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The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens: How to Raise a Happy Backyard Flock
A beginner's guide to ruling the roost and raising happy backyard chickens
The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens makes it easy to start keeping these surprisingly smart birds right in your own backyard. From constructing coops to rearing chicks, you'll learn everything you need to know to make sure your chickens stay happy and healthy all year round.
Which breed of chicken is right for you? What's the best bedding material? What sort of feed should you use? Expert chicken keeper Anne Kuo answers these questions—and many others—in this fun and friendly reference book that will get you excited to raise your new feathered friends.
This book on raising chickens guides you
Get your first flock started successfully with The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens .
The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens makes it easy to start keeping these surprisingly smart birds right in your own backyard. From constructing coops to rearing chicks, you'll learn everything you need to know to make sure your chickens stay happy and healthy all year round.
Which breed of chicken is right for you? What's the best bedding material? What sort of feed should you use? Expert chicken keeper Anne Kuo answers these questions—and many others—in this fun and friendly reference book that will get you excited to raise your new feathered friends.
This book on raising chickens guides you
Get your first flock started successfully with The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens .
192 pages, Paperback
Published June 4, 2019
956 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
May 23, 2022
4 Stars ✨
Great book - not just for beginners, been raising chickens for a bit now but wanted to learn more about food fermenting anything extra that came along with it. Very easy guide highly recommend for anyone who is new. It’s full of tips- good information and she covers just about everything a beginner or seasoned chicken owner would need to know.
Great book - not just for beginners, been raising chickens for a bit now but wanted to learn more about food fermenting anything extra that came along with it. Very easy guide highly recommend for anyone who is new. It’s full of tips- good information and she covers just about everything a beginner or seasoned chicken owner would need to know.
July 13, 2022
Very informative and an easy read. I’m ready for my girls!
June 17, 2019
My longtime readers know about my love of chickens and some even know about the current delay of my New Hampshire Chickens Plan, due to the presence of Mama Fox, her two kits, and two feisty raccoons, Roxy and Hissy, frequently out during the daytime hours in my backyard. (Insert image of Edvard Munch's scream here.) Nevertheless, I'm still planning for chickens, and while not as detailed ask some of Chicken Chick Kathy Shea Mormino's books, this is a great starter book for families wanting to raise chickens. It's packed full of advice in a very accessible format. I can heartily recommend it for anyone considering chickens as pets, or part of an integrated pest management program (they will eat ticks!). There's a bunch of simple and practical advice about building a coop, making it secure, and where precisely to locate it to prevent your chickens' being exposed to excessive damp or heat. That is your first and most important step, other than assuring you know how to select healthy chicks, and how to keep them healthy.
Here's that image relating to foxes and raccoons and how they can impact your chicken safety plan...
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from Callisto Media via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Here's that image relating to foxes and raccoons and how they can impact your chicken safety plan...
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from Callisto Media via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2019
There was so much info in this book about raising chickens. I still feel like I need someone to "show" me what to do if I were ever to get any chickens. My sister is also thinking about getting chickens also, but she has no idea of all the steps she needs to do in order to take care of a healthy flock! This book is truly an eye opener and I did love some of the humor involved as well.
January 24, 2025
A very informative and easy read. Rarely do I read a farming book that is reasonable, based on cited studies and provides a nuanced view of livestock. Loved this and found it to be incredibly helpful. Realized after finishing it that I actually follow this author on Instagram for her chicken account!
November 4, 2022
Such a great introduction to anyone who wants chickens but doesn’t know the first thing. Really well laid out and informative, sectioned of neatly for easy understanding.
November 11, 2020
GIVE ME ALL THE CHICKENS
I AM READY
I AM READY
June 18, 2019
This book is a great opportunity to learn from someone’s direct experience. Kuo starting raising chickens later in life, and shares her wisdom. Her information in some areas reads like a ‘raising chicken for dummies’ – in that the information is straight-forward and detailed. The book is divided into ‘before chickens’ and ‘after chickens,’ and does a good job of convincing you that there is much to do before you take possession of your first chick. She also provides multiple considerations on various topics – pros and cons of raising chickens, types of coops, breeds, and real-life situations surrounding behaviors and illnesses. Three areas I really like: (1) pros/cons of coop types, with building diagrams for each, (2) top 10 breeds for beginners, and (3) list of resources including information, organizations, and magazines.
