Difficult to find a better book than this, 22 Jan 2004
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable.

The advantage enjoyed by the small farmer is quality. If the product is first class and in demand and you are a dependable supplier at reasonable cost there is never a problem finding customers. But it needs hard work and intelligence. When starting in the era of 'get big or get out' there were almost no models of commercially successful organic small farmers to provide inspiration and ideas and where they existed it was exhausting and neither cost effective nor efficient. But by seeking out the best from different parts of the world Coleman found the optimum to be about 2.5 acres per grower - enough to produce quality vegetables for 100 people. Produce from the school farm now set the quality standards for the area. He learned much from Helen and Scott Nearing - they were the most practically organized country people he has met - especially their skills in observation and planning. Coleman sets out the year's work on paper during the winter and has a notebook with sections for each crop. He rotates crops until he finds the optimum - the single most important practice in a multi-cropping program. "The 8-year rotation presented below is a good one to conclude with because it is the one I have followed since 1982. It has been well tested. I have thought about modifying it countless times but never have. Its virtues always seem to outweigh its defects, although that isn't to say it can't be improved. I'm sure it can. But it has been a dependable producer and I offer it here as a tried-and-true example of a successful rotational sequence that incorporates many crop benefits. The goal of this particular rotation is to grow 32 vegetable crops in adequate quantities to feed for a year the community of 60-some people who eat daily in the Mountain School dining hall. Since we have found that we can feed 40 people per acre, the rotation below represents 1.5 acres of land. The salad crops not included here are grown in a separate small salad garden close to the kitchen." However, the author points out that tomatoes do better being grown in the same place each year fertilized by their own waste.

Factors that affect plant growth - light, moisture, temperature, soil fertility, mineral balance, biotic life, weeds, pests, seeds, labor, planning and skill - need to be arranged to the plant's liking with the grower coordinating and combining them into a harmonious whole much like the conductor of an orchestra. Successful farmers understand that their role is to help the seed do what it is already determined to do. Good farming practices such as crop rotation, animal manures, green manures, cover crops, mixed cropping, mixed stocking, legumes, crop residues, and season extension have been used for generations, but removing the limiting factors to plant growth and generating a balanced soil fertility are ultimately the secret of success.

There are 22 chapters, each one dealing with an important element of success such as green manures, tillage, direct seeding, transplanting, weeds, pests, harvest, marketing, season extension. In addition there are three appendices on tools, the major vegetable crops and a one-page schematic outline of biological agriculture. If you plan to buy just one book on organic growing, you will find it difficult to beat this book.

well laid out reference manual on organic principles., 26 Oct 2000
As a newcomer to organic agriculture and permaculture practices.I have read several works on the principles of organic agricultural practices but keep coming back to this excellent book.The only drawback I have found in reading it is that it is slightly more biased to the small scale commercial grower.Having said that ,all the points it brings out are relevant to all the organic philosiphies.Once again though it is an invaluable aid and thought provoking piece of work.I would highly recommend it.

A PRIMARY WORK FROM A MASTER, 08 Jul 1999
For over three thousand years there has been a written record of agricultural and horticultural curiosity and creativity. It is a domain of understanding where observation has always been the source of creativity. During that long history there have been many brilliantly creative observers of nature whose passions form the backbone of what we know about growing plants. Eliot Coleman is one of those true masters. He has spent his life applying his enormous, practical curiosity to HOW TO GROW FOOD PLANTS. If you grow vegetables and fruits, for pleasure or for market, you owe it to yourself to sit at the feet of one of the very best.

from Nicholas Lore, best selling author of "THE PATHFINDER: How To Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success"

useful to growers on any scale, 11 Jun 1999
I could not recomend another book more highly. The information in this book is useful to growers on any scale. The chapters on soil preparation and crop rotaion are worth the price alone. I am online right now ordering a copy for my dad as a gift. Enjoy!

Organic Gardening explained both Factually & Philosophically, 14 May 1999
Eliot Coleman has written a masterful treatment of a deeply important subject. Not only does he offer an array of practical, time tested methods to help the reader successfully garden organically, he also tells the reader WHY one would wish to do so.

