Hentopia: Create a Hassle-Free Habitat for Happy Chickens; 21 Innovative Projects

by Frank Hyman

More eggs, less work! And more enjoyment for both the chickens and their keeper! That’s the promise of Frank Hyman’s  Hentopia .

From the Vending Machine Feeder to the Refilling Rainwaterer, Hyman’s innovative building projects are designed to save time and money while keeping chickens safe, healthy, clean, and well fed. Featuring easy-to-follow instructions and colorful photos, the 21 projects for the chicken yard range from creative doorways, nest boxes, fencing, and roosts to a predator-proof pen, a “Chunnel” chicken run, and a sturdy but inexpensive coop made from wooden pallets. With a lively, humorous voice, Hyman generously shares his expert advice on all aspects of chicken-keeping. Requiring minimal previous carpentry experience and using many salvaged or found materials, Hentopia is within reach of every aspiring chicken-keeper.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published December 11, 2018

About the author

Frank Hyman believes in "happy wife, happy life." So when his wife, Chris, wanted chickens, he knew they would have chickens. (This isn't just a how-to book. It's also a love story. Chris loves chickens and he loves his wife.) But Frank wanted to still be able to go on vacation for two weeks and not come home to a flock of starving chickens. But he found that the conventional wisdom for keeping backyard birds demanded too much time, trouble and money. So as a carpenter, designer and former organic farmer he pulled together 21 very low-tech, very low-cost, very low-maintenance ways to keep their hens happy. In fact they spend less time on chicken chores than it takes to cook their plentiful chicken eggs. Frank calls it Hentopia. He wrote a column about it for Chickens magazine and the columns became this book. And yes, he and his wife, Chris, can go on vacation for two weeks. And no, they don't have to worry about coming home to skinny hens. They made a Hentopia and you can too. You can learn more about Frank at www.hentopicacoops.com.

Reviews

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I psychologically and financially ready to add chickens to my homestead? No. But is this going to stop me from getting them? Also no

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

We, who keep backyard chickens, for a few years, feel as though we know it all, and are more than willing to share that knowledge with anyone who wants to know it, or doesn't want to know it, as the case may be.

It is sometimes hard to think back to a time that I didn't have chickens, and had no idea where to begin. Hard to remember that when I first got my baby chicks, I kept them in my office with me, and when they were "coop ready" I moved them into the garage because I had not really thought through this whole "what-to-do-with-the-chickens" thing. I mean, yeah, I knew I had to get them a coop, and a yard, and all that, but hey.

My whole point is that everyone who is curious about chicken keeping needs to have a good resource, and while the local feed store is more than willing to sell you all bits you need for a chicken, they are not there every day to help you with the chickens. So a book like this one is such a good thing™.

The author is very straightforward, has a good wit on him, and explains all the ins and out of making a safe place for your chickens to live and lay. From building a run, to setting up a good laying box, to what to do with all the chicken droppings. (Hint: compost).

He even mentions why you would need a coop to begin with, as though we had gotten this far into the book and though, oh the heck with it, they can live in the trees.

The pictures a very clear, the projects are discussed and each step is shown, along the way. There is even a section on what tools you would need to build each of the projects in the book, which rang from things as simple as an automatic feeder, to a nesting box add on to the coop.

Highly, highly recommend this book to those who are just starting out, and perhaps to those who have had a coop and chickens for a while, for the next steps they want to make in the process.





Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. #Hentopia #NetGalley

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a down-to-earth chicken keeping and caring guide by someone who’s not a rich professional and cherishes their freedom and sleep. Most chicken guides I’ve read thus far require ways too much money and time, it really makes the eggs too expensive to enjoy as a hobby. This author, Frank Hyman, uses down-to-earth techniques, reuses materials and keeps it simple through all steps. He and his wife enjoy traveling, sleeping in if they want, and enjoying their freedom. Their entire chicken coop design is built around those parameters.
I loved the pictures of the process and the finished product; this created a clear and concise image in my mind of how I plan to construct my next chicken coop.
Thanks for a simple, down-to-earth guide to enjoying raising chickens for food and company.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Story Publishing for making it available.)

[Aubrey Byron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really helpful in answering questions I was having trouble researching. He can be pretty opinionated about certain methods, e.g. deep litter, etc. But I appreciated his candidness rather than the vague anecdotes of most bloggers.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be an excellent book for someone who was looking to create a coop, run, and space for their chickens in their yard. While the author gives plenty of things to be considered in existing chicken set up, it is far more beneficial for someone starting out. The author considers many factors including reuse of materials, how to save money, and how to keep the chickens safe.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for someone like me, planning to get chickens. I ended up scanning have the book to save for when I want to make a feeder, put up the pen, and so on. I have looked at other chicken-keeping books that were so loaded with meandering technical detail as to be unreadable. This one is to the point and also funny.

[Sandy Wilmering · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of interesting information and invaluable tips in this book! Many of his tips soundly disprove other seemingly good ideas from other books I've read. Author also includes several ways to save money and save time, but not at the expense of chicken health or happiness. I will add this book to my collection.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beginner resource book for creating a chicken coop, run and general no-fuss habitat. The author focuses most of the book on his own experience of creating such structures with an intended end result being their family able to step away and leave things unattended for short periods of time.

[Rose Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, helpful, informative, well-written and well-illustrated guide to raising chickens in your yard.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a helpful book on raising chickens. I enjoyed Frank's perspectives and ideas.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super-helpful and easy-to-read book from a knowledgeable author (in terms of chickens and construction). The downside: I now want my hubby to upgrade our coop!

[Mouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bawk Bawk Bawk.... Ber-cawk!!! 🐓 🐔

[Natalie Scherck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got lots of good ideas from this book for fun things to do with my chickens. It would be a great book to read before you get chickens for ideas on habitat.