Duck Egg Production for Beginners: A practical guide for producing duck eggs for the hobby farmer
Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Agriculture & Animal Husbandry, Nature, Animals
| Author: | Michael Messuri | ISBN: | 9781476329536 |
| Publisher: | Michael Messuri | Publication: | June 18, 2012 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | Michael Messuri |
| ISBN: | 9781476329536 |
| Publisher: | Michael Messuri |
| Publication: | June 18, 2012 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
"Duck Egg Production for Beginners: A practical guide for producing duck eggs for the hobby farmer" by Michael Messuri and Bruce H. Wolk, is written for the person who has an interest in raising ducks for free-range duck egg production but knows little or nothing about the topic.
Practical books on free-range duck egg production, written by a duck egg producer with commercial experience are difficult to find. The book avoids technical jargon and takes an ethical, compassionate and often humorous approach to the topic. Many of the details presented in the book are based on first-hand experience by someone who deals with the day-to-day challenges of working with a flock of ducks.
"Duck Egg Production for Beginners" spends considerable time discussing the duck eggs themselves, making comparisons of duck eggs to chicken eggs and discusses the duck egg in recipes. Even if the reader ultimately decides to not raise duck eggs, the book has value to those in the culinary arts as a primer on cooking and baking with duck eggs.
The book also talks about the potential problems and joys a suburban homeowner might face in raising a few ducks on their property and even offering common sense solutions such as choosing ducks that naturally quack less!
For those readers who wish to buy ducklings and raise them to mature, egg-laying hens, Messuri and Wolk cover many topics including proper feeding, watering, shelter construction, egg laying areas, rotation of the duck yard, swimming considerations and duck varieties. The book offers charts on light and dark cycles to maximize egg yields, graphs on square footage requirements so as to allow for humane conditions and offers a table on where to source quality ducklings and/or fertile eggs.
Much time is spent on security and safety issues against predators and the book even dispels myths which could lead to fatalities if not properly observed. For example, ducklings can drown if left unattended in water and there are real dangers in feeding mature ducks human "junk food" such as sugary desserts, white bread or popcorn. The book strongly advocates free-range, duck rearing practices and is opposed to cage-raising poultry or practices that are inhumane.
One, highly unique feature of "Duck Egg Production for Beginners," found in virtually no other book on hobby farm poultry, are instructions for legally selling excess duck eggs to farmer’s markets, retail stores, high-end bakeries and restaurants. The advice is applicable for those producing chicken, turkey and goose eggs as well. Included in this area of the book are zoning considerations, licensing fees and becoming a USDA inspected facility.
Messuri Family Farm is an Ohio-based farm producing free-range duck, turkey and goose eggs. Michael Messuri, president of Messuri Family Farm, decided to launch a series of practical guides to assist beginning hobby farmers as to the proper way to go into egg production. Mr. Messuri has been raising ducks for egg production since 2005 and he admits he had to learn many lessons "the hard way." He hopes to help as many would be duck egg farms as possible. Messuri’s co-author is Bruce H. Wolk, an author and biologist who helped pay his way through college by working on a poultry farm.
"Duck Egg Production for Beginners: A practical guide for producing duck eggs for the hobby farmer" by Michael Messuri and Bruce H. Wolk, is written for the person who has an interest in raising ducks for free-range duck egg production but knows little or nothing about the topic.
Practical books on free-range duck egg production, written by a duck egg producer with commercial experience are difficult to find. The book avoids technical jargon and takes an ethical, compassionate and often humorous approach to the topic. Many of the details presented in the book are based on first-hand experience by someone who deals with the day-to-day challenges of working with a flock of ducks.
"Duck Egg Production for Beginners" spends considerable time discussing the duck eggs themselves, making comparisons of duck eggs to chicken eggs and discusses the duck egg in recipes. Even if the reader ultimately decides to not raise duck eggs, the book has value to those in the culinary arts as a primer on cooking and baking with duck eggs.
The book also talks about the potential problems and joys a suburban homeowner might face in raising a few ducks on their property and even offering common sense solutions such as choosing ducks that naturally quack less!
For those readers who wish to buy ducklings and raise them to mature, egg-laying hens, Messuri and Wolk cover many topics including proper feeding, watering, shelter construction, egg laying areas, rotation of the duck yard, swimming considerations and duck varieties. The book offers charts on light and dark cycles to maximize egg yields, graphs on square footage requirements so as to allow for humane conditions and offers a table on where to source quality ducklings and/or fertile eggs.
Much time is spent on security and safety issues against predators and the book even dispels myths which could lead to fatalities if not properly observed. For example, ducklings can drown if left unattended in water and there are real dangers in feeding mature ducks human "junk food" such as sugary desserts, white bread or popcorn. The book strongly advocates free-range, duck rearing practices and is opposed to cage-raising poultry or practices that are inhumane.
One, highly unique feature of "Duck Egg Production for Beginners," found in virtually no other book on hobby farm poultry, are instructions for legally selling excess duck eggs to farmer’s markets, retail stores, high-end bakeries and restaurants. The advice is applicable for those producing chicken, turkey and goose eggs as well. Included in this area of the book are zoning considerations, licensing fees and becoming a USDA inspected facility.
Messuri Family Farm is an Ohio-based farm producing free-range duck, turkey and goose eggs. Michael Messuri, president of Messuri Family Farm, decided to launch a series of practical guides to assist beginning hobby farmers as to the proper way to go into egg production. Mr. Messuri has been raising ducks for egg production since 2005 and he admits he had to learn many lessons "the hard way." He hopes to help as many would be duck egg farms as possible. Messuri’s co-author is Bruce H. Wolk, an author and biologist who helped pay his way through college by working on a poultry farm.
