Book Review: How to Care For Your Poultry.

How to Care For Your Poultry, by Nadene Hall and Sue Clark.
This book is comprehensive - probably the most ‘all inclusive’ book on

chooks yet published. And what’s more, it’s published for New Zealand

readership.

Nadene Hall is the editor of NZ Lifestyle Block magazine, and 5 years

ago saw the need for a contributor to the magazine to write specifically

about poultry, and to discuss with readers the problems that inevitably

arise. A poultry enthusiast and breeder (since age 14), who has also
been a farm manager for Tegel (which meant supplying 13 000 000 -yes,

13 million birds per year to the industry), threw her hat into the ring.

Sue Clark was thus accepted by NZ Lifestyle Block magazine as their

resident expert.

The two of them have collaborated in this production and the result is

an easy to read but most interesting 145 page manual that will help you to

keep a healthy and productive flock of birds. It also explains the limited

number of different breeds available in this country. To know whether you

are going to get a show bird, a meat bird or an egg bird (and not very often
does a bird have more than one of these qualities) you must firstly find out

about what’s available, and this publication contains all the information you’ll

ever need - including how to care for, feed, shelter and obtain your flock.

There are plenty of photos and diagrams, but not all photos are captioned.

At times, the fact that 2 people have written the book shows through, and

minor contradictions arise. It contains a full index enabling specific information

to be quickly located within it.

The book, though originally issued as a supplement to NZ Lifestyle Block,

is a publication of Fairfax Media. It is currently available from neither web-site

(although Fairfax is currently selling an Australian edition of the publication). It

can probably be ordered from reputable booksellers, ($19.90) and, of course,

is available at the Hampden Library.