Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard

Really disappointed, this is a topic I'm super interested in and hoped to get some nitty-gritty details with long plant lists, tables, schematics, specific rotations for chickens and veggie plants including specifics stages the vegetables are vulnerable. Specific breeds of dogs for guarding, specific tractor designs that are vermin proof...I mean really anything specific would have been helpful. Everything in here I had already surmised myself from general web browsing. Useless book, only buy if you want something colorful for a coffee table.

My girls tore up the backyard landscaping, so I quarrantined them in their run. Well, that just produced stressed chickens and the egg laying stopped immediately. This book has such great advice! I'm going to follow it and I know, with the help of ideas and commonsense advice from this book, my girls can live a happy life, running free through my gardens and helping me with the most dreaded chores! Bottom line, they're out of the coop, happily gobbling up garden pests and turning over the dirt for me, in preparation for spring planting. Started laying again as soon as they were sprung. I highly recommend buying this book, especially for beginning chicken keepers as I am. It answered so many questions that I had about their care, plus give such great advice on laying out a garden, and great ideas for how to keep them out of the landscaping you want them to stay away from. Plus, the photos are beautiful, the book is an easy read, and the advice simple to follow.

I originally borrowed this book from the library when interested about free ranging my chickens and this book was so loaded with the most valuable and exciting information about raising your chickens almost as backyard pets that can coexist with gardens, children and other pets, I decided to buy it. It covers every topic possible for keeping chickens on properties of all different sizes and with all different backyard styles. If you’re new to keeping chickens or have had them awhile, I’d recommend this book as a great accompaniment to raising happy and healthy chickens.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or any other geographic location with lots of rain, you might find this book useful. But the basic premise is: If you give your chickens a rainforest in which to forage, they won't do too much damage to any one plant. When you live in a Southern California desert, as I do, you just don't have that kind of greenery to work with. And, the only options left are to permit your birds to obliterate your vegetable patch, or keep them in a coop and run. We're building a run, and I sure wish there was more mention in this book on how to landscape in and around a spacious run. There's a little info on that, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped.

I do like this book. I’ve only glanced at it and it’s been sitting on my nightstand. I picked it up today to go through it more and the cover came right off. I was gentle with it so it must be a manufacturing issue since it’s happening to others. I don’t regret getting the book. I’ll just look on YouTube on how to glue it back together more secure.

Before reading this book I thought I was the only one who worried about landscaping my chicken run ! While I don't free range or allow my flock to roam through our backyard or garden, I DO plant things in their run to attract bugs, provide shade and make the run more aesthetically pleasing. I figure the nicer it looks the more time I will want to spend there - which is beneficial to both me and my chickens. This book puts all the information I need in one place. No more bookmarking websites of toxic plants, safe plants, etc. I am in the process of planning my landscaping for this spring and this book has been invaluable in that. Its also a gorgeously photographed book, which makes it a joy to flip through. Highly recommended for those who free range as well as those who just want to spruce up their run area a bit safely. Lisa Fresh Eggs Daily Farm Girl [...] [...]

I have always wanted chickens and am finally in a place where it could happen. Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about raising them. I found this book,

I was enjoying reading the actual content of the book BUT it fell apart before I even got half way through it. I got the book in the mail yesterday and was excited to get to read it. I was about to page 72 when the whole cover came off and the pages are now starting to separate. I'm VERY disappointed with the books quality.

This book is amazing! I stayed up way past my bedtime collecting tips and dreaming of my future garden full of beautiful plants and mischievous hens. I got a ton of great ideas plus the pictures were amazing. I want to give this a 5 star review but the binding fell alert in my hands and I haven’t even had this book for 24 hours. I want to carry it around outside but I’m afraid I might start losing pages.