Kuo does a great job of giving advice/direction on certain specifics – such as how often to deal with chicken waste, changing out the materials in brood boxes, and what to look for in behavior and illnesses. What’s missing in this basic ‘how-to’ manual is the time required – in general and on a daily basis. She provides solid information on having chicks, moving them to a coop, and how long before they start laying eggs. However, there’s no information on how much time these animals will need at each of these stages. Given the audience for this book (beginners), omitting any information regarding overall time needed or suggested scheduling (i.e. do ‘this’ every morning, do ‘this’ one a week, do ‘this’ only when they are in the coop) seems to be a miss. Kuo also misses a great opportunity to recommend beginners start with a certain number of chickens, and what breeds might be the best companions. For example, for a family of five looking for fresh eggs every day, how many chickens would you recommend? If I wanted to start with 10 chicks, should I get 10 different breeds (which I know sounds ridiculous) or perhaps five, or only two? So much of the book is practical advice, but these finer points for beginners seem to be missing. Still, I feel that this book has a tremendous amount of good information for the beginner, and I would recommend it.
Personally, chickens are on my wish list. I’m still researching and find value in all information. I blog about gardening as well as my desire to have chickens at www.Patch405.com.
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Kuo does a great job of giving advice/direction on certain specifics – such as how often to deal with chicken waste, changing out the materials in brood boxes, and what to look for in behavior and illnesses. What’s missing in this basic ‘how-to’ manual is the time required – in general and on a daily basis. She provides solid information on having chicks, moving them to a coop, and how long before they start laying eggs. However, there’s no information on how much time these animals will need at each of these stages. Given the audience for this book (beginners), omitting any information regarding overall time needed or suggested scheduling (i.e. do ‘this’ every morning, do ‘this’ one a week, do ‘this’ only when they are in the coop) seems to be a miss. Kuo also misses a great opportunity to recommend beginners start with a certain number of chickens, and what breeds might be the best companions. For example, for a family of five looking for fresh eggs every day, how many chickens would you recommend? If I wanted to start with 10 chicks, should I get 10 different breeds (which I know sounds ridiculous) or perhaps five, or only two? So much of the book is practical advice, but these finer points for beginners seem to be missing. Still, I feel that this book has a tremendous amount of good information for the beginner, and I would recommend it.
Personally, chickens are on my wish list. I’m still researching and find value in all information. I blog about gardening as well as my desire to have chickens at www.Patch405.com.
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
June 2, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens is a tutorial guide for new/potential flock owners by Anne Kuo. Released 21st May 2019 by Rockridge Press, it's 236 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a really appealing book aimed at the newbie. The author is clearly experienced and fond of her chickens. I've read a lot of beginner books which carefully avoid the negative aspects of keeping a home flock. I was impressed to see the author did not sugar coat those potentially frustrating and discouraging occurrences. It's better to be aware and prepared to protect your garden plants from your chickens (and your chickens from potential harm as well).
The book is laid out sensibly and divided into two main parts: Before and After one acquires chickens. The preparatory(before chickens) sections include why and how-to tutorials, including a pretty spiffy DIY coop plan. The husbandry (after delivery) sections cover aspects of keeping such as raising chicks, feeding, eggs, behavior, and health.
The ebook version has a handy interactive table of contents and hyperlinked extensive references at the end sorted by chapter. There's also a short alphabetical glossary.
Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This title is available in the KU subscription.
I adore the humor and lighthearted tone of the author's writing. The science and husbandry aspects are sound, but she has such an accessible and whimsical tone that it elevates the whole book for me. (She calls eggs 'butt nuggets' which still slays me).
No single book is the absolute undisputed chicken bible. This one covers all the main aspects and I couldn't find any particular deficiencies except for possibly the lack of photographs (there aren't any). The tutorial diagrams for coop construction are well drawn and perfectly understandable. It would be a good, upbeat general primer for people considering adding chickens to their home setups, as well as a good guide to get new chicken wranglers through their first fraught months as owners.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens is a tutorial guide for new/potential flock owners by Anne Kuo. Released 21st May 2019 by Rockridge Press, it's 236 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a really appealing book aimed at the newbie. The author is clearly experienced and fond of her chickens. I've read a lot of beginner books which carefully avoid the negative aspects of keeping a home flock. I was impressed to see the author did not sugar coat those potentially frustrating and discouraging occurrences. It's better to be aware and prepared to protect your garden plants from your chickens (and your chickens from potential harm as well).