Difficult to find a better book than this, 22 Jan 2004
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable.

The advantage enjoyed by the small farmer is quality. If the product is first class and in demand and you are a dependable supplier at reasonable cost there is never a problem finding customers. But it needs hard work and intelligence. When starting in the era of 'get big or get out' there were almost no models of commercially successful organic small farmers to provide inspiration and ideas and where they existed it was exhausting and neither cost effective nor efficient. But by seeking out the best from different parts of the world Coleman found the optimum to be about 2.5 acres per grower - enough to produce quality vegetables for 100 people. Produce from the school farm now set the quality standards for the area. He learned much from Helen and Scott Nearing - they were the most practically organized country people he has met - especially their skills in observation and planning. Coleman sets out the year's work on paper during the winter and has a notebook with sections for each crop. He rotates crops until he finds the optimum - the single most important practice in a multi-cropping program. "The 8-year rotation presented below is a good one to conclude with because it is the one I have followed since 1982. It has been well tested. I have thought about modifying it countless times but never have. Its virtues always seem to outweigh its defects, although that isn't to say it can't be improved. I'm sure it can. But it has been a dependable producer and I offer it here as a tried-and-true example of a successful rotational sequence that incorporates many crop benefits. The goal of this particular rotation is to grow 32 vegetable crops in adequate quantities to feed for a year the community of 60-some people who eat daily in the Mountain School dining hall. Since we have found that we can feed 40 people per acre, the rotation below represents 1.5 acres of land. The salad crops not included here are grown in a separate small salad garden close to the kitchen." However, the author points out that tomatoes do better being grown in the same place each year fertilized by their own waste.

Factors that affect plant growth - light, moisture, temperature, soil fertility, mineral balance, biotic life, weeds, pests, seeds, labor, planning and skill - need to be arranged to the plant's liking with the grower coordinating and combining them into a harmonious whole much like the conductor of an orchestra. Successful farmers understand that their role is to help the seed do what it is already determined to do. Good farming practices such as crop rotation, animal manures, green manures, cover crops, mixed cropping, mixed stocking, legumes, crop residues, and season extension have been used for generations, but removing the limiting factors to plant growth and generating a balanced soil fertility are ultimately the secret of success.

There are 22 chapters, each one dealing with an important element of success such as green manures, tillage, direct seeding, transplanting, weeds, pests, harvest, marketing, season extension. In addition there are three appendices on tools, the major vegetable crops and a one-page schematic outline of biological agriculture. If you plan to buy just one book on organic growing, you will find it difficult to beat this book.

well laid out reference manual on organic principles., 26 Oct 2000
As a newcomer to organic agriculture and permaculture practices.I have read several works on the principles of organic agricultural practices but keep coming back to this excellent book.The only drawback I have found in reading it is that it is slightly more biased to the small scale commercial grower.Having said that ,all the points it brings out are relevant to all the organic philosiphies.Once again though it is an invaluable aid and thought provoking piece of work.I would highly recommend it.

A PRIMARY WORK FROM A MASTER, 08 Jul 1999
For over three thousand years there has been a written record of agricultural and horticultural curiosity and creativity. It is a domain of understanding where observation has always been the source of creativity. During that long history there have been many brilliantly creative observers of nature whose passions form the backbone of what we know about growing plants. Eliot Coleman is one of those true masters. He has spent his life applying his enormous, practical curiosity to HOW TO GROW FOOD PLANTS. If you grow vegetables and fruits, for pleasure or for market, you owe it to yourself to sit at the feet of one of the very best.

from Nicholas Lore, best selling author of "THE PATHFINDER: How To Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success"

useful to growers on any scale, 11 Jun 1999
I could not recomend another book more highly. The information in this book is useful to growers on any scale. The chapters on soil preparation and crop rotaion are worth the price alone. I am online right now ordering a copy for my dad as a gift. Enjoy!

Organic Gardening explained both Factually & Philosophically, 14 May 1999
Eliot Coleman has written a masterful treatment of a deeply important subject. Not only does he offer an array of practical, time tested methods to help the reader successfully garden organically, he also tells the reader WHY one would wish to do so.

