Books about Domestic Waterfowl
- Keeping Ducks and Geese -

These books are available from Amazon, or from  the ourselves,  Tel 01938 554011. 

Keeping Ducks and Geese (published by David and Charles) is out May 2009. 128pages, full colour, final cover as illustrated left. Cover price £14. 99. 
Keeping ducks and geese can be a fascinating hobby for the whole family. From producing eggs for food and painting, quills for writing, birds for exhibition or even eating, ducks and geese can add a new dimension to the garden or smallholding. They make wonderful pets: geese act as watchdogs and ducks are a gardener’s best friend – keeping the pond free of weeds and rescuing crops from a slimy slug massacre. With information on 40 of the most popular duck and goose breeds, Keeping Ducks and Geese shows you how to select the right breed, what
you need get started and how to care for your birds to get the best out of them from the very start.

Click Best Price on the Amazon connection for details. 
 

In colour throughout, 48pp plus covers, A4. Very well illustrated with the main duck colours which span the breeds.  

£15.00 plus p&p

More details at The Indian Runner: A Historical Guide

Available through:
Amazon UK - search for Indian Runner Duck  - from seller ashton455 - lowest new price
Also through bookseller Veronica Mayhew veronica.mayhew@virgin.net

Ducks
An inexpensive booklet printed on heavy weight, glossy paper. 28 pages, half of them in colour, about the colours of ducks, including Calls and Indian Runners. Genetics of the restricted/mallard/dusky genes, and dark phase/light phase genes explained in pictures. Also, the influence of homozygous and heterozygous blue genes in the expression of colour. 
Available through bookseller Veronica Mayhew veronica.mayhew@virgin.net

Domestic Geese  Crowood Press 1999
Geese have an unjust reputation for ruling the farmyard and being noisy and aggressive. Well reared, they are useful, amenable  and easy to keep. There is a comprehensive summary of the breeds in the UK  in Domestic Geese. The study  of management includes transport, housing, feeding, grazing and fencing. Goose behaviour and the approach to the breeding season is examined in detail, plus breeding, incubation and rearing of goslings. 192 pages, stitched, hardback, illustrated throughout with over 100 photographs and diagrams, and an eight page colour section.   

Or buy online at http://www.crowoodpress.co.uk/  
Farming and Land Use section
Site price £15.99, plus carriage
Carriage is free on orders over £30.00 

Now  in paperback

ISBN: 978 1 84797 050 3
192 pages
Paperback
246x189 mm
170 black & white photographs, 35 colour

The Domestic Duck -  Crowood Press  2001, 2008
In 1865 there were only four officially recognized breeds of duck, each with its own distinct geographical origin. Yet by 1900 the commercialisation of the duck, as an egg layer and table bird, was to change radically the methods of production as well as the ducks themselves. The khaki Campbell, amongst other 'designer' breeds, was part of a revolution from which the commercial duck seemed poised to oust the hen. 
   Despite such predictions, the duck was not developed for mass production to quite the same degree. Many of the breeds virtually disappeared during the Second World War, but were conserved to make a comeback in the 1950s and an even bigger impact in the 1980s. The function of ducks has also changed: as well as being a food source, they now provide pets and an interesting hobby for many enthusiasts. 
   This book traces the origins of the twenty three breeds of duck standardized in the Great Britain and examines their breed characteristics for both exhibition and utility purposes. It examines evidence of the origins of the breeds, and gives advice on acquiring, keeping and breeding ducks and selecting birds for utility purposes or exhibition. The Domestic Duck is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide for the serious breeder and hobbyist alike. 

Please note that all photographs and text on this website belong to Chris & Mike Ashton. They should not be reproduced
without our permission i.e. they should  not be used for advertising or commercial purposes.
Please telephone 01938 554011 for availability of books or stock 
Please note that  we are in the UK near Shrewsbury. This is a UK ( England and Wales) website. We do not sell hatching eggs.
We breed a limited quantity of pure breeds of domestic geese and Indian Runner ducks each year. Involved in this hobby for over twenty five years, we have a wide knowledge of the breeds of waterfowl in the UK. Our books contain advice on housing and bedding, feeding, water supply, breeding and rearing ducks and geese, and avoiding diseases.