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Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard
“If your garden fantasies involve chickens, Jessi Bloom is here to make those dreams come true.” — The New York Times
Many gardeners fear chickens will peck away at their landscape. But you can keep chickens and have a beautiful garden, too! In this essential handbook, award-winning garden designer Jessi Bloom offers step-by-step instructions for creating a beautiful and functional space while maintaining a happy, healthy flock. Free-Range Chicken Gardens covers everything a gardener needs to know, from the basics of chicken keeping and creating the perfect chicken-friendly garden design to building innovative coops.
Many gardeners fear chickens will peck away at their landscape. But you can keep chickens and have a beautiful garden, too! In this essential handbook, award-winning garden designer Jessi Bloom offers step-by-step instructions for creating a beautiful and functional space while maintaining a happy, healthy flock. Free-Range Chicken Gardens covers everything a gardener needs to know, from the basics of chicken keeping and creating the perfect chicken-friendly garden design to building innovative coops.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2012
127 people are currently reading
684 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 26, 2012
I count myself among those ladies of a certain age who fantasize about opening my back door to a lush, charmingly mussy garden fertilized, grubbed, weeded, and tilled by several friendly yet slightly odd hens. So truly this book is habit-forming. The photos are a drug; I can't stop looking at them. The text is enlightening and raises many interesting points about living with chickens that I would not have considered. It was very hard to return this book to the library, and now only the thin blue line of municipal ordinances lies between me and my garden poultry daydreams.
May 20, 2014
Throughout several years of the 1990s and early 2000s, we kept a flock of chickens in our suburban backyard. They were never completely free-range, although we did let them out of their pen almost every day and they lived for those hours!
Chickens are actually quite interesting creatures, unlike the stereotypes of them. They have personalities and curiosity and they can be companionable and affectionate if allowed to be. I had grown up on a farm and taking care of the chickens was my job when I was little. I learned to enjoy them early in life and I was delighted to have them back in my life during those years.
We finally gave up on keeping chickens because of the predator problem in our neighborhood. It was a constant and often losing battle to keep our charges safe. So, the first thing that anyone considering the option of keeping chickens needs to know is this: YOU MUST HAVE A PREDATOR-PROOF COOP AND/OR PEN TO KEEP THE BIRDS SAFE AT NIGHT! Otherwise your chicken project will end in heartache, because everybody likes chicken and the world is not a safe place for an unprotected hen.
This book covers all the basics of keeping chickens safe and happy. The author writes of the space requirements for chickens, the necessities for a coop that will be chicken-friendly, and some designs for those coops. But most of the book is taken up with gardening with and for chickens.
Chickens, of course, love green stuff and they can be quite destructive in the garden if not handled properly, but it is actually possible to allow chickens at least limited "free" range and still maintain a beautiful garden. Jessi Bloom tells her readers how it is done. The reward is wonderful fresh eggs, as well as the companionship of interesting pets.
Bloom gives a list of plants that work best in a chicken-friendly garden and some that should be avoided. She is a garden designer and she offers her readers some simple garden plans that have been proven to work with chickens, along with step-by-step instructions for getting the chicken garden up and running.
Keeping backyard chickens in suburban and even urban settings has become a trend and often a cause-celebre in recent years. Around the country, neighbors are frequently banding together to legalize the keeping of poultry in situations where it is presently illegal, and, with the "slow food" movement and self-sufficiency becoming a more and more popular ideal, people see that chickens can be an essential part of that movement.
Those who are eager to become a part of the movement will find an essential guide in this well-organized handbook. It is an easy and quick read and the novice keeper of chickens can certainly refer to it often for information on how to provide the necessities for his/her birds. Best of all, it tells the chicken gardener how to make those birds extremely happy by allowing them free range and still be able to have a garden that one can be proud to show off to visitors. It is a very useful addition to the gardener's bookshelf. I only wish I had had it back in the 1990s.
(A free copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.)
Chickens are actually quite interesting creatures, unlike the stereotypes of them. They have personalities and curiosity and they can be companionable and affectionate if allowed to be. I had grown up on a farm and taking care of the chickens was my job when I was little. I learned to enjoy them early in life and I was delighted to have them back in my life during those years.
We finally gave up on keeping chickens because of the predator problem in our neighborhood. It was a constant and often losing battle to keep our charges safe. So, the first thing that anyone considering the option of keeping chickens needs to know is this: YOU MUST HAVE A PREDATOR-PROOF COOP AND/OR PEN TO KEEP THE BIRDS SAFE AT NIGHT! Otherwise your chicken project will end in heartache, because everybody likes chicken and the world is not a safe place for an unprotected hen.
