Chickens can be seen as pets andor a source of food. Even in the city, people would keep chickens as a way to have fresh eggs and control bug problems. A heavy layer chicken will give you around 46 eggs per week. So most of your chicken feeding efforts are focused in the warmer months when your chicken feed crops can be producing prolifically. Whether you are raising a few backyard chickens or a flock of 100, this is the book you need to keep your birds healthy and safe. Its a handson chance to learn the character and communitybuilding principles and practices. A practical guide to raising chickens in a happy backyard flock, choosing the right breed, feeding and care. When buying or building a coop, make sure its big enough for them and any future additions. Chicken coup best chicken coop building a chicken coop simple chicken coop inside chicken coop small chicken coops keeping chickens raising chickens pet chickens. I suppose for more facty type stuff i like gail damerows storeys guide to raising chickens not the same companys guide to raising poultry, by a different author but hopefully there is. Raising chickens is the ultimate beginners guide that features tips, tricks, and tools of the art of raising healthy chickens for whatever your purposes may be. Chickens raised for meat are combinations of many breeds that result in desirable growth and carcass traits. Whether youre a 4h r, a firsttime poultry owner, or a future egg farmer, raising chickens teaches more than animal husbandry. Raising chickens for beginners backyard chicken project.
Either way, chickens can give you joy, a sense of fulfillment, and eggs. Well talk about how to get started raising chickens, choosing a chicken breed, building a coop, raising chicks, chicken care, collecting and storing eggs, and more. Raising backyard chickens for dummies by jason price on july 11, 2014 jul 11, 2014 jason price. Rob ludlow is the owner of, a top source on chicken raising, and the coauthor of raising chickens for dummies. When we first started raising chickens we were completely overwhelmed by the amount of information available. Im here to share with you not only the basics of raising backyard chickens, but the. Although 4h offers several poultry projects for members, only one requires showing chickens for completion the exhibition bird project. There is literally tons of information about raising chicks and chickens and it is hard to sort through it all to determine what is right, what is not and what is just plain weird. The beginners guide to raising backyard chickens fresh. Storeys guide to raising chickens, 4th edition storey publishing. Before the days of walmart, raising chickens was a pretty normal thing to see. Currently, she spends her days gardening, caring for her orchard and vineyard, raising chickens, ducks, goats, and bees.
Young people enrolled in 4h poultry clubs, operated by their state cooperative extension services, learn about caring for birds and participate in specific poultry projects. And you harvest your non productive layers in the fall. What is the best book on raising some chickens in your. If you have kids, the fun is exponentially multiplied as chickens are very social.
With more people turning towards organic foods and backyard gardens, raising chickens is starting to increase in popularity again. The 4h guide raising chickens book, is very informative and will help anyone with no idea how to care for chickens, i am beyond satisfied with the book. New color photos and illustrations provide more specificity and information about chicken breeds, anatomy, and health. This new edition of raising chickens for dummies provides the most uptodate, thorough information on the many aspects of keeping chickens in your backyard. Things like leafy greens, berries and porridge go down a treat for your chickens and contain lots of nutrients to. Information on showing chickens with 4h animals mom. These chicken hatching books include not only information on the life of a chicken, but with worksheets to help. This allows them to eat and drink when they want, and will help them to grow into healthy chickens. Raising backyard chickens for beginners is exciting and very rewarding. Buy a cheap copy of 4h guide to raising chickens book by tara kindschi. Jennifer is a fulltime homesteader who started her journey in the foothills of north carolina in 2010. A comprehensive introduction to raising popular farmyard animals kindle edition by stone, norman j. Grooming your birds wash your chickens about two days prior to the show. I was recently asked what my go to books are, if i need advice or ideas with raising chickens.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It tells you all you need to know,from coop,to what kind of chickens is best for you, to what kind of feeds and bedding to put in their hen house. Cornish rock cross rapid growth, reaching 4 to 6 pounds by 6 to 8 weeks of age excellent feed conversion the pounds of feed needed to. If you need ideas for chicken coop, go to this page. The best book on raising chickens in your backyard would definitely have to be one which includes all aspects of chicken life. Showing 4h chickens involves careful bathing prior to the event, but it also means practicing the correct way to handle your birds for judging. Heres our raising chickens 101 seriesa beginners guide in 6 chapters. Raising the brooder lamp a few inches will help accomplish this. Lets say youre a family of 4 who eat eggbased food every day. From selecting a breed to caring for chicks, from housing and fencing to feeding and preventing or treating illness, the guide presents simple, straightforward information about. A chicken requires at least 3 4 square feet of space. When raising chickens on a large scale, you generally raise your meat birds only in the summer. This easytofollow, illustrated guide introduces beginners to.
