Self-Sufficiency: Hen Keeping: Raising Chickens at Home (IMM Lifestyle Books) Info on Over 50 Breeds of Hen, plus Housing, Food & Water, Daily Care, Disease Prevention, Egg Production, Breeding & More

by Mike Hatcher

Self-sufficiency and organic living have never been more prominent and hen keeping is becoming increasingly popular. This authoritative book provides an introduction to the key aspects of acquiring a self-sufficient lifestyle by keeping your own chickens and benefiting from the produce. You don't need a large garden to keep poultry and an average family only needs a couple of hens to keep them well stocked in fresh eggs all year round. The set-up costs are minimal and you don't need a whole host of expensive gadgets or equipment to care for your chickens. Packed with information on poultry keeping (housing, food and water, daily care, disease prevention and cure, encouraging egg production and breeding), there is also comprehensive information on available breeds and a list of useful resources.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2009

Reviews

[Tahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been raising 4 Australorp/New Hampshire Red cross breeds for the past two and a half years (from pullets), and plan to get a lot more chickens someday; preferably up to 12 laying chickens and some meat ones as well. This little book has been very helpful in working towards this goal, as it has lots of useful information about different breeds (though I love my australorps I do hope to branch out to different varieties as my flock gets bigger), different coop arrangements and how to handle various diseases and problems as they arise. It was exactly what I was looking for!

I am very keen to read the rest of the self sufficient series, especially the books on subjects I'm not as familiar with as this one, as I've found it very well written and handy so far.

[Sarah :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little handbook with some really useful tips and guidance for all aspects of chicken keeping. Talks you through before you get your hens, the types of birds, how to choose, getting set up and housing requirements, feed, growing, routines, laying, winterising, second year laying, end of laying life, breeding, pests and disease. Also gives examples of breeds, details of egg production per breed, useful contacts, faq and glossary!

[Sarah N · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly thorough little book.

[Sam Woodfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had chickens for about a year now, and never had any problems. However, when one of my girls became ill and looked like she might not last long, I thought I should try and find out what might be wrong with her, and also find out how to introduce a new chicken to the current lot as this was something new to me - so I turned to this book and learnt alot, even about those things I thought I already knew.
This book/guide is suitable for almost anyone with a small scale chicken coop. It looks at everything from getting started to showing and breeding your birds. There are some really useful tips on all aspects of keeping chickens and a nice insight into the different breeds to help with your choice.
I'm really glad I picked up this book as it has been a great help and I will refer to it again anf again. If you are thinking of keeping chickens, or have some already, this is a must have book to tell you everything you need to know.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information, and thorough!