This book covers all the basics of keeping chickens safe and happy. The author writes of the space requirements for chickens, the necessities for a coop that will be chicken-friendly, and some designs for those coops. But most of the book is taken up with gardening with and for chickens.
Chickens, of course, love green stuff and they can be quite destructive in the garden if not handled properly, but it is actually possible to allow chickens at least limited "free" range and still maintain a beautiful garden. Jessi Bloom tells her readers how it is done. The reward is wonderful fresh eggs, as well as the companionship of interesting pets.
Bloom gives a list of plants that work best in a chicken-friendly garden and some that should be avoided. She is a garden designer and she offers her readers some simple garden plans that have been proven to work with chickens, along with step-by-step instructions for getting the chicken garden up and running.
Keeping backyard chickens in suburban and even urban settings has become a trend and often a cause-celebre in recent years. Around the country, neighbors are frequently banding together to legalize the keeping of poultry in situations where it is presently illegal, and, with the "slow food" movement and self-sufficiency becoming a more and more popular ideal, people see that chickens can be an essential part of that movement.
Those who are eager to become a part of the movement will find an essential guide in this well-organized handbook. It is an easy and quick read and the novice keeper of chickens can certainly refer to it often for information on how to provide the necessities for his/her birds. Best of all, it tells the chicken gardener how to make those birds extremely happy by allowing them free range and still be able to have a garden that one can be proud to show off to visitors. It is a very useful addition to the gardener's bookshelf. I only wish I had had it back in the 1990s.
(A free copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.)
April 27, 2012
Beautiful pics and writing in this book about keeping chickens in your garden. I was a bit disappointed that the author turned out to be a landscape designer that considered the word "garden" as, well..."backyard or any other area around your house". I was hoping to learn about creating a happy relationship between my chickens and snap peas. Ah well, pretty good anyway.
The pics and stories are all from rich white people with professionally landscaped backyards (that look like they cost tens of thousands of dollars to create), but there's a tidbit here and there for us regular folks.
Pretty good overall, but glad I got it from the library instead of purchasing.
The pics and stories are all from rich white people with professionally landscaped backyards (that look like they cost tens of thousands of dollars to create), but there's a tidbit here and there for us regular folks.
Pretty good overall, but glad I got it from the library instead of purchasing.
April 22, 2012
I'm thoroughly torn about how to rate Free-Range Chicken Gardens. The photos are worthy of five stars (if not more), but the text is not my cup of tea.
The author wasn't writing for homesteaders, but for people with ornamental gardens who want to enjoy watching chickens wander through their non-edibles. So --- if you're a homesteader hoping that this book will help you mix chickens in with your tomatoes, you'll be sorely disappointed. But if you just like looking at pretty pictures, or want to mix chickens into an ornamental landscaping project, this book might be for you, as long as you like magazine-style writing.
The author wasn't writing for homesteaders, but for people with ornamental gardens who want to enjoy watching chickens wander through their non-edibles. So --- if you're a homesteader hoping that this book will help you mix chickens in with your tomatoes, you'll be sorely disappointed. But if you just like looking at pretty pictures, or want to mix chickens into an ornamental landscaping project, this book might be for you, as long as you like magazine-style writing.
August 26, 2019
This is my dream chicken book. I know it's a little crazy that I even have a dream chicken book, but this is it. In all the years I have been wanting to get chickens, this book describes exactly the way I envisioned raising them. Although I am still a long way from making that vision become a reality, this book helped me define that vision more clearly and create more specific plans for the future. It was absolutely inspiring for me.
January 24, 2012
This is one of the coolest books I have had the privilege of reviewing. I love chickens. My son and I have conversations about getting chickens as soon as we swap our apartment for a real house. We had chickens when we lived out in the country. Our chickens lived in the barn and we weren’t great with the whole cute chicken design. I picture a perfect yard – well landscaped, beautiful vegetation, dreamy water fixtures with little wooden bridges dotted with chickens and other small farm animals. It’s a dream that can easily be made reality with this one book.
Jessi Bloom has written the perfect book – part gardening, part chicken raising and all amazing. It’s an easy to understand manual that breaks down all the parts of landscaping with chickens in mind. Her book focuses more on small yards than large farms which makes it great for anyone to use. She clearly lists the uses of plants and which to absolutely avoid. I can imagine it’s not all inclusive but extensive, nonetheless.
The book includes coop designs as well as yard designs for coop placement, chicken runs and garden plots. She discusses how to avoid disease with your chickens and your plants as well as how to add those plants that might not hold up to chicken abuse.
On top of all this amazing information, Jessi dots the book with beautiful photography of chickens, plants and a variety of dream inspiring odds and ends. I cannot wait to add this book to my library and start planning my dream yard.
