How to raise chickens like a pro — even if you have zero experience with animals!Have you been toying with the idea of becoming more self-sustainable?
Are you exploring the option of raising chickens?
Do you have absolutely no idea where to start?
Then you’ve come to the right place!
Doing anything for the first time can be intimidating — and the stakes are even higher when your new hobby involves being responsible for something that’s, well, alive.
What’s more, the increasing popularity of self-sustainability practices has led to a plethora of information being available online, much of it completely unreliable and sometimes straight out dangerous.
But with decades of poultry growing experience under his belt, and a strong dedication to helping newbies master the techniques, knowledge, and tools they need to become pros in no time, Otis Banks is here to help.
Under his guidance, raising chickens will not only become uncomplicated, but also a complete joy.
And it’s not just about the delicious eggs you’ll be able to enjoy each morning.
You’ll soon find yourself developing a rapport with these delightful birds, and you’ll be amazed at how raising them will transform your life.
Spending time with them after work will help you immediately relax and refocus on what truly matters in life.
And if you have young kids, you’ll marvel at the beautiful relationships they’ll develop with their feathered friends — and at how much they will learn from them.
In Raising Chickens for Beginners, here’s just a fraction of what you’ll
5+ scenarios you absolutely need to prepare yourself for — and howA list of all the precautions you need to take before you embark on your exciting adventure, including the laws you need to considerHow to prepare for your flock’s arrival, and which breeds are best for beginnersHow to choose the perfect feed for your flock, and how to tell how much you need to feed them and whenCommon chicken health problems you need to be aware of, including signs, causes, home-made treatments, and advice on when to seek veterinary helpWhy eggs sometimes… disappear — and what you can do about itEverything you need to know to stay on top of litter management, including how to maintain a coop that’s nasty-smell freeHow timing your egg collection can literally make or break your eggsTips to keep your chickens warm in the winter and cool in the summer6 reasons why hens may not lay eggs — and what you can do to help themAnd much more!
Written with a complete beginner in mind, this easy-to-understand guide will give you the confidence you need to expertly navigate this amazing and unimaginably rewarding world.
Accompanying you every step of the way, Otis Banks will help you discover the joys of raising chickens and help you go from an anxious beginner to a seasoned pro, before you even realize it.
If you want to become an expert chicken keeper in no time, then scroll up and click the “Add to Cart” button right now.
Raising Chickens For Beginners by O. Banks is a very insightful and comprehensive book on, as the title clearly mentions, raising chicken for beginners. Right from where to begin, what you'll need, how much you'll need of everything to how to develop a rapport with the chickens and not just having them for the sake of it, this book covers everything!
I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is planning to get more insights into raising chickens, especially those who don't have any idea of what they are dealing with.
You can also read this review on thereadingbud.com
So, raising chickens is not something I knew much about until picking up this book. It’s very informal but I did find that a majority of the information can be found with a simple Google search, some of the information seems a bit outdated but guidelines for something like this, I presume, are changing all of the time. It might be an idea to cross reference the information given in this book with the information that is fully updated and available to all with access to the internet. I feel with this kind of venture it’s important to gather information and guidance from as many different sources as possible. I was pleased to see that the author also encourages this.
If you are planning to go ahead with raising chickens it’s important that you are well prepared and this book does a good job of outlining everything you need to know, however if you are in the UK there are some sections that won’t be of any use to you.
The book helps the reader to make a plan, talks about budgeting, feeding, living arrangements (for the chickens), gives advice on how and where to connect with other chicken keepers and encourages the reader to feel confident about embarking on their chicken journey.
The information given is clear and concise with a dash of chicken humour, I found myself smiling many times reading through this and even had some thoughts about getting some cheerful chickens myself at some point in the future. The book has shown me that raising chickens is certainly doable for the average person and I would definitely recommend it to anybody who is considering adopting a bunch of these beautiful clucky creatures!
I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Love Books Tours, views and opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.
Raising Chickens for Beginners is an excellent book to have on hand for those new to raising chickens or those thinking about getting chickens.
The book's chapters are divided into groups that take the reader through the rough timeline of raising chickens. From picking the suitable breeds for your goals to chicken health, it is all in this book.
I currently own chickens, so a lot of what was in the book at the beginning was redundant for me. Some new knowledge was obtained (learning that chickens run about 105F), which makes sense when I hold my favorite chicken; she makes me so warm! What I did find helpful was some of the information around chicken health. There is a wealth of information online, with many different views and opinions. However, it was nice that the information was condensed into bit-sized pieces in this book.
