This page contains a selection of introductory poultry articles which cover essential material for the novice fancier. Once you have read these you should have a firm grounding of what to expect, so you can proceed to the other articles on the menu build on your understanding.

If you're unsure of a certain word or phrase used in any of these documents you can simply look it up in our glossary at the top of each page..

Before we start looking at the more practical side of things, let's make sure we know all about the anatomy and various feather and comb patterns of poultry.

Anatomy of the bird - a diagram showing both the male and female,
Feather patterns - some names given to types of feathering a bird can have,
Egg colours - eggs don't have to be brown or white - as this page explains,
Combs - the male birds (cockerels) of different breeds have different comb structures - here's a few of the most commonly seen,
Skeleton of a bird - a diagram showing bone structure,
Trouble Spots - these are areas you should look for to spot parasites and disease.

Now we've obtained our birds, we want to know how to keep them healthy. These articles will help you cover the key points.

Injecting - if you ever need to inject medication, this article will give an overview before doing so,
Stress - a good article detailing how to keep your birds as 'stress-free' as possible,
Lice and Mites - these horrible critters will pay you a visit sooner or later, try to find out which you have, then visit the health forum to get advice on how to treat them.

The most important part of poultry keeping is making sure they are fed and watered correctly. Further in-depth articles can be found in the 'Feeding & Drinking' section but the ones below are a great starting point.

Poultry Drinkers - Helping you to decide which drinker is right for you,
Drinking Water Supplements - additions you can give your birds to boost their fitness,
Feeding Your Birds - this gives the novice poultry keeper some information on how to feed their birds

Housing is extremely important. No draughts, no rain, no snow, no damp must be able to sneak in. Your birds will need a nice area to sleep and lay eggs in which is dry and regularly cleaned out. More information can be found in the housing section, but here are some starters.

Housing Pekins - the key points of successful Pekin housing,
Winter Housing - is very important so your birds do not get a chill.

Now you're getting more confident you may want to hatch some of your own birds. There are two methods - natural and artificial incubation of the egg. The natural method is explained below.

Preventing Broodiness - this article will help you to stop your hens from being broody,
Brooding basics - Once the chicks have hatched you need to keep them warm - this article explains.

If you haven't got a broody when you need one, these articles will tell you how to have successful hatches using an artificial method.

The Complete Incubation Guide - a great article for the newbie covering every aspect of incubation, from humidity to hatching, to what to do in a power cut.
Candling Eggs - what to look for when you candle your eggs.
Incubating Eggs - this tells you all you need to know for a successful hatch,

Once your chicks hatch, you may need to keep specific records to help identify which chicks hatched from which parents, the following is here to help.

Toe punching variations - once chicks hatch from different parents, this diagram shows all combinations of toe punches you can use to keep track of them.

Once a year your birds will go bald. This is perfectly normal and is called "moulting". The following section explains why.

Moulting - what it is and why it happens. Also information about how to encourage the moulting process.