Offered here is a selection of choice poultry, livestock, and general farm books and supplies from Amazon.com. Some are books I have written, some are books written by others that I personally use, and other items are things I regularly use and recommend.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition, by Gail Damerow covers breed selection, facilities, feeding, health care, managing layers & meat birds, and much more.
“Redesigned but still exhaustively thorough! Every possible topic is covered in an easily understood and complete manner.” — Paul Kroll, American Poultry Association & American Bantam Association general licensed judge.
The Chicken Health Handbook, 2nd Edtion, by Gail Damerow is a complete guide to maximizing flock health and dealing with disease.
“Packed with pragmatic information that embraces a holistic model of wellness, this book offers trouble-shooting tools and a panoply of real-world solutions based in solid science. It should be standard issue with every chick purchased.”— Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick
An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Raising Backyard Ducks: Breeds, Feeding, Housing and Care, Eggs and Meat by Gail Damerow.
As the title suggests, this helpful resource is aimed at providing all the information necessary to raise ducks, whether for eggs, meat, showing, or as pets. Each topic, from behavior to feeding to breeding, is covered succinctly and illustrated with attractive color photos. ― Library Journal
Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks, by Gail Damerow, includes details on how to hatch and raise chicks, turkey poults, ducklings, goslings, and guinea keets.
“I don’t think there’s a more reliable source for chicken info than Gail Damerow, and this book does not disappoint…. Her writing really is entertaining and her tips most welcome. I’m no longer a newbie with backyard poultry but I still got lots of management ideas I’d never thought of or read about elsewhere.” — Natural Health Doc at Amazon.com
The Chicken Encyclopedia by Gail Damerow is an illustrated reference demystifying terminology from addled to zygote.
“Even if you think you know everything there is to know about chickens, I guarantee you’ll learn stuff from this book. And you’ll be completely entertained. After you’ve read it cover to cover, I suggest you keep at close at hand for reference. ” — Randy’s Chicken Blog
What’s Killing My Chickens? by Gail Damerow is a comprehensive poultry predator detective manual for backyard chicken keepers and large-scale farmers alike.
“Damerow might well be the Sherlock Holmes of the poultry world, and this is a one-of-a-kind detective manual.” — Roger Sipes, group editor, Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines and hobbyfarms.com.
Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds by Carol Ekarius covers chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, emus, guinea fowl, ostriches, partridges, peafowl, pheasants, quails, and swans.
“When picking out breeds, we have found this book to be most helpful. It provides beautiful photographs of breeds and plenty of information to make informed decisions for your flock.” — Erin Burke Edwards, Goodreads.com
Chickens in Your Backyard a Beginner’s Guide was Gail Damerow’s first book. Originally published in 1976, the book was completely updated in 2018 and is now available as a Kindle edition.
“I love this book and recommend this to every new chicken enthusiast I know. You can jump over chapters if they don’t apply with what you are hoping to accomplish.” — Stacey at Amazon.com
Your Chickens, a Kid’s Guide to Raising and Showing by Gail Damerow. Now out of print, but still available as a Kindle edition.
“…the information is so complete that even an expert farmer might find [it] useful as a refresher course. …covers breeds, housing, economics, and maintenance and management.” — Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS, School Library Journal (©1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Your Goats, a Kid’s Guide to Raising and Showing by Gail Damerow.
“I learned more in this book & was truly surprised at even though it is written to be a guide for children, it is a universal book for all!! ….Even if you are not a goat owner, there are great aspects for any responsible pet owner!! A MUST HAVE!!!!!” — Bought-it-Critique review at Amazon.com
Holistic Goat Care by Gianaclis Caldwell is, as the subtitle says, A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Healthy Animals, Preventing Common Ailments, and Troubleshooting Problems.
“The next best thing to learning about goat keeping through years of experience is to read Holistic Goat Care. “— Gail Damerow
Draft Horses and Mules: Harnessing Equine Power for Farm & Show by Gail Damerow & Alina Rice includes all the information you need to select, train, feed, care for, and work with your own team of draft horses or mules.
“This books answers questions you may not have thought of. Riding horses and working horses are very different as this book brings to light. It is mainly for beginners.” — Forest Moore review at Amazon.com
The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving by Gail Damerow shows how to cultivate more than 95 varieties of pumpkin, with tasty recipes and interesting craft projects, including how to create pumpkin-scented creams and soaps.
“I believe this could be the bet book ever published on pumpkins,” — Howard Dill, breeder of Dills Atlantic Giant Pumpkins
The Seed Garden — The Art and Practice of Seed Saving edited by Lee Butalla includes comprehensive species-by-species instructions for cultivating, collecting, and storing seeds from 75 common vegetables and grains.
“An indispensable, brilliantly written, and beautifully illustrated resource.” — Paul Oster, garden columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ChickenGuard Automatic Chicken Coop Door Openers, 3 Models, Timer/Light Sensor, Lift up to 2.2 lb Pop Hole Door, Batteries or Mains Power, made in England.
Chicken Guard automatic door openers save you getting up in the morning and protect your chickens from Mr. Fox. Comes with or without a door and a pair of sturdy oak runners.
The Chicken Chick Hen Mating Saddle by Kathy Shea Mormino is designed for maximum protection, safety, and comfort. It is made of sturdy, lightweight duck cloth material for durability, in a camouflage pattern that provides a degree of protection from predators. It offers extra-wide shoulder, wing, and back coverage and has reinforced stitching to retain fabric shape and fit. Machine washable and dryable.
Backyard Homestead, 5 Books on Kindle: 1. The Backyard Homestead edited by Carleen Madigan; 2. The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals edited by Gail Damerow; 3. The Backyard Homestead Guide of Building Projects by Spike Carleson; 4. The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How by Andrea Chesman; 5. The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner by Ann Larken Hanson.