The Chicken Keeper’s Library

Pastured Poultry Profit$: Net $25,000 in 6 Months on 20 Acres by Joel Salatin

Online Resources

• Mother Earth’s Chicken and Egg Page: Numerous chicken-related articles, complete details on Mother Earth’s egg nutrition tests, a comprehensive hatcheries directory and other essential tools.
• Henderson’s Chicken Resources: Lots of basic information for keepers of small flocks, including a “Handy Dandy Chicken Chart” to help you choose breeds.
• FeatherSite–The Poultry Page: An encyclopedic collection of all things poultry-related.

Heritage Breed Information

• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Pioneer organization working to conserve historic breeds and genetic diversity in livestock.
• Sand Hill Preservation Center: This small family farm in Iowa sells heirloom garden seeds and rare poultry. Their Web site features firsthand descriptions of many unusual breeds; they also offer a “tasty chicken treats” seed mix to encourage your birds to forage.
• Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities: Works to perpetuate and improve rare breeds of poultry.

More Expert Advice

• Mad City Chickens: A Web site by, for and about the backyard chicken keepers of Madison, Wis.
• The Modern Homestead: Virginia homesteader Harvey Ussery has tons of advice for getting started with poultry, including a question and answer section.
• Robert Plamondon’s Poultry Pages: Chock-full of useful information on raising baby chicks, making your own feed and earning a living with your eggs.
• Seattle Tilth: This nonprofit organic gardening group was one of the first to support chicken keeping as an element of sustainable local food systems. Learn about managing chickens in your garden, including tips for composting chicken manure.