My main issues with this book were the overuse of idioms, rhyming, and grammatical errors. It made me think back to college days when papers needed a specific word count, and you would add filler words to hit the word count. I felt like that is what the author was doing here. I think readers would have benefited more if the author had been more succinct.
However, I did think that for those looking into owning chickens for the first time, this is a wonderful book that will give you the building blocks to provide for a happy and healthy flock.
Thank you to Love Book Tours for this book in exchange for my honest review.
If, like me, you would love to raise chickens and start a more self-sustainable existence or perhaps just want these funny little creatures to bring joy to your lives then I definitely recommend this book! It was fantastic and I demolished it in one sitting and was dreaming about getting 21 chicks by the end of it 😂 . There's so much information in here from breed info 🐣 to egg advice 🥚 from first aid for chickens 👩⚕️🩺 to suggested routines 📝 honestly it's jam packed but not in a boring way. It's packed with as much personality as these feathery little birds and accumulates top tips from many places. . As someone who has friends with chickens I do know first hand how sweet and funny and crazy and NOISY chickens are but they are also FANTASTIC for mental health, just watching them makes you smile and they are actually really good with children too. So if its something you are considering I don't only recommend this book I insist you read it! . Thank you @lovebookstours For the #gifted copy of this book
This book came up as a freebie on my Kindle app and as we are soon to get our first flock of chickens I thought it might be a worthwhile read.
The author is apparently a bit of a chicken authority and I am sure he knows his stuff but to be honest there were only a few things that I learnt from him. Pretty much everything he says I had found out already. I also didn't like his tone. He is trying too hard to come across as jolly and friendly but it just seems patronising.
The other thing is that a lot of the information seems a bit outdated (I don't know when it was written). It's also written for an American audience which I didn't realise at first. While for the most part that doesn't matter, the chapter on feeding your chickens needs to be ignored if you live in the UK. The author promotes the use of table and kitchen scraps to supplement the chicken feed. Plus meal worms for a treat.
In the UK feeding anything at all that has come from your kitchen is a huge NO. It is against DEFRA rules. (Totally vegan kitchens are an exception.)
If you haven't done any research then you can learn from this book but you do need to check much of the information against current UK advice.
5 Stars! This is a MUST READ for anyone considering getting chickens. Anything and everything you’d want or need to know about raising chickens is in this book. The good, bad and, possibly, smelly! I 100% recommend reading this book before you invest in raising chickens! *I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*
Raising Chickens for Beginners is an accessible and easy to understand guide to succeeding with a backyard flock written and presented by Otis Banks. Released 30th June 2021, it's 146 pages and is available in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is a very basic, no frills book which is short on glossy photos and unnecessary graphics but which is complete, information dense, and sufficient to get started in poultry keeping. The author presupposes no previous knowledge, and all new terms and concepts are explained well in the text. The chapters progress from first thoughts about keeping backyard chickens, through considerations (legal, local, space, costs, etc), to building coops (no specific plans are included, but there are some photos for inspiration), acquiring a flock, and keeping them healthy and happy.
The book contains a useful links/resources list which, though suited to a North American audience, is useful to poultry keepers in other areas. There is also an index after the resources section.
Final verdict, very entertaining and interesting book, well written and on-topic, and fighting the good fight against misinformation and disappointment. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, and for readers wishing to increase their food security and self-sufficiency. It would also be a good choice for allotment/garden group libraries, activity groups, scouting, and 4-H. The scope of the book is probably to narrow to make it an appropriate choice for smallholders or farmers. It's mostly for suburban/hobby/pet chicken enthusiasts.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
I didn’t think I would find myself reviewing a book like this but one thing I can certainly say is I 100% want chickens. This book gives you such an insight from the positive reasons to consider having chickens to how you can grow your community and relationship and meet other people who have chickens too.
There is so much you need to think about if you are wanting fresh eggs in the morning. Lots of things I was shocked to learn. The law, sanitation health requirements etc. Not a lot of people think about this when buying a cat or dog but they should do their research that’s one thing I’ve learned from this book is that you can never know enough information. When you think you know everything there’s added bits you miss.
I loved the psychological aspect of identifying behaviour from a hen to chick etc. That was really interesting for me and a massive highlight. The range of breeds shocked me, who knew there was so many type of different chickens.
