Raising chickens for dummies /
by Kimberly Willis with Rob Ludlow.
- Second edition.
- Hoboken, NJ : c2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., c2015
- xiv, 416 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) 24 cm.
- For dummies .
"For Dummies, a Wiley brand"-- Title page Includes index
Introduction -- pt. 1. Getting started with raising chickens -- The joy of chickens -- Basic chicken biology and behavior -- A chicken isn't just a chicken : your guide to breeds -- Buying chickens -- pt. 2. Housing your flock -- Choosing your housing type -- Designing and constructing a coop -- Coop, sweet coop : furnishing and housekeeping -- pt. 3. Caring for your flock : general management -- Feeding your flock -- Controlling pests and predators -- Keeping your flock happy and healthy -- Handling health problems -- pt. 4. Breeding : from chicken to egg and back again -- Mating your chickens -- Incubating eggs and hatching chicks -- Raising chicks -- pt. 5. Special management considerations -- Managing layers and collecting eggs -- Raising and butchering meat birds -- pt. 6. The part of tens -- More than ten tips for keeping healthy, stress-free chickens -- More than ten misconceptions about chickens, eggs, and so on
This hands-on guide offers the most up-to-date information to caring for chickens on a small scale, including purchasing a starter flock, housing, feeding, care, and raising the animal for specific purposes such as food.