Gail Damerow shows you how to incubate, hatch, and brood baby chickens, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, and guinea keets. With advice on everything from selecting a breed and choosing the best incubator to feeding and caring for newborn chicks in a brooder, this comprehensive guide also covers issues like embryo development, panting chicks, and a variety of common birth defects. Whether you want to hatch three eggs or one hundred, you'll find all the information you need to make your poultry-raising operation a success. Chicken expert Gail Damerow teaches readers how to raise all types of poultry chicks, and also explains what it takes to go to the next level and hatch them at home. Introduction Part 1: The Chicks 1 Acquiring Your First Chicks 2 Setting Up Your Brooder 3 Managing Water, Feed, and Bedding 4 What to Expect as They Grow 5 Hatchling Health Issues Part 2: The Eggs 6 The Broody Hen 7 Selecting an Incubator 8 Eggs for Hatching 9 Operating an Incubator 10 What Went Wrong? 11 Hatchling Identification Appendix: Screwpot Notions Glossary Acknowledgments Resources Index Interior Photography Credits From Fertilized Egg to Baby Chick and Beyond Whether you're an experienced poultry owner or an intrigued beginner, chicken expert Gail Damerow offers everything you need to know about acquiring and brooding hatchlings and what to expect from your young charges as they grow. When you've gained experience brooding and are eager for the next challenge, Damerow goes on to explain every step of the hatching process.