A beautiful book about our chicken cousins, 08 Aug 2003
'Chickens At Home' is an amazing book, crammed full of insights about chickens and their homes. I live next door to a family of chickens and in the past have been intimidated by their 'strange' chicken ways. They are, after all, so different from us. They have wings, we do not. They have beaks, we do not. The can't talk English, which we find so easy to do in England. 'Chickens at Home' helped me to understand that being different isn't always a bad thing. We should embrace our differences! This book has helped me love chickens, and wiped away all my unease concerning these wonderful feathered people. If only every racist and biggot were to read this great book, we would live in a happier country.

Some useful advice, generally inhumane, financially driven, 04 May 2001
Had I wished for advice on keeping chickens in confined spaces, I should I gone direct to a local battery farm to ask for their advice. All four systems for keeping hens were confined, one with no access to grass or exercise, one indoors with electric lighting. The second system described as 'most satisfactory', being a 1oft x4ft enclosed wooden fold system that was moved around the lawn, struck me as being satisfactory for one person only, that being the owner. The author suggests 8-10 chickens could be housed in such a way. The methods for 'dispatching' or 'disposing' of non-productive birds (bashing over head, shooting or neck-breaking)was unbelievable, whilst the description of the chemicals that should be liberally applied to, on, or around the chickens on a regular basis, made generally unsavory reading. Definitely not the book for someone hoping to keep a few chickens in a humane, let alone, organic manner.

Good Book for Beginners, 12 Nov 2000
This is a well written, carefully thought out book. Easy to find the bits you want, or to read cover to cover. There is a lot of information in here making this excellent value.

The best chicken book we have found., 18 Feb 2000
The book covers all aspects of Chicken keeping and is very comprehensive. It includes the best list of diseases and treatments that we have found. Very good for a beginner.

Difficult to find a better book than this, 22 Jan 2004
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable.

The advantage enjoyed by the small farmer is quality. If the product is first class and in demand and you are a dependable supplier at reasonable cost there is never a problem finding customers. But it needs hard work and intelligence. When starting in the era of 'get big or get out' there were almost no models of commercially successful organic small farmers to provide inspiration and ideas and where they existed it was exhausting and neither cost effective nor efficient. But by seeking out the best from different parts of the world Coleman found the optimum to be about 2.5 acres per grower - enough to produce quality vegetables for 100 people. Produce from the school farm now set the quality standards for the area. He learned much from Helen and Scott Nearing - they were the most practically organized country people he has met - especially their skills in observation and planning. Coleman sets out the year's work on paper during the winter and has a notebook with sections for each crop. He rotates crops until he finds the optimum - the single most important practice in a multi-cropping program. "The 8-year rotation presented below is a good one to conclude with because it is the one I have followed since 1982. It has been well tested. I have thought about modifying it countless times but never have. Its virtues always seem to outweigh its defects, although that isn't to say it can't be improved. I'm sure it can. But it has been a dependable producer and I offer it here as a tried-and-true example of a successful rotational sequence that incorporates many crop benefits. The goal of this particular rotation is to grow 32 vegetable crops in adequate quantities to feed for a year the community of 60-some people who eat daily in the Mountain School dining hall. Since we have found that we can feed 40 people per acre, the rotation below represents 1.5 acres of land. The salad crops not included here are grown in a separate small salad garden close to the kitchen." However, the author points out that tomatoes do better being grown in the same place each year fertilized by their own waste.

Factors that affect plant growth - light, moisture, temperature, soil fertility, mineral balance, biotic life, weeds, pests, seeds, labor, planning and skill - need to be arranged to the plant's liking with the grower coordinating and combining them into a harmonious whole much like the conductor of an orchestra. Successful farmers understand that their role is to help the seed do what it is already determined to do. Good farming practices such as crop rotation, animal manures, green manures, cover crops, mixed cropping, mixed stocking, legumes, crop residues, and season extension have been used for generations, but removing the limiting factors to plant growth and generating a balanced soil fertility are ultimately the secret of success.