Jessi Bloom has written the perfect book – part gardening, part chicken raising and all amazing. It’s an easy to understand manual that breaks down all the parts of landscaping with chickens in mind. Her book focuses more on small yards than large farms which makes it great for anyone to use. She clearly lists the uses of plants and which to absolutely avoid. I can imagine it’s not all inclusive but extensive, nonetheless.
The book includes coop designs as well as yard designs for coop placement, chicken runs and garden plots. She discusses how to avoid disease with your chickens and your plants as well as how to add those plants that might not hold up to chicken abuse.
On top of all this amazing information, Jessi dots the book with beautiful photography of chickens, plants and a variety of dream inspiring odds and ends. I cannot wait to add this book to my library and start planning my dream yard.
April 26, 2012
A great book for ideas about having chickens as an integral part of your backyard. Lots of ideas and specific plant reccmmendations, as well as information on coops and general chicken care. The photographs are gorgeous. It's worth reading just to look at the chickens free ranging in beautiful gardens. If you're looking to add chickens to your backyard, this is a really great resource. I'll definitely be going back into my copy as we get ready for our chicks to arrive.
June 3, 2013
This was fun to read and has lots of great photos. Even though I have an established garden and flock, I learned things. I think we'll be implementing depth composting in our coop, and we need a garden mirror to entertain the girls.
December 31, 2013
The title says it all. This book is for backyard chicken owners who want to also grow veggies and plants. Very well written and informative. If you want a book only about raising chickens then I recommend storey's guide to raising chickens by Gail damerov
March 27, 2017
Okay, normally I don't review reference books, but I actually read this one cover-to-cover.
...Mostly because I left it in the bathroom. DON'T JUDGE ME.
This is a pretty solid book, but I really wish a lot of the information about chickens "in general" had been stripped out. Like, overviews of breeds and health and such. That kind of information can be found anywhere, I wanted this book to be more purely focused on plants and gardens through a lens of chickens. That said, it has gorgeous photos that provide lots of inspiration, plus some solid gardening advice once you wade through the generalist fluff.
...Mostly because I left it in the bathroom. DON'T JUDGE ME.
This is a pretty solid book, but I really wish a lot of the information about chickens "in general" had been stripped out. Like, overviews of breeds and health and such. That kind of information can be found anywhere, I wanted this book to be more purely focused on plants and gardens through a lens of chickens. That said, it has gorgeous photos that provide lots of inspiration, plus some solid gardening advice once you wade through the generalist fluff.
May 5, 2022
Great little how-to with absolutely lovely photos. Unique pairing of perennial garden expertise and free-range chicken wizardry. If you want a basic step by step how-to on either gardening or chicken care, this isn’t your book. But if you want garden and chicken eye candy and some nice ideas for developing your own place, it certainly is.
February 4, 2023
Just doing a little research 🙂
September 26, 2013
Yes I have chickens. :) I liked this book for the pretty pictures. Not really a alot I could use though since I'm not urban living.
April 1, 2014
Lots of info here—likely a book I'll revisit when we are closer to getting chickens.
Every time she said "garden" I had to remind my self that she meant yard.
Every time she said "garden" I had to remind my self that she meant yard.
May 9, 2018
Nice read, helped me fix my chicken-ravaged backyard. Lots of detail both about plants, planning, lots, and chickens. The case histories are a nice touch. I love that it is indexed too!
June 27, 2021
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It is an easy read with gorgeous photography and lots of useful information for those who want to raise chickens as naturally as possible by free ranging.
So, why 4 stars instead of 5? For two reasons:
1. There is a small section poisoning problem animals. This is never a solution to a problem for many many reasons. The fact that it is even recommended in this book leaves me scratching my head since the whole theme of this is natural chicken keeping.
2. Muscovy ducks are referred to in this book as a “breed” of ducks and “quackless”; both of these statements are false. Muscovies are an entirely different species of duck in relation to other domesticated breeds of ducks. These ducks do indeed quack, but it is different and MUCH quieter than other ducks.
I know these are simple points; however, spreading bad and/or false information is never acceptable and needs to be addressed.
Would I recommend this book? Most definitely, but I would also point out these two flaws in the same sentence of the recommendation.
So, why 4 stars instead of 5? For two reasons:
1. There is a small section poisoning problem animals. This is never a solution to a problem for many many reasons. The fact that it is even recommended in this book leaves me scratching my head since the whole theme of this is natural chicken keeping.
2. Muscovy ducks are referred to in this book as a “breed” of ducks and “quackless”; both of these statements are false. Muscovies are an entirely different species of duck in relation to other domesticated breeds of ducks. These ducks do indeed quack, but it is different and MUCH quieter than other ducks.
I know these are simple points; however, spreading bad and/or false information is never acceptable and needs to be addressed.
