If you are interested in the many breeds of poultry,(many of which are dangerously rare) Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds (2007) is a great guide. In brilliant color, this comprehensive guide details the history and current status of the world's diversity of domesticated fowl. This is a fun guide to page through as a quick reference, or just to read cover to cover. I have raised many of the diverse breeds in this guide myself.
Half a century ago, most of the world's population lived on farms raising poultry (the original fast food). Today, our industrialized food system leaves no room for many of the beautiful, but commercially less viable varieties produced by thousands of years of human domestication. One ancient breed has a connection with Julius Caesar while another, the Araucana may be a living connection to pre-Columbian visitors from Asia to the Americas. It would be a shame to lose all of these wonderful breeds just to eat more mechanically separated chicken in a can.
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