There are 22 chapters, each one dealing with an important element of success such as green manures, tillage, direct seeding, transplanting, weeds, pests, harvest, marketing, season extension. In addition there are three appendices on tools, the major vegetable crops and a one-page schematic outline of biological agriculture. If you plan to buy just one book on organic growing, you will find it difficult to beat this book.

well laid out reference manual on organic principles., 26 Oct 2000
As a newcomer to organic agriculture and permaculture practices.I have read several works on the principles of organic agricultural practices but keep coming back to this excellent book.The only drawback I have found in reading it is that it is slightly more biased to the small scale commercial grower.Having said that ,all the points it brings out are relevant to all the organic philosiphies.Once again though it is an invaluable aid and thought provoking piece of work.I would highly recommend it.

A PRIMARY WORK FROM A MASTER, 08 Jul 1999
For over three thousand years there has been a written record of agricultural and horticultural curiosity and creativity. It is a domain of understanding where observation has always been the source of creativity. During that long history there have been many brilliantly creative observers of nature whose passions form the backbone of what we know about growing plants. Eliot Coleman is one of those true masters. He has spent his life applying his enormous, practical curiosity to HOW TO GROW FOOD PLANTS. If you grow vegetables and fruits, for pleasure or for market, you owe it to yourself to sit at the feet of one of the very best.

from Nicholas Lore, best selling author of "THE PATHFINDER: How To Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success"

useful to growers on any scale, 11 Jun 1999
I could not recomend another book more highly. The information in this book is useful to growers on any scale. The chapters on soil preparation and crop rotaion are worth the price alone. I am online right now ordering a copy for my dad as a gift. Enjoy!

Organic Gardening explained both Factually & Philosophically, 14 May 1999
Eliot Coleman has written a masterful treatment of a deeply important subject. Not only does he offer an array of practical, time tested methods to help the reader successfully garden organically, he also tells the reader WHY one would wish to do so.

A beautiful book about our chicken cousins, 08 Aug 2003
'Chickens At Home' is an amazing book, crammed full of insights about chickens and their homes. I live next door to a family of chickens and in the past have been intimidated by their 'strange' chicken ways. They are, after all, so different from us. They have wings, we do not. They have beaks, we do not. The can't talk English, which we find so easy to do in England. 'Chickens at Home' helped me to understand that being different isn't always a bad thing. We should embrace our differences! This book has helped me love chickens, and wiped away all my unease concerning these wonderful feathered people. If only every racist and biggot were to read this great book, we would live in a happier country.

Some useful advice, generally inhumane, financially driven, 04 May 2001
Had I wished for advice on keeping chickens in confined spaces, I should I gone direct to a local battery farm to ask for their advice. All four systems for keeping hens were confined, one with no access to grass or exercise, one indoors with electric lighting. The second system described as 'most satisfactory', being a 1oft x4ft enclosed wooden fold system that was moved around the lawn, struck me as being satisfactory for one person only, that being the owner. The author suggests 8-10 chickens could be housed in such a way. The methods for 'dispatching' or 'disposing' of non-productive birds (bashing over head, shooting or neck-breaking)was unbelievable, whilst the description of the chemicals that should be liberally applied to, on, or around the chickens on a regular basis, made generally unsavory reading. Definitely not the book for someone hoping to keep a few chickens in a humane, let alone, organic manner.

Good Book for Beginners, 12 Nov 2000
This is a well written, carefully thought out book. Easy to find the bits you want, or to read cover to cover. There is a lot of information in here making this excellent value.

The best chicken book we have found., 18 Feb 2000
The book covers all aspects of Chicken keeping and is very comprehensive. It includes the best list of diseases and treatments that we have found. Very good for a beginner.

Very disappointed, 26 Jun 2007
As the first reviewer said, this book looks as though it was written in a day. It is so out of date that you would be forgiven for thinking that it had been written 1n the 1950s. An absoulute waste of money.


Incubation at Home, 02 Feb 2004
This book looks like it was written in a day. It offers only basic information and not a lot of that. There is much better incubation advice in other "general" poultry books and considering that this book is *only* about incubation I was still left wanting.

