Table of Contents
Introduction 1 Part I: Choosing Chickens 7
Chapter 1: Enjoying Chicken-Keeping 9
Chapter 2: Understanding Basic Chicken Biology and Behaviour 23
Chapter 3: Getting Familiar with Chicken Breeds 41
Chapter 4: Buying Chickens59
Part II: Housing Your Flock 79
Chapter 5: Going House Hunting for Your Chickens 81
Chapter 6: Designing and Constructing Chicken Housing 105
Chapter 7: Furnishing and Housekeeping 129
Part III: Caring for Your Flock: General Management 145
Chapter 8: Feeding Your Flock 147
Chapter 9: Controlling Pests and Predators 173
Chapter 10: Keeping Your Flock Happy and Healthy 189
Chapter 11: Handling Health Problems 209
Part IV: Breeding: The Chicken and the Egg 237
Chapter 12: Breeding Your Chickens 239
Chapter 13: Incubating Eggs and Hatching Chicks 259
Chapter 14: Raising Chicks 289
Part V: Considering Special Management Issues 313
Chapter 15: Looking After Layers and Collecting Eggs 315
Chapter 16: Managing Meat Birds 341
Chapter 17: Taking Meat Birds through D-Day 351
Part VI: The Part of Tens 379
Chapter 18: More than Ten Tips for Keeping Healthy, Stress-Free Chickens 381
Chapter 19: More than Ten Misconceptions about Chickens and Eggs 387
Index 393