I do not know how this discussion group is supposed to go, but I thought I would add something about the first 5 chapters. Hope this is okay.
I believe that "Raising Chickens for Dummies" is very thorough in what it covers. It is appropriate that in the first chapter, it covers the very basics of: Is it legal to have chickens in your city/town? I checked with the powers that be in our very small town before I first decided to have chickens. I called town hall and they said it was okay. This silenced different friends and family members who thought chickens were not allowed. I also checked with neighbors to see if any of them objected - they did not. I was good to go then.
Chapter 2 - Basic Chicken Biology and Behavior was interesting. Though I knew most of the basic information, I still learned some things. The part on communication was funny yet practical.
Chapter 3: A Chicken Isn't Just a Chicken - is important, especially for those that have not done the necessary research. It could have been a little more thorough, but I know that this book covers a lot of information and cannot cover it all. When it comes to the different breeds, a more thorough research can be carried out online. Having said that, the section on Brown-egg layers covered a couple of breeds that I knew little about.
Chapter 4: Buying Chickens - When I read this, I was remembering the two Farm/Market places in our area that I could have gone to and bought some grown chickens and/or chicks. Some of the chickens looked clean and healthy. However, others looked really worn out and beat down. I am glad I decided to order chicks from a hatchery instead. Some of the people selling chicks did not even know what they were.
Chapter 5: Choosing Your Housing Type - I searched long and hard trying to decide what and how to build my first chicken house. When I finally built it I made mistakes and will do something else next time. The one I built is better designed for roosters that we will separate for feeding and processing. Next spring I will build a bigger, better chicken house with nest boxes on that extend to the outside.
I am glad this book was reccommended because that caused me to order it - a worthwhile buy.
ssmith1373
