Book recommendation - just getting started

[jp_over]

Friends,

We're just getting started with backyard chickens and looking for a good book recommendation for beginners.

Mainly we're looking at eggs for our family of 4 and perhaps selling excess to friends and family. I imagine we'll purchase chicks online and use a "chicken tractor" to move them around the yard. We plan on using organic & non GMO feed.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Joe

 

[ldrchickens]

I am a newbie as well. Got chicks in June and now starting to lay. your wanting organic and non-gmo feed so i have a feeling you are all about all natural chicken keeping. Same here!! Go to fresheggsdaily.com. She is all about natural chicken keeping and has pretty much everything you can think of to answer all your questions. She also has a few books you can buy she wrote herself. I love it and have taken a ton of tips from her.

 

[jp_over]

@ldrchickens - thanks for the reply, will do!

 

[ldrchickens]

@ldrchickens - thanks for the reply, will do!

Your very welcome! Have fun!

 

[SueT]

I don't know any book that is as good as using all the resources HERE on BYC!!!! Check out the articles for a starter (see top of page)....and also search thru old threads for answers to just about any question, or ask a new question.... this site is a veritable encyclopedia of chicken keeping!

 

[Mimi13]

I don't know any book that is as good as using all the resources HERE on BYC!!!! Check out the articles for a starter (see top of page)....and also search thru old threads for answers to just about any question, or ask a new question.... this site is a veritable encyclopedia of chicken keeping!

And to add to this post anytime you google anything chicken-related, 99% of the time BYC articles come up as the first searches. This site is utterly amazing.

 

[ldrchickens]

And to add to this post anytime you google anything chicken-related, 99% of the time BYC articles come up as the first searches. This site is utterly amazing.

Right!!! Its always the first option on google for me. And if for some odd reason you cant find your answer already on here you can usually get an answer or two within a super short period of time. So glad to be a part of this community!

 

[aart]

As much as I love books, I read constantly, I would not bother to buy any chicken books.
Well, I own two... Ussery and Damerow both good reads but do contain some 'not so great' and/or outdated info. I have not cracked them but a few times since the initial reading.
Try your library, we have state wide borrowing here and can get about any title.
Better to read a borrowed copy before buying, IMO.
I read a couple dozen and very few were worth reading, let alone owning.

I spent the winter before building coop reading this and other chicken forums...
....but bring your grains of salt.
I learned more here too, by readingreadingreading for hoursandhoursandhours.
I took notes and saved links in a word doc(you can search it) and a spreadsheet with headers like coops, roosts, nests, dosages, predators, etcetcetc.
So basically, write your own book
But I am old school, laptop with 'real' programs installed for these tasks.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I have the Ussery and Damerow books, and found them helpful. This site is terrific, as long as you realize that opinions will differ, and some folks really know what they are talking about, and some don't.
Best husbandry practices will vary depending on your climate and what space you have.
'Chicken tractors' can work well, although for an all year housing plan, it's trickier.
Having enough space per bird, good ventilation, and especially protection from predators usually requires a fixed structure instead.
The coop of my dreams is a Woods coop! I've got a modified and expanded shed coop, which is fine, but that Woods coop design looks great to me.
Diet; what's available fresh (by mill date) at your local feed stores will determine your best food choices. Do check those mill dates, and don't buy feed that's older than one or two months, at most.
Chickens are fun! Get a variety, and see who appeals to you.
Mary