Im inspired every time i pick up Chicken Gardens! I really enjoy looking at, as well as reading, this book! I'm a very visual person and enjoy the aesthetic lay out and beautiful puctures in Chicken Gardens. It has helpful information about growing food & herbs for your flock, points to consider when building a coop and thinking about the " style" of chicken keeping ( free range, semi- free range etc) that will suit your lifestyle and space availability and inspiring photographs of a few unique, chicken inspired gardens ( I do wish there were a few more pictures of each of the gardens from different angles & viewpoints though and the reason I gave it only 4 stars). It's lovely to see others who integrate beautiful design elements and care for their birds the way I do. I love this book so much it's sitting on my patio table so I can look through it whenever I get a chance to sit down 😍

Really disappointed, this is a topic I'm super interested in and hoped to get some nitty-gritty details with long plant lists, tables, schematics, specific rotations for chickens and veggie plants including specifics stages the vegetables are vulnerable. Specific breeds of dogs for guarding, specific tractor designs that are vermin proof...I mean really anything specific would have been helpful. Everything in here I had already surmised myself from general web browsing. Useless book, only buy if you want something colorful for a coffee table.

My girls tore up the backyard landscaping, so I quarrantined them in their run. Well, that just produced stressed chickens and the egg laying stopped immediately. This book has such great advice! I'm going to follow it and I know, with the help of ideas and commonsense advice from this book, my girls can live a happy life, running free through my gardens and helping me with the most dreaded chores! Bottom line, they're out of the coop, happily gobbling up garden pests and turning over the dirt for me, in preparation for spring planting. Started laying again as soon as they were sprung. I highly recommend buying this book, especially for beginning chicken keepers as I am. It answered so many questions that I had about their care, plus give such great advice on laying out a garden, and great ideas for how to keep them out of the landscaping you want them to stay away from. Plus, the photos are beautiful, the book is an easy read, and the advice simple to follow.

I originally borrowed this book from the library when interested about free ranging my chickens and this book was so loaded with the most valuable and exciting information about raising your chickens almost as backyard pets that can coexist with gardens, children and other pets, I decided to buy it. It covers every topic possible for keeping chickens on properties of all different sizes and with all different backyard styles. If you’re new to keeping chickens or have had them awhile, I’d recommend this book as a great accompaniment to raising happy and healthy chickens.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or any other geographic location with lots of rain, you might find this book useful. But the basic premise is: If you give your chickens a rainforest in which to forage, they won't do too much damage to any one plant. When you live in a Southern California desert, as I do, you just don't have that kind of greenery to work with. And, the only options left are to permit your birds to obliterate your vegetable patch, or keep them in a coop and run. We're building a run, and I sure wish there was more mention in this book on how to landscape in and around a spacious run. There's a little info on that, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped.

I do like this book. I’ve only glanced at it and it’s been sitting on my nightstand. I picked it up today to go through it more and the cover came right off. I was gentle with it so it must be a manufacturing issue since it’s happening to others. I don’t regret getting the book. I’ll just look on YouTube on how to glue it back together more secure.

Before reading this book I thought I was the only one who worried about landscaping my chicken run ! While I don't free range or allow my flock to roam through our backyard or garden, I DO plant things in their run to attract bugs, provide shade and make the run more aesthetically pleasing. I figure the nicer it looks the more time I will want to spend there - which is beneficial to both me and my chickens. This book puts all the information I need in one place. No more bookmarking websites of toxic plants, safe plants, etc. I am in the process of planning my landscaping for this spring and this book has been invaluable in that. Its also a gorgeously photographed book, which makes it a joy to flip through. Highly recommended for those who free range as well as those who just want to spruce up their run area a bit safely. Lisa Fresh Eggs Daily Farm Girl [...] [...]

I have always wanted chickens and am finally in a place where it could happen. Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about raising them. I found this book,

I was enjoying reading the actual content of the book BUT it fell apart before I even got half way through it. I got the book in the mail yesterday and was excited to get to read it. I was about to page 72 when the whole cover came off and the pages are now starting to separate. I'm VERY disappointed with the books quality.

This book is amazing! I stayed up way past my bedtime collecting tips and dreaming of my future garden full of beautiful plants and mischievous hens. I got a ton of great ideas plus the pictures were amazing. I want to give this a 5 star review but the binding fell alert in my hands and I haven’t even had this book for 24 hours. I want to carry it around outside but I’m afraid I might start losing pages.