The book is laid out sensibly and divided into two main parts: Before and After one acquires chickens. The preparatory(before chickens) sections include why and how-to tutorials, including a pretty spiffy DIY coop plan. The husbandry (after delivery) sections cover aspects of keeping such as raising chicks, feeding, eggs, behavior, and health.
The ebook version has a handy interactive table of contents and hyperlinked extensive references at the end sorted by chapter. There's also a short alphabetical glossary.
Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This title is available in the KU subscription.
I adore the humor and lighthearted tone of the author's writing. The science and husbandry aspects are sound, but she has such an accessible and whimsical tone that it elevates the whole book for me. (She calls eggs 'butt nuggets' which still slays me).
No single book is the absolute undisputed chicken bible. This one covers all the main aspects and I couldn't find any particular deficiencies except for possibly the lack of photographs (there aren't any). The tutorial diagrams for coop construction are well drawn and perfectly understandable. It would be a good, upbeat general primer for people considering adding chickens to their home setups, as well as a good guide to get new chicken wranglers through their first fraught months as owners.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
June 3, 2019
If I ever were to write a chicken book, this would be it.
Like the author, I too thought that I would be able to get a coop before my soft little baby flufball chicks would grow up into coop-ready hens. Like her, I too was wrong.
I kept my chickens in the garage until i got a coop. The chickens didn't seem to mind to much, but it was hard not being able to use the garage while they were in there.
I also like her sense of humor, telling people that if they want chicken poop that it Bring your own bag.
The author goes into much of the things that beginning chicken people need to know, such as how to feed them, the hazards of trying to hatch your own, and what to do about things that make chickens sick. She even goes into roosters, although unless you live in the country, and have no close neighbors, as I do, you probably will not be able to keep roosters.
This is a good beginning book. Of course, as a beginning book, it rather skims the surface, but this would be a good one to have and read before even thinking of bringing any chickens home. Highly recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Like the author, I too thought that I would be able to get a coop before my soft little baby flufball chicks would grow up into coop-ready hens. Like her, I too was wrong.
I kept my chickens in the garage until i got a coop. The chickens didn't seem to mind to much, but it was hard not being able to use the garage while they were in there.
I also like her sense of humor, telling people that if they want chicken poop that it Bring your own bag.
The author goes into much of the things that beginning chicken people need to know, such as how to feed them, the hazards of trying to hatch your own, and what to do about things that make chickens sick. She even goes into roosters, although unless you live in the country, and have no close neighbors, as I do, you probably will not be able to keep roosters.
This is a good beginning book. Of course, as a beginning book, it rather skims the surface, but this would be a good one to have and read before even thinking of bringing any chickens home. Highly recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
May 30, 2019
The book for review is “The Beginner’s Guide To Raising Chickens” by Anne Kuo. It falls in the genre of agriculture and chickens.
Have you ever been curious about raising chickens? Do you have a fair amount of know how to do so?
If you don’t than this book is chuck full of information that will give you a good heads up on where to start.
Between the covers you will learn about chicken coops, picking your chickens, feed and water, learning about the behavior of your chickens and how to keep your flock healthy.
Among all of this Anne has give us a few chuckles along the way to make this manual more fun. She has written from experiences the do’s and don’t about raising chickens from first hand experience. Her goal is to learn from her mistakes and enjoy the life of having chickens in your lives.
I grew up with chickens though it was my father who did all the work. I had forgotten how much work and yet fun they were . This is a very informative book for the beginner which is a good read prior to proceeding with buying any chickens or even making your coop.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever been curious about raising chickens? Do you have a fair amount of know how to do so?
If you don’t than this book is chuck full of information that will give you a good heads up on where to start.
Between the covers you will learn about chicken coops, picking your chickens, feed and water, learning about the behavior of your chickens and how to keep your flock healthy.
Among all of this Anne has give us a few chuckles along the way to make this manual more fun. She has written from experiences the do’s and don’t about raising chickens from first hand experience. Her goal is to learn from her mistakes and enjoy the life of having chickens in your lives.
I grew up with chickens though it was my father who did all the work. I had forgotten how much work and yet fun they were . This is a very informative book for the beginner which is a good read prior to proceeding with buying any chickens or even making your coop.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2019
Highly recommended if you are interested in starting a hen house or just want fun information about chickens. My rating: 4.5.
