Raising chickens is a fulfilling hobby that has been gaining popularity in recent years.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced chicken owner, there are many resources available to help you learn how to properly care for your feathered friends.
In this article, we will explore five of the best books for raising chickens, all levels of experience
1The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens
If you're someone who doesn't like to take chances when it comes to raising chickens, then Chicken Chick's Guide can offer you valuable insights on all aspects of chicken raising.
The author, Kathy Shea Mormino, is well-known worldwide and has a practical and realistic approach to chicken rearing.
With an award-winning Facebook page, blog, and live broadcasts, Kathy's online presence complements the materials in her book.
She will walk you through the process of choosing the right breed, building a coop, caring for hens, chicken health and much more using her vast understanding of chickens.
For her book, Kathy worked with experts in the field of poultry. She incorporates advice from veterinary professionals, nutritionists and even professors of poultry.
Her straightforward method enables the reader to start and take care of a flock with assurance. This book is distinctive since the content is presented in a light-hearted and enjoyable manner.
As the reader learns the art of rearing chickens, Kathy's unique combination of facts and personal stories will make them grin.
The positive reader feedback for Chicken Chick's Guide reveals how much the readers appreciate the structure.
The detailed manual offers all the procedures required to start or keep a flock. Her book dispels some of the myths surrounding home poultry farming in addition to providing the facts.
Anyone looking for advice on how to take care of a flock of chickens will find this book to be a helpful source of information because it is trustworthy and fact-filled.
Pros:
● Simple and easy to follow instructions
● Excellent for novice chicken farmers
● wonderful pictures
● Using common sense when raising hens
● Enjoyable to read
● Information that is useful and has online assistance from blogs and live feeds
Cons:
● Beginner and advanced levels combined
● The no-chickens strategy
2Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens
Gail Damerow has published a comprehensive, useful, and practical guide on rearing laying and meat chickens.
This best-selling chicken growing guide has been revamped and updated with the most recent and relevant information.
Gail is a seasoned farmer in Tennessee, where she and her husband produce the majority of their own food.
She has written extensively about livestock raising and incorporates much of her own expertise and thoughts into her publications.
Gail has written for magazines and released several books. She also has a blog where you may find more information.
Her novel is an easy read and quite fascinating for readers. She has an interesting and enjoyable writing style that is practical and simple.
It's a book that might be useful for both seasoned poultry enthusiasts and those interested in learning more about chickens.
This is an excellent book to keep on hand as a thorough reference book on chicken farming.
Pros:
● A complete guide for chicken raisers of all levels of experience
● Every subject is handled in a straightforward manner
● Well-researched
● Current information
● Lovely color illustrations
● Interesting writing style
● Excellent mix of broad and particular guidance.
Cons:
● Some of the issues might need to be expanded upon
● Some chapters are redundant
3The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens: How to Raise a Happy Backyard Flock (Raising Chickens Guide)
This beginner's handbook offers straightforward guidance for starting and maintaining hens in your garden. You will learn how to raise chicks and construct a coop.
You will receive all of the information and recommendations you require to keep your chickens happy and healthy.
The Beginner's Guide will teach you not only how to choose a breed and rear the chicks, but also how to collect eggs and keep your hens safe from predators. Understand poultry terminology and check-up themes and terms in the large glossary.
Author Anne Kuo is a backyard chicken grower, gardener and homesteader who believes in sustainable living. She has spent countless hours educating herself on all aspects of poultry farming.
She is the creator of the Instagram sensation Real Hens of Orange County. She is a writer who enjoys the lighter side of life.
Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens is more than simply a beginner's guide. Experienced chicken raisers have submitted reviews praising this book.
It goes beyond the fundamentals and provides excellent information on a range of areas that may be useful for more seasoned chicken enthusiasts.
Pros:
● Excellent writing style
● Solid references to supporting data
● Excellent for a chicken refresher course
● Will teach new chicken owners everything they need to know about raising chickens
● Provides practical guidance on what to expect when introducing hens into your family.
Cons:
● Not as thorough as some other chicken tutorials
4Raising Chickens For Dummies
Raising Chickens for Dummies, in the genuine tradition of doing ANYTHING for Dummies, meets the bar when it comes to presenting the most up-to-date ways of raising chickens.
This booklet includes step-by-step directions on everything from selecting a breed to building a coop, feeding, health and laying issues, pest control, improving egg production, and preventing predators from devouring your birds.
Backyard chicken raising is getting increasingly popular and it is a rapidly expanding hobby.
This is the resource for you if you want a straightforward explanation of all you need to know about choosing a breed, chicken biology, behavior, health, coop construction and more.
This comprehensive guide will begin with the fundamentals. Discover how to incubate, hatch and care for new-born chicks. You will learn the fundamentals of egg collection and storage. Take your chicken raising to the next level by learning how to slaughter hens for meat.
If you are new to bird raising or an expert bird raiser, this guide is an excellent resource for all aspects of poultry raising.
Advantages:
● Explains chicken biology and behavior
● A complete guide to chicken feeding
● Aids in the detection and treatment of diseases
● Breeding advice
● The most recent trends in urban farming are presented
● Discover how to butcher your own chickens.
5Backyard Chickens: A Practical Handbook to Raising Chickens
This practical and comprehensive guide, written by a fourth-generation chicken raiser, covers all elements of keeping chickens happy and healthy.
It starts with choosing the ideal breed for you and goes through all the ins and outs of raising a flock.
Backyard Chickens contains common issues such as bullying and health concerns. It is appropriate for both veterans and beginners since it provides varying degrees of information, allowing all expertise levels to remain engaged.
Color photographs and graphics are helpful for emphasizing key points.
Claire Woods is the editor of The Happy Chicken Coop, a prominent poultry site that provides chicken raising data and ideas.
Claire, who has millions of followers, has her finger on the pulse of trending issues and unresolved questions among backyard chicken raisers.
Pros:
● Covers all you need to know to start raising chickens in your backyard
● A fantastic "go-to" book for any chicken-raising questions you may have
● Is appropriate for both novice and experienced poultry raisers
● Very simple to read
● Provides current and useful information in a growing hobby
Cons:
● Not as thorough as other chicken guidelines
● It should be better organized, and there have been some concerns about how easy it is to look up things.
Last Thoughts
Whether you're new to raising chickens or have been doing it for a while, there's always something new to learn from others who do the same thing. And having a good book full of useful information is a terrific approach to expand your knowledge base.
There are numerous books about chicken raising that I did not cover in this article. But I was able to narrow it down to what I think to be the top five chicken-raising books. You can't go wrong with any of the chicken books I mentioned.
There are many great books available for chicken owners of all levels of experience.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced chicken owner, these books will provide valuable insights and practical advice for raising happy and healthy chickens.
From building a coop to caring for your birds' health, these books cover all the essentials for successful chicken keeping.
But if you're only going to get one, I heartily recommend The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens.