What an imformative book, 26 Aug 2002
I'm 14 years old and i started keeping chickens at the age of 10. Recently i bought this book to guide me on my way to sucessfully breeding and incubating. The book tells you everything from advise on what incubator to buy to how to adjust the temperature and humidity in the incubator. Since getting the book i have hatched and reared many species of chickens ranging from Orpingtons through to Plymouth Rocks.
I sincerly hope you do aswell with incubating the eggs as i did. Good Luck!

Difficult to find a better book than this, 22 Jan 2004
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable.

The advantage enjoyed by the small farmer is quality. If the product is first class and in demand and you are a dependable supplier at reasonable cost there is never a problem finding customers. But it needs hard work and intelligence. When starting in the era of 'get big or get out' there were almost no models of commercially successful organic small farmers to provide inspiration and ideas and where they existed it was exhausting and neither cost effective nor efficient. But by seeking out the best from different parts of the world Coleman found the optimum to be about 2.5 acres per grower - enough to produce quality vegetables for 100 people. Produce from the school farm now set the quality standards for the area. He learned much from Helen and Scott Nearing - they were the most practically organized country people he has met - especially their skills in observation and planning. Coleman sets out the year's work on paper during the winter and has a notebook with sections for each crop. He rotates crops until he finds the optimum - the single most important practice in a multi-cropping program. "The 8-year rotation presented below is a good one to conclude with because it is the one I have followed since 1982. It has been well tested. I have thought about modifying it countless times but never have. Its virtues always seem to outweigh its defects, although that isn't to say it can't be improved. I'm sure it can. But it has been a dependable producer and I offer it here as a tried-and-true example of a successful rotational sequence that incorporates many crop benefits. The goal of this particular rotation is to grow 32 vegetable crops in adequate quantities to feed for a year the community of 60-some people who eat daily in the Mountain School dining hall. Since we have found that we can feed 40 people per acre, the rotation below represents 1.5 acres of land. The salad crops not included here are grown in a separate small salad garden close to the kitchen." However, the author points out that tomatoes do better being grown in the same place each year fertilized by their own waste.

Factors that affect plant growth - light, moisture, temperature, soil fertility, mineral balance, biotic life, weeds, pests, seeds, labor, planning and skill - need to be arranged to the plant's liking with the grower coordinating and combining them into a harmonious whole much like the conductor of an orchestra. Successful farmers understand that their role is to help the seed do what it is already determined to do. Good farming practices such as crop rotation, animal manures, green manures, cover crops, mixed cropping, mixed stocking, legumes, crop residues, and season extension have been used for generations, but removing the limiting factors to plant growth and generating a balanced soil fertility are ultimately the secret of success.

There are 22 chapters, each one dealing with an important element of success such as green manures, tillage, direct seeding, transplanting, weeds, pests, harvest, marketing, season extension. In addition there are three appendices on tools, the major vegetable crops and a one-page schematic outline of biological agriculture. If you plan to buy just one book on organic growing, you will find it difficult to beat this book.

well laid out reference manual on organic principles., 26 Oct 2000
As a newcomer to organic agriculture and permaculture practices.I have read several works on the principles of organic agricultural practices but keep coming back to this excellent book.The only drawback I have found in reading it is that it is slightly more biased to the small scale commercial grower.Having said that ,all the points it brings out are relevant to all the organic philosiphies.Once again though it is an invaluable aid and thought provoking piece of work.I would highly recommend it.

A PRIMARY WORK FROM A MASTER, 08 Jul 1999
For over three thousand years there has been a written record of agricultural and horticultural curiosity and creativity. It is a domain of understanding where observation has always been the source of creativity. During that long history there have been many brilliantly creative observers of nature whose passions form the backbone of what we know about growing plants. Eliot Coleman is one of those true masters. He has spent his life applying his enormous, practical curiosity to HOW TO GROW FOOD PLANTS. If you grow vegetables and fruits, for pleasure or for market, you owe it to yourself to sit at the feet of one of the very best.

from Nicholas Lore, best selling author of "THE PATHFINDER: How To Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success"

useful to growers on any scale, 11 Jun 1999
I could not recomend another book more highly. The information in this book is useful to growers on any scale. The chapters on soil preparation and crop rotaion are worth the price alone. I am online right now ordering a copy for my dad as a gift. Enjoy!

