Just got this in the mail today, and already I am in love. Chock full of everything from making soap to buying land to raising chickens (who doesn't love a book with chickens referenced in it??) to gardening and food preservation, it is a thick manual of how-to advice. Maybe it isn't the complete end-all resource, but it DOES have information on where to go to find out more about selected topics. I just love a book that admits its limitations, don't you?
In addition to this new treasure tome, I finally picked up a copy of The Chicken Health Handbook. Given the recent, smelly and mysterious death of one of my hens, I thought it would be a good idea to read up on chicken ailments. My girls have been overall very healthy, with minimal pest and disease concerns. I think that is the beauty of having a very small flock. But I did discover that likely, my latest hen died of salmonella (also known as "white diarrhea") but maybe became a staph infection due to irritation of the vent. After reading up, it is possible that my other birds are "carriers", but since it sounds like almost ALL animals (people included) can be carriers of salmonella and staph, I am not going to worry about it. Just don't eat raw eggs, wash your hands, and cook poultry thoroughly. Good advice, all in all.
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