Includes tips on housing, feed and management of baby. We bought every book on raising chickens and poured over websites. If you are thinking about diving into the world of backyard chicken keeping and care about the quality of life of their chickens, then this is your authoritative guide to coops, nesting boxes, runs, feed, and natural health care for optimal health with timetested remedies, free of chemicals or antibiotics. Offered here at a huge discount on the individual book price. Youll hear handson, easytofollow instructions on choosing and purchasing chickens, constructing housing for your birds, feeding your chickens. Bonnie jo manion has been featured in national garden magazines with her gardens, organic practices, chickens, and designs. Boosting your income and profit with chickens building the ideal coop for your home. Bring the brooder temperature down 5 degrees to 85 degrees f. Gail damerow, author of the chicken health handbook, 2nd edition, has written extensively on raising chickens and other livestock, growing fruits and vegetables, and related rural knowhow in more than a dozen country skills howto books, including the bestselling storeys guide to raising chickens, the chicken encyclopedia, and hatching and brooding. Whether youre raising layers to get eggs with deep golden yolks or birds for tender, tasty meat or birds for cackling companionship, caring for your birds is an everyday proposition. Tara kindschi a comprehensive guide to raising chickens that provides stepbystep instructions for every stage of the process, including selecting a breed, acquiring birds, chicken management, feeding, and. Storeys guide to raising chickens includes all the information farmers need from choosing breeds and hatching chicks. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, game birds.
If you arent ready for the book or just want a sampling of the type of information the books offers we have also put together two free ebooks. Raising chickens teaches more than animal husbandry. To arm you with candid and honest information about all stages of raising chickens weve written a full 107 page ebook. If you have ever had any questions, or have ever considered raising your own chickens, this is the book for you. Raising backyard chickens for dummies modern farmer. Raising chicks is easier than you might think especially if you let a mother hen do the work for you.
For example, the average hen will give you over 200 eggs per year. Previous ohio 4h poultry project books have been condensed into one poultry project and record book for members of all skill levels. Its a handson chance to learn the character and communitybuilding principles and practices that 4h is all about. Your chicken needs a house to live, we call it a coop. While this version features a new dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product. One chicken needs about 34 square feet per chicken. A complete guide to raising backyard chickens in 7 chapters. Well, chickens do seem to literally eat anything, but that shouldnt imply that everything they eat is necessarily good for them. I have personally found that the perfect chicken coop by charlie tucke.
A good rule of thumb for space requirements is approximately 34 square feet per chicken inside the coop and 10 sqft per. Whilst we cover almost everything imaginable about chickens at the happy chicken coop, there is still something nice about having a paper book without hesitation, i could think of five books which have helped me with practical ideas and advice and a reference for all things. In this chapter we talk all about different type of housing for chickens, which one is right for you, and how to prepare your backyard for their house. Over 70 pages crammed with information on homesteading essentials such as the following, will ensure of a good grounding in selfsufficiency and rearing animals on your homestead or even backyard. A basic guide to raising chickens mother earth news. Showing your chickens at the fair the raising chickens series book 2. Whilst we cover almost everything imaginable about chickens at the happy chicken coop, there is still something nice about having a paper book without hesitation, i could think of five books which have helped me with practical ideas and advice and a reference for all things chicken. Free hatching baby chicks observation book directions. Whether youre a 4hr, a firsttime poultry owner, or a future egg farmer, the 4h guide to raising chickens provides stepbystep instructions for your project. This book has every scenario a would be chicken farmer might face whether they are starting a. Storeys guide to raising chickens, 4th edition storey. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, game birds fourth edition. Books about raising chickens books on backyard chickens.
With this number, you can calculate how many chickens you need. Once the chicks have feathered out roughly 67 weeks youll want to move them out of your house and into a chicken coop. There was an endless amount of information out there about raising chickens. Serious poultry farmers and backyard bird raisers have relied on this bestselling reference for more than 20 years. Raising chickens for dummies 9781119675921 was previously published as raising chickens for dummies 9781118982785. Raising chickens to provide you with eggs is a great way to ensure that your eggs are free range and the chickens vote up 0 vote down reply. So, if youre planning to raise 4 chickens, you need to buildbuy a 12square foot chicken coop. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading homesteading animals 4book bundle.
1463 604 1031 1279 24 794 821 1608 1250 276 1218 1248 222 1503 1447 483 843 234 1048 783 1416 421 992 267 371 377 1430 519 1417 672 542