Properly raised chickens can be a major boon to any household looking to save money on eggs and poultry. The average hen lays 260 eggs per year, which means that with just six chickens, your family could have 1,560, or 130 dozen, eggs a year. Not only can this save your family significant money on groceries, but you can also harvest and sell eggs at farmers markets or local supermarkets. Additionally, you can raise poultry for meat, saving you a weekly trip to your grocer’s deli counter. Raising chickens is relatively inexpensive, and they are easy to maintain if you are equipped with the right knowledge. Plus, your family will love having these quirky and fun birds around. With The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply, you can have a happy and healthy flock that provides your family with countless benefits.
In this book, you will find comprehensive information on understanding how to raise your new flock, no matter if you live in the city or on a small farm. Starting with the basics, this book begins describing the different goals and reasons you may want to have these birds, whether for eggs, meat, breeding, selling, showing, or just to have them as pets. You will learn how to understand chickens and how to decide which breed to purchase depending on your needs, as well as where to purchase your chickens and handle them. After reading this book, you will know what your chickens will need and how to take care of them so you can meet your goals for the birds.
You will learn what kind of housing your chickens need, including everything from runs and bedding to lighting, perches, and nesting boxes. Once you are an expert on chicken coops, you will explore the proper methods and forms of feed each breed needs. This book provides details on how to breed chickens for egg production and how to collect and store the eggs, while additional information is included on how to manage your breeders and hatch eggs. This book covers the entire lifespan of the chicken, including hatching, egg cultivation, mating, and slaughter. Additionally, you will rarely have to call the vet with this book’s information on chicken health and anatomy.
We interviewed top chicken farms and experts for this book, and their expertise and experience is compiled in this book to provide practical information on maintaining chicken health, how different seasons affect chicken care, and how to raise chickens for meat. The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens is the perfect guide for any new chicken farmer to have in hand.
Introduction 11
Chapter 1 Chicken Scratch: A Little Bit of Chicken History 15
Industrializing a Farm-Based Industry 17
Chicken - The New King of Meats 18
Feathered Friends 18
Chapter 2 Why Own Chickens? Sunny Side Up: The Benefits of Raising Your Own Chickens 21
Reasons to Raise Chickens 21
Nutrition and Quality of Life Concerns 26
Commercial Chickens 26
Free-Range and Organic Chickens 28
Pastured Chickens 30
Chapter 3 To Own or Not to Own - Considerations Prior to Purchase 33
Zoning for Your New Addition 33
Where to House Your Chickens 34
Caring for Your Chickens 36
Cost of Your Chickens 40
Considering the Neighbors 41
Chapter 4 Blue Ribbon Chickens - The Best Breeds 43
Best Breeds for Exhibition 44
Best Chickens for Egg Laying 58
Best Chickens for Meat 67
Best Chickens for Eggs and Meat 72
Best Pet Chickens 79
Picking Your Ideal Breed 84
Chapter 5 Home to Roost 87
Characteristics of Good Coops 87
Preparing for Your Coop 94
A sample Chicken Coop Plan 100
Chapter 6 Picking up Chicks: Shopping for Your Flock 113
Beginning with Eggs 113
Proper Handling of Eggs: From Hen to Consumption 2902-1091 115
Quality Factor 118
Baby Chicks 122
Pullets and Cockerels 125
Purchasing Your Birds 125
Buying Your Supplies 127
Chapter 7 Hatching Eggs 133
Using Incubators 133
Turning Eggs 134
Incubator Settings 135
Prevention of Egg Eating 139
Once They Hatch... 140
Incubation Periods (species and days required to hatch) 142
Taking Your Chickens Outside 142
Dealing with Sick Chicks 143
Preventing Chicken Stress 144
Selling Extra Chicks 145
Why Have My Hens Stopped Laying? 148
Chapter 8 Health and Anatomy of a Chicken 151
Comb 151
Beak 153
Eyes 154
Earlobes 154
Wattles 154
Breast and Wings 155
Tail 155
Vent 156
Legs 156
Feathers and Skin 157
Characteristics of Healthy Chickens 159
Common Diseases 161
Parasitic Worms 168
Mites and Lice 169
Stress 172
Chapter 9 Breeding Chickens 175
Selecting the Right Breed 176
Selective Breeding and Cross Breeding 178
Roosters 179
Broody Hens 181
Mating 182
Nesting Boxes 184
Purchasing Fertile Eggs 185
Artificial Insemination 185
Chicken Sexing 188
Chapter 10 Training and Showing Your Chickens 193
Training Your Birds 193
Showing Your Chickens 195
Chapter 11 Glorious Eggs 201
Egg Oddities 203
Sizes 204
Candling Eggs 204
Collecting and Storing Eggs 205
Shell Eggs from Farm to Table 209
Chapter 12 The End of the Road 225
Getting Ready 226
Methods of Killing your Chickens 229
Processing the Carcass 232
The Poultry Label Says "Fresh" 237
Professional Butchering 240
New Homes for Chicks and Chickens 242
Focus On: Chicken By The USDA 246
Chic-tion-ary - A Glossary of Terms 257
Appendices 265
Appendix A State Zoning Laws Regarding Owning Chickens 265
Appendix B Shopping for Your Flock 272
Appendix C Organizations for Chicken Owners 275
Appendix D Project/Show Forms 276
Bibliography 283
Websites 283
Books 284
Index 285
I_Buttitta
Posted July 28, 2012
Another name for this book could have been Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Chickens, But Were Afraid to Ask. The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply is a thorough handbook for anyone considering raising chickens. It includes more information than you may have thought possible about the subject of chickens, including where to buy diapers for chickens that are indoor pets. A chapter devoted to the different breeds explains not only their physical appearance but personalities as well. Don't know how to build a coop? This book will show you how, step by step. A glossary of terms at the end of the book is helpful for the novice chicken owner, and one of the appendices includes state-by-state zoning laws on owning chickens.
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Overview
Properly raised chickens can be a major boon to any household looking to save money on eggs and poultry. The average hen lays 260 eggs per year, which means that with just six chickens, your family could have 1,560, or 130 dozen, eggs a year. Not only can this save your family significant money on groceries, but you can also harvest and sell eggs at farmers markets or local supermarkets. Additionally, you can raise poultry for meat, saving you a weekly trip to your grocer’s deli counter. Raising chickens is ...