How to Raise Chickens

How to Raise Chickens is a 192 page paperback book endorsed by the National Future Farmers of America, written by Christine Heinrichs, and published in 2007 by Voyageur Press.

“Chicken people are the most interesting and helpful group of people I’ve encountered.” Thus begins the introduction in How to Raise Chickens.

Everything You Need to Know

Whether you already love chickens, or are just thinking of getting started, there’s going to be good information in this book for you. I’ve not kept chickens, yet I found lots of interesting stuff here. It’s a good read and full of  detail and attractive photos.

It will be of particular interest if you want to learn about different chicken breeds.

What’s in How to Raise Chickens?

When you think of keeping chickens do you think of cute birds scratching in your yard, fresh eggs, raccoons raiding your hen house, or maybe all of the above? There’s information on all of this with 14 chapters in the book as follows:

• Why keep chickens – different motivations for keeping chickens, from food, through entertainment, to breed conservation.
• Chickens and history – the origins of the domestic chicken, chickens as part of human culture, the spread of chicken keeping in the USA.
• Breed types – how to choose breeds, breed characteristics, information on more than 60 breeds with lots of lovely photos.
• Obtaining Stock – getting started, hatcheries, finding local resources.
• Housing – legal requirements, choose a site, build or buy, chicken tractors, size, light, predators.
• Feeding – feed, protein, greens, calcium, feeders and waterers.
• Flock management – organic, pastured, barnyard, urban, deep litter, profit.
• Breeding programs – goals, trap-nesting, rolling matings, line breeding, clan matings, breeding out-and-out, grading, crossbreeding, sex links.
• Incubation and care of chicks – broodiness, broody breeds, hatching, selecting eggs to hatch, artificial incubators, turning, candling, hatch rate, fertility rate, caring for chicks, food and water.
• Selection and culling – principles, inbreeding, genetic drift, selecting for production, selecting for conservation and showing, defects, behavioral traits, culling, professional processing.
• Showing – attending, preparation, readiness, traveling, etiquette, cooping out.
• Health care – good health and husbandry, finding a vet, injuries, administering medication, national poultry improvement plan, bacterial and fungal diseases (11 described), parasitic diseases, diatomaceous earth.
• Avian influenza
• Legal aspects – poultry ordinances, voluntary agricultural districts, state and federal regulations.
• Resources – useful organizations and websites.

What is not in How to Raise Chickens

How to Raise Chickens is a wonderful informational resource, a kind of chicken encyclopedia, rather than a step by step guide. It does not contain any plans for chicken tractors or hen houses.

Get Yourself a Copy

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in chickens because all of the information it contains is thoroughly researched and reliable. I learned a lot from reading it.

I’d like to thank Christine Heinrichs for sending me a copy of this book to review. If you’d like to support Christine you can order a copy through The Poultry Bookstore, or you can support my writing at Loving Nature’s Garden by shopping for How to Raise Chickens at Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Gardening with Chickens
2. Raise Your Glass to Real People
3. How to grow organic food in your small garden