Would I recommend this book? Most definitely, but I would also point out these two flaws in the same sentence of the recommendation.
October 21, 2022
I'm really torn on how to rate this one. Because you should know this is not a book about how to raise chickens. It's a book on how to design a permaculture garden that also has chickens. And for a permaculture introduction book I would give it a 3.5-4, but for a chicken book I give it a 2 though it is often recommended for those interested in keeping small space homesteads. You'll note most of the 5 star reviews are from people who do not have a backyard flock and aspire to do so. And for inspiration purposes? Absolutely a 5. The pictures are gorgeous. And I'll also add because it's obligatory at this point, this is a permaculture book that completely forgets half of us live in the desert. This book for a high desert gardener is probably closer to a 2. I'll keep it in my reference library for now, but I do admit I was a bit disappointed with it for all it's 5 star ratings. I wish I would have borrowed from the library first.
November 4, 2019
Neither a primer on gardening, nor an exhaustive primer on chickens, it nevertheless is a worthwhile read if you'd like to have chickens and want them to free-range in your yard. There are a lot of good ideas, it would be a good companion book to other books on the subjects. There are some parts that are poorly edited and/or poor sentence structure. I'm also not sure I loved the sense of organization.
It definitely made backyard chickens seem doable. And it excelled at specific plant suggestions and plant-protection suggestions for your garden's and chickens' happiness.
It definitely made backyard chickens seem doable. And it excelled at specific plant suggestions and plant-protection suggestions for your garden's and chickens' happiness.
March 19, 2020
Its a fabulous book with lots of information on how to have a beautiful free range chicken garden because those chickens act like little dinosaurs out there. They have torn up my backyard but this book has given me lots of information to change things around. The key is to have a variety of plants or to have them on a schedule or cage them up part time. I loved the pictures in the book from people who are successfully doing it. She really put in a lot of information not just how to garden but on every thing related to chickens. This is a great book to have.
July 16, 2019
Good overview of the basic principles of keeping a healthy flock of chickens, particularly designing safe and functional spaces for your birds. Beautiful and concise, filled with stunning photos and lists of useful items and plants that will keep your flock healthy and happy. I would recommend additional reading material if you are really serious about keeping a flock, but this book is an easily digestible, quick read for the chicken novice.
March 3, 2022
I take great delight in looking out my window and seeing my lovely little flock of zen-hens exploring the yard and garden. Bloom's book has been an asset in planning my chicken friendly yard. Careful planning makes it possible to have the best of both worlds. Pair this book with "City Chicks" by Patricia Foreman and "Keeping Chickens" by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis. Enjoy the journey from peep to pullet!
January 19, 2023
With the extreme climate and predators where I live, I suspect free-range is not an option for me, but found the sections on general chicken keeping useful. However, the book itself sucks. There are pages of pale orange and blue with white text that are visually very difficult to read. The photography though is nice.
April 4, 2024
So this was ok. I feel like it included a lot of info I can find online but did enjoy the beautiful pictures throughout it. I suppose leaving it out on a table could make it a good conversation starter. I’ll probably give it away in a white elephant game next Christmas. Not the sort of book you reread.
November 16, 2017
Clear pictures and helpful tips regarding plant types and placement to create a gorgeous chicken landscape. Would recommend to any new chicken owner or even someone looking to expand their chicken landscaping.
February 13, 2019
It was very informative about gardening, plants, and chickens. I didn't think it was possible to keep many plants around chickens, but chickens love a plant filled yard! If you want to keep chickens you will need to read at least one other book, as this one focuses mainly on gardening.
September 1, 2019
Spectacular book. Answered every question I had about incorporating chickens into an already-established garden. Calmed a lot of fears about chickens eating the wrong things. Great on design, real-world advice. Beautiful pictures. Another win for Timber Press!
May 20, 2020
Gorgeously illustrated book with many examples of successful free range chicken gardens. This is a great supplemental read for the experienced and newbie gardener and chicken keeper. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed every second of it.
January 31, 2022
Great photos and overall an enjoyable read. Good info for incorporating chickens into an existing garden and orchard. A lot about what types of plants do well with a flock, how to save or separate certain plants, etc.
March 3, 2024
Book design is beautiful.
I wanted to read this as I am planning a large garden for this year, and adding chickens to my home. Great ideas for plants to plant near the coop and ideas on design.
Good read!
I wanted to read this as I am planning a large garden for this year, and adding chickens to my home. Great ideas for plants to plant near the coop and ideas on design.
Good read!
March 18, 2024
As others said, this book is more about designing a chicken friendly garden with an expansive budget. There were a few tidbits that will be helpful in my yard, but they were things I was already doing. The book is a nice read and very beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews