Backyard Chickens: A Practical Handbook to Raising Chickens

Too wordy with life stories. I wanted a tech manual for raising chickens. An encyclopedia. A listing of what to do and what not to do. Nice story but it’s like searching for a recipe online and finding it but it’s buried in stories of why it was their favorite recipe, who likes it, and how it changed their life. Nice when you want that, but I just wanted the recipe. Not the story.

I was a novice regarding raising chickens when I ordered this book. The information contained in this book is just what I needed without getting to deep into the more detailed nuance's of raising chickens (which I now know exist). According to most of my friends and colleagues there is nothing to raising chickens. Absolutely not so! I wouldn't want to discourage anyone because I am so glad that I decided to take the plunge but I would never recommend starting out without some basic, however, very important information. This book provides that information in easy to read and easy to reference material.

This little book covers most of the things you need to know to get started with a small backyard chicken hobby. A few hens for pets and eggs later on, was my goal, and this book supplied the answers to a lot of issues I had questions about.

I have been following Claire's blog, The Happy Chicken Coop, for sometime and it is wonderful having all her sage advice in one place - in one book. I have kept chickens in a suburban setting for several years and have found Claire's advice to always be insightful and helpful. This is a great "go to" book for all your questions if you already have chickens and a MUST READ if you're planning to raise chickens in the future. She gives lots of practical advice on setting up and maintaining your coop & run as well as a plethora of information for maintaining the health of your flock. I highly recommend this resource!!

This is a very good book on how to start raising chickens and a good reminder on some of the things I had forgotten. I wish I had something like this 3 years ago when I bought my first chicks! It would have helped in the trial and error stage of raising my laying hens.

This book is very easy to read and understand. There are so many questions answered for you. I wish I had this book 4 years ago when we started our adventure with backyard chickens.

Disappointing. Pictures in black & white, usually without captions, were more filler than useful. The material was general and repeated in subsequent chapters. very little information that I hadn't read on various blogs. The chapter on diseases was most informative, but again, it could have been developed better.

Got this chicken book for my wife. I can only guess it's an adequate book on the topic. I have no desire to do much of anything with chickens, other than occasionally eat their eggs that I picked up in the store in the morning; however, that will change as she would like to have them in our yard for reasons I can't possibly fathom. I initially thought it wasn't delivered since it said delivered but wasn't at my house. Fortunately, I'm friends with my neighbors, who received the package and called to let me know. Not the sellers fault, just delivered elsewhere.

Book is OK. Paperback is very cheap paper and printing. No colored pictures. Not very useful, I would recommend another book.

I found this book to be accessible and very interesting. It took me only 3 days to read casually. I also see this as being a reference to go back to if I decide to start raising chickens.

Too wordy with life stories. I wanted a tech manual for raising chickens. An encyclopedia. A listing of what to do and what not to do. Nice story but it’s like searching for a recipe online and finding it but it’s buried in stories of why it was their favorite recipe, who likes it, and how it changed their life. Nice when you want that, but I just wanted the recipe. Not the story.

I was a novice regarding raising chickens when I ordered this book. The information contained in this book is just what I needed without getting to deep into the more detailed nuance's of raising chickens (which I now know exist). According to most of my friends and colleagues there is nothing to raising chickens. Absolutely not so! I wouldn't want to discourage anyone because I am so glad that I decided to take the plunge but I would never recommend starting out without some basic, however, very important information. This book provides that information in easy to read and easy to reference material.

This little book covers most of the things you need to know to get started with a small backyard chicken hobby. A few hens for pets and eggs later on, was my goal, and this book supplied the answers to a lot of issues I had questions about.

I have been following Claire's blog, The Happy Chicken Coop, for sometime and it is wonderful having all her sage advice in one place - in one book. I have kept chickens in a suburban setting for several years and have found Claire's advice to always be insightful and helpful. This is a great "go to" book for all your questions if you already have chickens and a MUST READ if you're planning to raise chickens in the future. She gives lots of practical advice on setting up and maintaining your coop & run as well as a plethora of information for maintaining the health of your flock. I highly recommend this resource!!

This is a very good book on how to start raising chickens and a good reminder on some of the things I had forgotten. I wish I had something like this 3 years ago when I bought my first chicks! It would have helped in the trial and error stage of raising my laying hens.