This book doesn’t just give you the information you need for a new person who has chickens this also helps those who may have had chickens for a while in identifying health issues what to do if a chicken has an injury etc. The author covers off everything you need to know from a professional to a beginner.
I extremely loved the layout of this book making it really easy to follow, to standout and the photos of the chickens throughout. Can you guess my favourite? I thoroughly enjoyed this and I didn’t think I would.
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking to get into chicken raising and you aren't sure where to start, I think this book is an excellent place to look for a wide variety of chicken-care-related information. I found the topics it covered to be fairly comprehensive - if a bit surface level. This book doesn't really get into the finer details and science… but that's why it's for beginners. I thought it did a pretty good job of relaying a lot of information in an easy-to-read way, and it covered a wide array of things - from diseases and their treatment, to what types of feed and bedding to use.
The book was well organized, easy to read, and digestible in the way each section was cut up into little chunks of text. I'd recommend it as a decent place to start.
I’m a suburb-ite. Not proud, not sad, it just is. So what in the world made me think chickens would be a good idea? Well, many, really. Healthier choice, animal welfare, economics. And of course all those cute chicken faces! Eggs only, though, I figure these little ones would be great pets… And they would be…
For the right person. I had absolutely no idea what was involved in raising chickens yet, after reading this clear and informative read, I think I do. Every aspect was covered from prepping and building their space, how to feed them, keep them healthy and, at the same time, don’t tick off your neighbours! Such good advice all the way around.
Will I raise my own chickens? If I do, I know I will have most – if not all – the information I need to do it successfully.
*I happily reviewed this book **Thank you to NetGalley
I've toyed with the idea of raising chickens in my backyard for a while, but honestly, I had no idea where to start. This is an incredibly informative, accessible book to guide readers like myself who don't know much at all about backyard chooks.
The book covers everything from the setup needed and recommended breeds to chicken behavior, egg troubleshooting and poop scooping, plus how to look after chickens in all sorts of extremes..
The author has clearly done their research, and enjoys raising chickens - a fact that comes across well in the writing. I will be referring back to this book if/when I take the step into raising my own chooks!
~Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~
Thank you to @lovebookstours for my copy of this book.
I honestly did not know how much was involved in raising and keeping chickens. From what type/breed of chicken you want, depending on whether you want them for eggs and meat or just eggs or meat, to the type of coop for them, the kind of feed for them - it’s all covered in this book.
There are whole sections on what to do if they don’t seem their happy selves, what to do in bad weather and how to keep them free from disease. The end of the book has a huge reference section giving you lots of alternative books and resources to give you the best start to raising chickens at home.
If you’re thinking about getting some of your own, this is the book you need.
I wish I had this book before I got chickens at the end of 2021. It has charts, recipes, explains different diseases chickens can't get, has great tips for everything pertaining to chickens, and it is well written.
Like I said I've had chickens for a while but even I learned some new things from thus book. I'm keeping it on hand so I can read it again if I ever need to, especially about the diseases and what to look for.
This author did a great job writing this book. One definitely to have on hand.
A very handy manual that is not focusing on 100 kinds of chicken breeds but handles the day to day care and how to fight illnesses. It comes with a long list of references with links to those sites so you have access to that information as well (including all the 100 breeds).
Excellent overview on keeping chickens for beginners. This book covers everything from choosing the right type of chicken, housing and feeding to troubleshooting egg laying and health issues. Great starting point for chicken newbies.
Very informative and helpful. A great book to have and obtain knowledge from. It tells you everything you need to know about raising and the caring of chickens.
There was quite a bit of interesting information about what to expect when raising chickens. It's more about laying hens and not about raising meat chickens.
Raising Chickens For Beginners by O. Banks is a very informative for new chicken owners. I would advise reading it BEFORE you purchase your chickens so you can be prepared for everything. Get things ready for them ahead of time so they will be safe and comfortable from the beginning. Our first chicken just showed up and we adopted her. We had a cloth zippered cat house for her to sleep in - in the house- before we were able to get a chicken tractor built for her so she could stay outside. We weren’t ready for her, and we were scrambling to take care of her. This book would have been a life saver back then. It touches on everything you need to know to get started. It’s a general overview of everything you need to know about raising chickens. It covers types of chickens, housing, feeding, egg laying, diseases, safety, weather, cleanliness & how to deal with the chicken poop. All around a great, no frills resource book on raising chickens. Thank you to BookSirens for allowing me to read this ARC.