This is a great resource for anyone looking to start raising chickens. It covers pros and cons, rewards and costs, joys and losses. As noted in the blurb, the book covers from preparing to house your chickens, selecting them, caring for them with proper food, exercise, safety and health issues, and ultimately enjoying their unique antics, attention and morning songs.
I was impressed with the extent of information shared in an easy to read and reference style. There are pictures, highlighted definitions, and specific how-tos shared, all of which contribute to an engaging flow. Having recently raised chickens I wish that I had read this first. Fortunately my husband is a great hands on, common sense guy (which off sets my book learning, follow directions style). This is really well done and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to start a flock.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
This is a great resource for anyone looking to start raising chickens. It covers pros and cons, rewards and costs, joys and losses. As noted in the blurb, the book covers from preparing to house your chickens, selecting them, caring for them with proper food, exercise, safety and health issues, and ultimately enjoying their unique antics, attention and morning songs.
I was impressed with the extent of information shared in an easy to read and reference style. There are pictures, highlighted definitions, and specific how-tos shared, all of which contribute to an engaging flow. Having recently raised chickens I wish that I had read this first. Fortunately my husband is a great hands on, common sense guy (which off sets my book learning, follow directions style). This is really well done and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to start a flock.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
May 3, 2022
A how to book for those who are raising their first flock of chickens. It reviews everything from types of chickens to setting up a brooder and a coop, to helping when a chicken gets sick. Has information on how to keep your coop and chickens happy and healthy along with tips and tricks for people who don't know anything about chickens.
This is a great book. We have just brought home our first 6 chicks and knew absolutely nothing about raising chickens. We talked to everyone we know who has them, did a lot of internet research, but nothing helps like a how to guide that I can grab off my shelf as we go through the process. I read this one over the course of two days and it is well written and easy to understand. And it is highly entertaining. The author is a backyard chicken-keeper, so if you want a small flock (and she means around 30 chickens or less) this is the book for you.
I learned a ton, and now I feel prepared to take care of our new chicks. And I am grateful I have this to reference to when problems or questions arise.
Stars: 5
This is a great book. We have just brought home our first 6 chicks and knew absolutely nothing about raising chickens. We talked to everyone we know who has them, did a lot of internet research, but nothing helps like a how to guide that I can grab off my shelf as we go through the process. I read this one over the course of two days and it is well written and easy to understand. And it is highly entertaining. The author is a backyard chicken-keeper, so if you want a small flock (and she means around 30 chickens or less) this is the book for you.
I learned a ton, and now I feel prepared to take care of our new chicks. And I am grateful I have this to reference to when problems or questions arise.
Stars: 5
August 11, 2019
I got this book because I wanted to see different ways to build a chicken coop and I wanted to know the different breeds of chickens I could raise. I grew up on a farm and we had 2 different kinds of chickens, and now that I'm an adult, I am wanting to raise chickens for eggs as well. and there are definitely more than 2 kinds of chickens!
This book was stuffed full of great ideas, facts and things to get me started with raising my own flock of chickens. We sat down as a family and read thru most of this book together, especially the chapter that included top 10 breeds of chickens for beginners.
This is a really good reference book! Very easy to read and understand! Highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
This book was stuffed full of great ideas, facts and things to get me started with raising my own flock of chickens. We sat down as a family and read thru most of this book together, especially the chapter that included top 10 breeds of chickens for beginners.
This is a really good reference book! Very easy to read and understand! Highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
September 13, 2021
My neighbor raises chicken pets and we took care of them one weekend which got me interested. When I received a free copy from Booksprout to review, I was stoked! As I read, I was impressed at how informative and well written it is, as well as humorous and interesting! Easy to understand all of the ‘chicken chat’, too! It has everything you would need to know to start raising chickens- including food, supplements, social interaction, coops, diseases they can get, eggs, grooming, etc. A bit daunting to me, but I think I could do it if I followed this fantastic book! Hopefully, the book will include pictures, that is the only thing missing!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 13, 2020
I love how Anne Kuo's sense of humor is reflected in her chicken's names and how she describes her interactions with them. I am both nervous and excited to start our backyard flock and appreciative of the easy to understand and less intimidating nature of her advice. I have read multiple sources on chicken raising. Some give conflicting advice, but all seem to extol the virtues of chickens for the family. The book includes both anecdotal stories and technical descriptions and overall is a good, easy read.