This book is very easy to read and understand. There are so many questions answered for you. I wish I had this book 4 years ago when we started our adventure with backyard chickens.

Disappointing. Pictures in black & white, usually without captions, were more filler than useful. The material was general and repeated in subsequent chapters. very little information that I hadn't read on various blogs. The chapter on diseases was most informative, but again, it could have been developed better.

Got this chicken book for my wife. I can only guess it's an adequate book on the topic. I have no desire to do much of anything with chickens, other than occasionally eat their eggs that I picked up in the store in the morning; however, that will change as she would like to have them in our yard for reasons I can't possibly fathom. I initially thought it wasn't delivered since it said delivered but wasn't at my house. Fortunately, I'm friends with my neighbors, who received the package and called to let me know. Not the sellers fault, just delivered elsewhere.

Book is OK. Paperback is very cheap paper and printing. No colored pictures. Not very useful, I would recommend another book.

I found this book to be accessible and very interesting. It took me only 3 days to read casually. I also see this as being a reference to go back to if I decide to start raising chickens.

I have started using the information from this book and my chickens are happier and easier to work with. There’s good information in this book and it is presented in a way that is easy to digest and put to use.

I had a lot of questions about dusting, about feather loss, about the best fruits and vegetables for them to eat & all these questions were answered in the book. It is a very good resource especially if you’re just getting started.

I always wanted to have chickens and this book is helping me prepare for that

Written in clear easy to understand language this book covers pretty much everything you need to know about keeping chickens. From what treats are safe and how to deal with illness, this is the go to book!

This little book is full of practical knowledge for those who are starting their chicken raising venture like I am. It goes straight to the point, simple language, well explained, and easy to read.

Great starter book for the beginner and after a year of raising my hens. I still grab it for quick answers to things that pop up.

I liked this was an easy to read guide that’s clear. I have referenced this book multiple times when caring for our hens.

Superficial and obvious. Might be ok for a complete novice.

this is a good resource book for beginner chicken peeps, and the price is not bad at all. I endorse this book

I thought I was purchasing the actual book but it looks like I mistakenly ordered a Kindle book. I would like the book please as this was going to be a Christmas gift for my son. Thanks

Great book, but It would be better if the pics were in color. I'd recommend it.

I Love this book. It has taught us so much about our new chickens! We recommend for anyone brand new to backyard chickens.

We've leaned so much about our birds, and the suff they suggest works, if you have chickens of turkeys you should have this book

Nice information, very comprehensive. Great gift for a new chicken keeper!

This is the best quick guide to backyard chickens! So much information, but it's not overwhelming! I use it daily with my flock.

Seems to have most of what I need to raise chickens.

A good book for someone just getting into raising backyard chickens. Whether you are raising 1 or 2 chickens as backyard pets or or raising 1 or 2 dozen chickens to provide eggs for your own use or to sell for income.

didnt have a problem with book!

This book does contain some good information, but it is poorly organized and it is not easy to look up specific topics.

Quick informative read

Straightforward and lots of useful information!

Told my 3 kiddos ages 12-15 that they had to read this book cover to cover before our chicks were to be delivered. They took turns reading it out loud to each other each evening. Finished it in less than 2 weeks and we’re schooling me on the facts of raising chickens!

The book is good but I had more questions than it answered. But I do use it for some reference.

A bit too basic. I would like breed comparisons and growth charts.

Love this book is so helpful in all my chicken questions.

This book has lots of useful information. I wish it had color photos though. It arrived with a page loose.

Gave me a lot of info

This was a good first book for me to read about raising chickens. The grammar/punctuation was a little poor. Other than that it was an easy and enjoyable read.

This Book is a must for new Chicken Owners

Awesome information

As a new chicken owner, it was very helpful. I refer back to it many times, & keep it handy. Very glad I purchased it.

It’s a great book for someone starting off with chickens and covers a lot of topics.

Lot of information

I am a newbie to growing chickens, this this book was very helpful> orderly information with answers to every question I had or came up. All this.. while really enjoying the reading... thank you!

great info

Informative if you don't know about chickens

This was very informative ans well written. It was written to educate the novice. You can tell the author loves raising chickens.

This book was excellent and helped me to be knowledgeable and the best chicken parent I am able to be !

Love it

This book has so much information in it about chickens and how to care for them, and what to expect. Very well written—easy read but very informative.

Very informative. I learned quite a bit on chickens and what to expect. Thanks for all the time and effort in writing the book.

great book for beginners on raising chicken! has the basic knowledge you need to know on raising chicks and chickens.

Great and easy to understand information.

Love that book! Very helpful!

Very informative, loads of very interesting facts, a must for chicken lovers.

Claire has put together a wonderful "how to" on raising chickens from the ground up. I especially like the way she made it understandable for the novice. It's not overly detailed which can confuse and scare off all but the more experienced keeper but it provides enough information to insure a healthy safe environment for the chicks and allow the keeper a good understanding of all the basic needs. It provides one the courage to dive into the world of chickens with a great chance of success. Surely there are many more detailed tomes available on raising chickens but this one doesn't require a degree in veterinary medicine to allow understanding and produce success. I highly recommend this publication, especially if you're just starting out. Raising chickens can be a fun experience.

I have purchased and read my Amazon "free" in embarrassing numbers and found a lack of intelligence pervades. Did no one with knowledge and even a modicum of writing ability raise chickens? Seriously, I was starting to worry. But then I found this book. It is incredibly easy to read, factual and intelligent. Chapers are well constructed and she interjected humor and personal experiences so well... Really an A+ all the way around. Read this, buy it. You need no other. I will be warming my home all of next winter on the garbage I bought before this book.

This was really incredibly helpful information. I kept reading and reading every chapter just to make sure I was learning as much as I can. I have 10 new chickens in the backyard at about 16 weeks and this is just perfect information at the right time to keep them healthy and well. Great writing thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

This book is a great overview of raising backyard chickens. Most of my questions were answered. 😄 It sounds like a fulfilling pastime. When I read about the possible diseases chickens can get, it made me a bit nervous though. I would love if the section on types of chickens and there characteristics were broader though, but how it’s set up is very helpful. I would also love a few more chicken coop plans added :). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a page turner for me.

I've been following The Happy Chicken Coop for two years now; ever since my beloved girls have become part of our lives. Claire's knowledge and expertise have been invaluable for me in raising the most beautiful and healthy girls. Have any questions you need answered - Backyard Chickens: Practical Handbook is a must! Nicely done Claire. Megan

I have had chickens many years but still like to read about what others have to say. I agreed on every issue & really liked how practical & easy to understand this book was.

Me and me eight children love this book , it is extremely helpful ! I grew up on a farm with 13 siblings , this book was so histological . Now we have five eggs every day.

A great overview of important information to know before deciding to raise your own chickens. Based on the author’s decades of experience, this short introductory book is trustworthy and offers valuable advice. If you’re already into chickens and are looking for a truly comprehensive reference manual, you’ll probably want to find a supplemental resource beyond this book.

Nothing is assumed by the author. All aspects of chicken keeping and maintenance is covered in an easy to understand well organized fashion. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the hobby of raising chickens

As a subscriber to "The Happy Chicken Coop", this is exactly what I'd expect! Practical and informative, clear and easy to understand for beginners and plenty of useful information for the more experienced.

Practical advice from an expert . Concise and to the point. Very little fluff, if any. Highly recommended. My go to book.

This is a very informative book written in an understandable way. This book is good for new chicken owners or if you have had chickens for years. I highly recommend this book to all who love chickens. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The author used straight forward, simple language to give the reader a step by step guide in raising backyard chickens.

Very helpful for those of us just starting out with chicks. Gives a lot of helpful information, easy to read. Will come back to again!

Easy to read and very informative. Being new to having chickens, this will be my 'go to' book when any questions come up.

I own chickens and still found this book valuable. It was easy to read and understand. Truly practical advice. Covered all the important chicken issues.

Very informative and I learned a lot for the start of my chicken adventure! I recommend it for any beginner chicken owner.

Great quick read. Easily comprehended, basic information for the beginning chicken owner. Great Information to review for any chicken owner.

All you need to move forward . Go buy some chicks and get started. Author has been very thorough for newbies

This was really informative! I'm new to chickens, and I learned a lot from this book. Easy to understand. A definite recommend!

This book is a very good beginner book I was looking for more scientific answers to diseases though. It is good though.