Organic Gardening explained both Factually & Philosophically, 14 May 1999
Eliot Coleman has written a masterful treatment of a deeply important subject. Not only does he offer an array of practical, time tested methods to help the reader successfully garden organically, he also tells the reader WHY one would wish to do so.

A beautiful book about our chicken cousins, 08 Aug 2003
'Chickens At Home' is an amazing book, crammed full of insights about chickens and their homes. I live next door to a family of chickens and in the past have been intimidated by their 'strange' chicken ways. They are, after all, so different from us. They have wings, we do not. They have beaks, we do not. The can't talk English, which we find so easy to do in England. 'Chickens at Home' helped me to understand that being different isn't always a bad thing. We should embrace our differences! This book has helped me love chickens, and wiped away all my unease concerning these wonderful feathered people. If only every racist and biggot were to read this great book, we would live in a happier country.

Some useful advice, generally inhumane, financially driven, 04 May 2001
Had I wished for advice on keeping chickens in confined spaces, I should I gone direct to a local battery farm to ask for their advice. All four systems for keeping hens were confined, one with no access to grass or exercise, one indoors with electric lighting. The second system described as 'most satisfactory', being a 1oft x4ft enclosed wooden fold system that was moved around the lawn, struck me as being satisfactory for one person only, that being the owner. The author suggests 8-10 chickens could be housed in such a way. The methods for 'dispatching' or 'disposing' of non-productive birds (bashing over head, shooting or neck-breaking)was unbelievable, whilst the description of the chemicals that should be liberally applied to, on, or around the chickens on a regular basis, made generally unsavory reading. Definitely not the book for someone hoping to keep a few chickens in a humane, let alone, organic manner.

Good Book for Beginners, 12 Nov 2000
This is a well written, carefully thought out book. Easy to find the bits you want, or to read cover to cover. There is a lot of information in here making this excellent value.

The best chicken book we have found., 18 Feb 2000
The book covers all aspects of Chicken keeping and is very comprehensive. It includes the best list of diseases and treatments that we have found. Very good for a beginner.

Very disappointed, 26 Jun 2007
As the first reviewer said, this book looks as though it was written in a day. It is so out of date that you would be forgiven for thinking that it had been written 1n the 1950s. An absoulute waste of money.


Incubation at Home, 02 Feb 2004
This book looks like it was written in a day. It offers only basic information and not a lot of that. There is much better incubation advice in other "general" poultry books and considering that this book is *only* about incubation I was still left wanting.

What an imformative book, 26 Aug 2002
I'm 14 years old and i started keeping chickens at the age of 10. Recently i bought this book to guide me on my way to sucessfully breeding and incubating. The book tells you everything from advise on what incubator to buy to how to adjust the temperature and humidity in the incubator. Since getting the book i have hatched and reared many species of chickens ranging from Orpingtons through to Plymouth Rocks.
I sincerly hope you do aswell with incubating the eggs as i did. Good Luck!

Very Helpful, 20 Oct 2007
I found this book very helpful when i was given half a dozen ducklings and didn't know what to do. It covered everything from housing and feeding to (better not tell the kids) fattening and dispatching.
I don't know what the last reviewer was reading as there's not a single photo of children in my copy.


Very American and not much illustration, 27 Apr 2002
I bought this book because of the previous persons reccomendation. The book has too many references to America and whilst describing housing and various items related to ducks, there are very few useful pictures, only pretty ones with children in them. And pleny of cute pictures.I wouldnt buy another in this series now, in case its the same.

Excellent. Easy to understand., 08 Nov 2001
A very readable book that gives a lot of basic information for the beginner. It covers all aspects of waterfowl-keeping, from recognition of various breeds down to common ailments and reasonably priced housing. I started with this book and it gave me the foundation to confidently purchase our first ducks and geese. A must for those new to poultry.