December 18, 2024
A great beginners guide to chickens. I think it talked me out of doing it right now. But it went over everyone from their coops, their predators, their feeding, their relationships & personalities, their health. So much good information. I also appreciate that she gives many different ways to take care of them; if you are on land or in a smaller space, if money is no object or you are building on a budget. Also, explains many different breeds and what they are suited for, and especially important…. What came first? The chicken or the egg?
June 4, 2019
I am a chicken keeper myself, purely small-time hobbyist, and have been for the last three years. This book was so great in covering a lot of what you need to know to get started keeping chickens, It covers how to buy chicks and eggs, how to raise chicks, coop requirements including plans for a pen, how to protect your chickens from predators, chicken behavior and much more. A lot of this I already knew, but chicken lovers can't help from reading more! It was a very thorough beginner guide and I would recommend to anyone interested in keeping chickens or learning more about them.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
January 28, 2022
A very helpful resource. It is written to those who aspire to own chickens but in some ways it was too thorough for a beginner who doesn’t have chickens yet. The more advanced topics will have to be learned along the way and then the book will be helpful to refer back to. A downside is that I plan on free ranging and I feel like this book was written mostly from a coop perspective so it left a few questions unanswered.
July 16, 2019
I loved this book! I have read it over three times now to be sure we know what we are getting into with the possibility of chickens at our house!
The coop plans were a wonderful bonus. We are modifying the larger one a bit but definitely using it as a guide. Anne is funny, informative and covers everything a beginner needs to know.
The coop plans were a wonderful bonus. We are modifying the larger one a bit but definitely using it as a guide. Anne is funny, informative and covers everything a beginner needs to know.
July 6, 2020
I thought it was a solid introduction to what’s involved in raising backyard chickens for someone like me who is considering it, but knows nothing about it. It’s a pretty quick read and contains a lot of silly chicken puns.
After reading the book, I feel ready to give it a try. In fact, I’ve just ordered a coop online and arranged to get 2-3 young hens from another family in early August.
After reading the book, I feel ready to give it a try. In fact, I’ve just ordered a coop online and arranged to get 2-3 young hens from another family in early August.
November 23, 2021
My Niece now has 3 hens and wanted a crash course in learning basic chicken raising info. Quick and useful little read. Wish it covered a bit more on emotional ques to look for and what the various cries mean. But i figure that is a bit more than beginner's info. Now i can at least chat a bit on chicken stuff with niece.
June 2, 2022
This book gave me the information I needed to build my own backyard flock. It has a chart of the different breeds of chickens and has information on every breeds. While this book helps you prepare for a flock, it also guides you to keep your flock healthy. This book even has three buildable coops for the chicken. I LOVE this book and I recommend it. I ❤ 🐔 🐥 📖
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2023
This is a great book for beginners. It’s well organized, informative, and easy to read. The reference for common health issues has also been handy. Some of the other books we looked at had more comprehensive information, but we choose this one because it was engaging and less like a textbook. Glad we did!
June 20, 2020
This is something like the 30th chicken book I've read--and I still learned something! I really appreciated the descriptions of chicken behavior as the mature and get ready to lay. Several other good ideas here!
September 23, 2020
A lot of good information
This book covers it all. I feel I am ready to start my chicken adventure. It starts from the beginning and goes to the end. Full of great information and I will be using this book often to refresh my memory.
This book covers it all. I feel I am ready to start my chicken adventure. It starts from the beginning and goes to the end. Full of great information and I will be using this book often to refresh my memory.
February 13, 2021
Great basic guide when considering backyard chickens. I particularly liked the tips and visuals, all the possible medical concerns. I combined this with some youtube how-to videos that have made me confident in taking the plunge!
September 4, 2021
This is a good, easily-readable reference guide to beginning poultry tending. I wish I had read it before I got my chickens. Nicely illustrated, with good plans for a coop and a chicken tractor (portable grazing space). It's not the kind of book you read once and forget it.
November 25, 2021
This is a very good book,and covers most
This book is well worth it to any level back yard chicken enthusiast. To more advanced level raiser.I raise back yard chickens myself and still picked up a few things.
This book is well worth it to any level back yard chicken enthusiast. To more advanced level raiser.I raise back yard chickens myself and still picked up a few things.
May 23, 2022
Good information for a starter upper.
Good book. Kinda goes over just about anything and everything. Doesn't dip to hard into one thing. Shares great side stories for a relief of education. Though the stories have there own tid bits.
Good book. Kinda goes over just about anything and everything. Doesn't dip to hard into one thing. Shares great side stories for a relief of education. Though the stories have there own tid bits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews