if you’re trying to decide which poultry breeds might work for you.
Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-reliant Living, Deborah Niemann, New Society Publishers, 2011.
An amazing amount of information all in one book by a popular expert in self-sufficient living. Easy to read and understand, and truly inspiring.
The Chicken Health Handbook, Gail Damerow, Storey Publishing, 1994.
An essential reference to have on your shelf. Diagnostic charts, excellent information on common parasites, chicken anatomy and much more.
Humane Livestock Handling, Temple Grandin and Mark Deesing, Storey Publishing, 2008.
Fascinating and inspiring book. I recommend it for anyone raising any kind of livestock, especially if you ever have to move or transport animals.
The Nankin Bantam: A Rare and Ancient Fowl, Mark A. Fields, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, 2006.
Good reference on this critically endangered bantam chicken, including its interesting history.
The Mating and Breeding of Poultry, Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum, Lyons Press, 2003, originally published in 1920.
The printing is small and often hard to read, but this is still a useful book to have on hand if you’re considering a serious poultry-breeding program.
Making Mobile Hen Houses, Michael Roberts, Gold Cockerel Books, 2004.
A little book with lots of creative plans for building mobile chicken coops of different sizes. Published in England, so you’ll have to make adjustments with the lumber sizes, but easy to follow.
Ducks and Geese in Your Backyard: A Beginner’s Guide, Rick and Gail Luttmann, 1978.
The first book I had on raising ducks. I still have it and use it, along with Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks. Well worth it if you can find a copy.
Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals, Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. Another wonderful book by the author of Animals in Translation. Covers livestock, cats, dogs and more; the chapters on wildlife and zoos are quite fascinating. If you think you know a lot about how animals should be treated, get ready to learn some more.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan, Penguin, 2006.
More food for thought from Michael Pollan on America’s food industry. He diligently traces the ingredients of a typical fast-food meal back to their origins, uncovers some surprising facts about the organic food business and puts together his own hunter-gatherer meal, foraging and hunting nearly all the ingredients himself. An entertaining — and sobering — read.
Internet Resources
As you can see, this is a very short section. I don’t spend much time on the Internet myself, partly because we don’t have full-time or high-speed service, mostly because I just don’t have the time. Here are a few Websites that I’ve found to be useful on the subject of heritage poultry.
The Pot Pies and Egg Money blog
http://potpiesandeggmoney.blogspot.com
OK, so I don’t find this blog useful so much as a forum in which to air my own experiences, questions and opinions about just about anything that happens on our farm. Photos of our farm, birds and pigs, too!
Backyard Chickens
A nicely designed, extensive Website with forums on just about any poultry-related subject you can think of.
Farm Forward
I just recently came across this site. The home page states: “Farm Forward implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farm animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture.” Good enough for me.
The Contrary Farmer blog
www.thecontraryfarmer.wordpress.com
Gene Logsdon’s wonderful and witty take on everything about farm life. I don’t subscribe to that many blogs, but this one is definitely worth reading.
Businesses and Organizations
Alder Wood Bistro
139 W. Alder St., Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 683-4321
If you’re in the Sequim area, you really must make time to have dinner at the Bistro. Locally sourced, seasonal, organic food; fresh Northwest cuisine at its absolute best. Daily specials and wonderful pizzas from the custom-built wood-fired oven. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 4:30-9:00 PM. Reservations recommended.
In Season Farms
(604) 857-5781
E-mail: organicfeed@shawbiz.ca (no Website as of this writing)
Our long-time supplier of organic feed for our birds and pigs. In Season has an extensive list of available organic feed formulas, as well as cracked corn, split peas, kelp meal and other supplements. Although they are located across the Washington border in British Columbia, In Season delivers feed over a wide area; they come our way every three weeks. Buy the 20-kilo bag or get the half- or full-ton tote. If you’re in western Washington, you can also find their feed by the bag in some retail feed stores. Price list available upon request.
Humane Society of the United States
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/guide_egg_labels.html
Up-to-date information about terms used to label poultry eggs and how these relate to the welfare of production hens.
Manini’s
A Seattle-based company that makes wonderful gluten-free bread, pasta and baking mixes. I like these because they are formulated with “ancient grains,” not rice. I regularly make their gluten-free fresh pasta, and it is delicious. All their mixes are available in 5-pound or 50-pound bags.
Woodstock Soapstone Company
Woodstock makes beautiful EPA-certified soapstone wood stoves and gas stoves. We bought one of their wood stoves right before moving to the farm. It is gorgeous, efficient and features a catalytic combustor that minimizes harmful emissions. We love this company!
Territorial Seed Company
Not the cheapest place to buy seeds, but they have more organic seed choices every year, and a selection of grains and pasture plant seeds as well.
Bountiful Gardens
One of my very favorite seed catalogs, from the organization founded by John Jeavons. Good selection of grain seeds, although many are only available in small quantities. One of those catalogs you can learn a lot from even if you don’t buy anything.
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
You really should think about joining this non-profit organization. Connect with breeders of heritage poultry and other livestock and find all kinds of useful husbandry information, from the people who really know and advocate the preservation of our heritage breeds.
ATTRA: Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
(800) 346-9140
A federally funded program that offers publications and technical assistance in both production and marketing.
Chef’s Collaborative
(617) 236-5200
A national network of over 1,000 culinary professionals who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal and artisanal cooking. The organization’s mission is to provide education and helpful tools that encourage local and sustainable food purchasing.
Farms Oceans Ranches Kitchens Stewards (FORKS)/Chef’s Collaborative Affiliate
E-mail: forkscontact@hotmail.com
The Seattle Chapter of the Chef’s Collaborative, focused on educating Northwest food system stakeholders about sustainable food system practices.
The Food Alliance
(503) 493-1066
This non-profit organization promotes sustainable agriculture by recognizing and rewarding farmers who produce food in environmentally friendly and socially responsible ways. It also strives to educate consumers and others in the food system about the benefits of sustainable agriculture.
North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association
(888) 884-9270
The NAFDMA is a great place for family farmers, extension agents and farm market managers to network with each other on the profitability of direct marketing. Members increase their farm income by learning from each other through conferences, international farm tours, newsletters, workshops and trade publications.
Slow Food USA
(212) 965-5640
This international organization is dedicated to the preservation of traditional food production and preparation, enhanced biodiversity and the revival of the kitchen and table as centers of pleasure, culture and economy.
WSDA Small Farm & Direct Marketing Program
(360) 902-1884
E-mail: smallfarms@agr.wa.gov
www.agr.wa.gov/Marketing/SmallFarm
This program assists farmers to understand current marketing regulations, addresses barriers in marketing regulations, assists in developing infrastructure necessary to market farm products and farmers markets, promotes localized food systems and provides a voice for small-scale agriculture within State government. In Washington State, this is the organization to contact for an egg dealer’s license, which is required for selling eggs wholesale.
Washington State Farmers Market Association
(206) 706-5198
This non-profit network of over 80 farmers markets across the state is dedicated to working with other agricultural groups and agencies to provide workshops and marketing resources and to produce the annual Washington State Farmers Market Directory.