Im inspired every time i pick up Chicken Gardens! I really enjoy looking at, as well as reading, this book! I'm a very visual person and enjoy the aesthetic lay out and beautiful puctures in Chicken Gardens. It has helpful information about growing food & herbs for your flock, points to consider when building a coop and thinking about the " style" of chicken keeping ( free range, semi- free range etc) that will suit your lifestyle and space availability and inspiring photographs of a few unique, chicken inspired gardens ( I do wish there were a few more pictures of each of the gardens from different angles & viewpoints though and the reason I gave it only 4 stars). It's lovely to see others who integrate beautiful design elements and care for their birds the way I do. I love this book so much it's sitting on my patio table so I can look through it whenever I get a chance to sit down 😍

Excellent. Lots of info. Great pics! I have learned many things and my own gardens are looking great. Unfortunately every chicken is different, mine seem to still pick on things not high on the "preferred chicken plants list" but those plants I'll keep blocked off. One thing I haven't yet read is how deadly the tall ornamental grasses can be for chickens. It can get wrapped up and cause impacted crops. I now have removed all mine from their garden. Thought I'd mention this. So enjoy this book!

I was rather disappointed in it. I wanted more information about what plants that chickens would be more likely to avoid, and better ideas of how to nicely fence the chickens away from fresh beds or plants. She says that chickens will usually leave established plants alone, but I guess I have unusual chickens, as they eat everything in the yard. Also no idea as to how to get the chickens to use just one area as a dust bath instead of having shallow fox holes all over the yard. She essentially says to have raised beds throughout your yard and gravel or similarly paved walkways. I wanted to know how to have my chickens have the lawn to stroll around in without them destroying the flower beds.

I’ve given this book 5 stars because it is very readable and answers most questions new backyard chicken keepers need to know. It also has listed resources, and included photos and charts. A good basic primer for chicken lovers.

This book came highly recommended by several people who keep chickens. A friend checked it out from the library and I got a lot of good ideas, but someone requested it back and we had to turn it back in. Fortunately, there are used copies on Amazon for super cheap! It's a pretty sturdy book with thick pages, so even a well-used copy still has plenty of life left.

This was one of the first books I got when I first got chickens. The author gives some excellent solutions to keeping chickens and gardens in peaceful harmony! Su Falcon, author of How I Survived My First Year with Chickens

Just got Chickies and someone recommended this book. I like to flip thru it like a magazine and reference it when I have chicken questions. It’s a good coffee table book! I also bought one for my sis in law when she got chicks.

I really like the content but the book itself fell apart while reading it as soon as I got it. There's some issue with the binding, it just cracked right off and the pages fell out. I'm pretty disappointed with that as I like to keep books like this around for reference and I can't even leave this one on the coffee table for guests.

This is a great book. I bought it as a gift for a friend who has a large yard and several chickens. We looked at the book together and there are so many ideas we were both ready to begin immediately. There are lots and lots of pictures, schematics for setting up the plans you choose and lists of materials. It tells what plants and flowers to get that are not harmful to the chickens and what vegetation is harmful. I recommend this book for anyone who has chickens and would also like to have gardens and flowers and veggies that can cohabit with the chickens. This is the best book we have found on chickens and gardens together.

Love Jessi Bloom and this a a lovely book. The pictures are inspiring, the feel of the paper is delicious and the information is exactly what a backyard chicken gardner needs.

I love this book. I resonate with the author's feelings on keeping chickens, the photos are beautiful. I am not a homesteader but I enjoy gardening in my hen yard and I just love hanging out with my girls. The lean-to photo is wonderful and I want to build something like this in my yard so the girls can have shelter from the rain and place to hang out other than their house. I am also adding a water feature this year so the hens can enjoy that. This is just a lovely book to read while drinking tea and dreaming about what's next in the garden.

This book has pretty pictures; that is the book's only positive trait. The book has numerous flaws, which have been covered by other reviewers. However, other reviewers haven't discussed the problem I had with this book: a severe lack of focus. Instead of focusing on the book's supposed subject--"How to Create a Beautiful Chicken-Friendly Yard"-- the author apparently decided she would rather superficially talk about many, MANY other topics. They include: 1. Coop design (lots of pretty pictures, only one "how to do this" plan with measurements) 2. Predator descriptions and deterrent methods (Mostly accurate info, but why is this discussed in a garden design book?) 3. How to pick chicken breeds (In every basic chicken keeping book in the world--why waste valuable space in this supposedly specialized book with a rehash of that same information??) 4. How to clip a chicken's wings, etc. (What does this have to do with garden design? The author may have her reasons, but doesn't explain them.) 5. A brief rundown of other poultry types, including turkeys, geese, and ducks. (Huh?? Why are ducks discussed in a book that is supposed to be about chickens??) 6. She wraps up the book by listing common chicken diseases and parasites. (?!?) I have had my chickens for almost 2 years and own many basic chicken keeping books; I didn't need another one. What I DID need was tips on how to incorporate my chickens into a garden--what plants to avoid, what plants they'd love, what plants would benefit from the extra nitrogen from chicken poop. Unfortunately, there is very little information of this sort included in the book, and what little there is is VERY difficult to find, even if using the index. In addition to all the unnecessary and unwanted basic chicken keeping advice, the author decided to include basic gardening and composting advice--again, losing focus of what this book is supposed to be about. This book reminds me of a high school freshman's first English essay: cluttered, unfocused, and ultimately unhelpful. If you're actually interested in what the book claims to be about--successfully incorporating poultry into a holistic garden design--a better choice would be "The Small Scale Poultry Flock", by Harvey Ussery. However, if you're just interested in a cute coffee table book, I suppose this may fit your needs.

I was very excited to get my copy of Free-Range Chicken Gardens in the mail after reading about it on a chicken keeping blog. The book is full of very useful information for those, like myself, who want to make chickens part of their gardening experience. The book is well illustrated with charming stories. The plant recommendations are spot on. I will definitely be incorporating many of the ideas from this book as we complete our own garden makeover. For those that would like to raise chickens or for those who are already experienced chicken keepers this is a book you'll read again and again.

I know some people gave this book some flack, but it's not a "how to" book it's an "idea" book. A lot of times I'm not looking for long, drawn out, manuals, I'm looking for ideas, inspiration, some tips and advice, and leave the rest up to me. I love this book because it's full of wonderful full page color photos of wonderful gardens with chickens. They also feature different coop designs. I dunno, for the inspiration and enjoyment alone, this book is well worth it.

This book gives the beginning backyard chicken lover some ideas which are adequate. The pictures are ok, but the quality of the paper in the book if better, would have made this book even better. Content is 'just ok'. I enjoy reading about chickens and gardening both and due to this I gave the book 4 stars based on ease of the read and some of the ideas it gives. There are better books, though, about chickens and gardening. Storey's guide to raising poultry and/or chickens is a great one and Mini Farming (self sufficiency on 1/4 acre) is a beautifully done book with great quality of pages & pictures (both of which have great reviews). If purchased, you'll see what I'm talking about. This book was 'fun reading', though and didn't break the pocketbook.

Well thought out and very informative. Gives a great deal of attention to areas other books just skim over. I have read books like this before and they were always short on information and not well written. They seemed like someones homework assignment "What I did over the Summer Vacation." This is a book for someone who is interested in starting a serious hobby and providing information necessary for co-habitation with another species that will be totally dependent upon us for food shelter and well being. It provides ideas for form as well as function and great source material. Well written good job.

In brief: Bloom's ideas about hens and gardens? Train the hens to stay away from the edibles, block them when needed, give then plant diversity, and plant with chickens in mind. Surprising points include a very decent overview of how to choose and raise chickens, with basic info on providing a workable (and gorgeous) hen house. The book covers basic landscaping more extensively than I expected, but usually tied in with either providing a chicken habitat, chicken food/forage, or deterring hens from people-edibles. There are nice diagrams and explanations of how to cordoned off chickens from certain areas (like a vegetable garden), while still giving them free range elsewhere. Bloom also reminds us that the more diverse the plant life in our yards, the less likely chickens are to destroy any single plant. My favorite part of the book, however, is when Bloom covers plants that deter chickens. This includes a page-long list of plants, as well as some anecdotes. (She also discusses plants that give chickens food in an otherwise ornamental garden.) And if you're worried about plants that could poison your hens, Bloom offers practical, simple advice. Kristina Seleshanko, Proverbs 31 Woman

Since this is not a seller issue, I will say that the binding on book is horrible. Within an hour of opening this new book, tons of pages have fallen out. I fixed this (as I have book binding supplies) as I just don't care to go through a return process. ... Additionally there are great pictures of coops but none that are not already on pinterest. Plus they don't even give explanation or details of the coops which I find odd. I do like the printing paper and it's full of pictures which is nice.

Many ideas to help reader create her own chicken wonderland. Author’s care for environment, chickens and people shines through.

Absolutely delightful read with gorgeous photos and helpful information about caring for your backyard feathered friends.

Best book ever on Chickens and what they like, need, etc. Really beautiful pictures as well.

I love this book. I bought it several years before actually getting chickens, and it's beautifully laid out and contains lots of great info and photos. Everything I'd read made it sound like you have to kiss your landscaping goodbye when you get chickens, but Jessi's book proves that's not the case! You just have to be clever and creative about it. Highly recommended.

Lots of good information about chickens for the beginner.

If you are currently chicken obsessed this is the perfect book for you. If you were on the fence about chicken keeping after looking through this book you will be hooked. The photos are so inspirational and pretty. Also makes a great cocktail table book. It has useful information for creating a chicken friendly garden and has useful info on raising chickens but I always refer back to "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" for the most detailed in chicken care.

I bought this book as a gift for my sister. The pictures are absolutely beautiful! I'm not sure how realistic it would be for the average person to create such stunning gardens, but this book sure presents some great ideas! It seemed like there was quite a bit of info about raising chickens, also. I would have given this 5 stars, but I don't raise chickens and I'm not sure I would be able to afford to create a lot of these gardens if I did. Anyone who wants to make their yard more chicken friendly would definitely benefit from reading this book.

All the information I have needed and then some.

This book has a lot of the information I wanted. I am now putting a plan on paper to create the chicken friendly garden. I have a clean slate to start as we are building in a pasture. With this book's information, my garden will be a safe, fenced place for the chickens to roam while also giving them great suplementaion to their diet. More pictures would be a good addition. It is always nice seeing successful examples. All in all I found this book worth the purchase price.

Haven't had a chance to put the book to the test so to speak, but it was recommended to me by someone who raises and shows her birds, like at public gatherings and such. My wife is really into all this - she has had chickens before - so I got the book for her as one of her birthday presents. The book is well laid out and has a bunch of plans for coops, which is where I enter the fray. I'll be building everything. Cock-a-doodle-honey-doo!

I highly recommend this book! It is very inspiring with gorgeous photos and great ideas. They layout is easy to follow, has clear direction, and is beautifully artistic. If you are a first time chicken owner, I would pick up Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition for a more detailed compliment. The two books together gave me confidence and inspiration to successfully raise my first flock & build their coop.

It's fun to read and play with the idea of free-range chickens in the garden. And encouraging chickens to forage for some of their own food is of considerable importance, given the rising cost of feed. But I think Harvey Ussery's book on chicken raising has more hard info.

Hera chickey here Chickey chickey

The advice is not very practical in most cases. I have chickens and I have a garden, and I bought the book hoping for some real-world solutions to managing to get a harvest without coming out to find dead, uprooted baby plants and chickens dust-bathing in the cool scratched-up beds. We have a constant battle, as I keep adding fortifications, and the chickens keep finding ways around (under/over) them. After reading this book, I still don't have an answer. The title and synopsis gives the reader the impression that there may be a more holistic approach, but chickens are chickens, and they will wreak havoc if allowed to do so.

I first checked this out using the Amazon Unlimited function, but I liked it so much that I went ahead and purchased it. There's a lot of helpful information in this book that's going to help me a lot in bringing my dream garden to life. I would recommend it to anyone who's thinking of getting chickens and growing a garden.

I enjoyed reading this book but am sorry to say the binding fell apart before I got to page 50. The photos and ideas are nice; many good ideas and some topics were pretty general. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't falling apart. Why go to the trouble of writing a book , illustrating it nicely on good quality paper if it falls apart 1/4 way through? So disappointed in this.

Very well written and informative. Loved the photos and the smiles it brought us. I'd recommend to anyone out there considering free ranging, there are a lot of pros and cons to consider and this books delivers.

Very informative

It may be the download. But half the pages are blank, and it skips around in page numbers. What I can see of it looks like a great book. Download says 100%, wish I could see that much. UPDATE: I wanted to report that it shows up fine using my Kindle App on my phone, so it may be something to do with the Fire. Great Book!

This a delightful, well written book chock full of great ideas and concepts. I have not started to raise chickens yet, as I am taking my time to first create a perfect environment for my future girls. By next year when the feed store gets its spring stock of chicks I should have my coop and predator-safe chicken yard constructed and several different garden areas fenced in, planted and ready to begin a new adventure.

I live in a small rural town, less than 8,000. I have a double wide lot that I turned into an orchard and decided that it would be my chicken orchard. The book is full of practical ideas and a great reference for what is poisonous and edible plants for chickens. I'm a do-it-your-selfer and I got plenty of ideas from this one.

I wouldn't say this was the greatest, step by step "how to" book but I did read it through to the end which translates to it wasn't a waste of money! It has examples of garden layout, chicken coops, and suggestions for chicken friendly plantings. I believe it will be a good referral book should I get my urban chicken garden going but I also think I will be doing a little more research.

This book is mostly about gardening. It focuses a lot on how to protect your garden from chickens and which plants your chickens may enjoy for their shade or eating. But I was looking for a book that would teach me how to use chickens in a vegetable garden when the veggies are growing.This book was not helpful for that.

Easy to read, enjoyable information, love the pictures

One of my favorites!

Stresses to plan BEFORE getting chickens, gives realistic expectations, shows beautiful images, and is full of valuable information and great tips. I had borrowed this book from a friend and read it cover to cover. I ordered my book the day I finished reading my friend's copy because I knew that I had to have it.

Our chickens roam our yards and are great for bug control. In fact we don't have bugs! They also take care of the ticks and fleas saving our other pets from discomfort. The downfall has been that the chickens destroy any flower or vegetable gardens that I have. I have quite a few. With this book, I have found flowers that chickens don't prefer. So I will try to replace my flowers with these suggestions and cover my vegetable gardens with chicken wire so they can't get in.

great

I read the book front to back several times. I thought I might be able to plan and have a chicken garden. WELL, following all the suggestions and I soon realized that this is not a reality with my chickens. I started the plants and was transplanting so that they would be of a good size. As fast as I planted my chickens uprooted. I tried replanting and they repeated the behavior. I placed 'enclosed' fencing up around the plants considering that it may take time for the chickens to accept the plants. Well, they dug under the fencing and went into the area and devoured the plants, dug up the plants, and just destroyed all the work I did. I spent a hundred dollars on plants and several hours rototilling, planting,etc all for nothing. I would not suggest this and do not know how this can be accomplished.

I was around chickens quite a lot as a child and kept wanting and waiting to start my own little backyard coop. I am not a gardener, in fact, have been accused of having a black thumb. This book gave me all the confidence to make a lush green garden for my girls. I wouldn't have thought of what poisonous plants to avoid or what plants chickens are less likely to eat or destroy or what they need for their natural protection without Jessi. The book is perfectly in an understandable order and the photos and personal stories and examples are gorgeous! Have rec it as a gift over and over!! Thanks so much Jessi!!!!

It seems like the content is good, there's lots of text. It's a thick book. I haven't read much of it, but what I did read seemed quality. I'm still giving it five stars because the pictures are beautiful, and the paper is high quality. I gave this as a gift, and it was very well received.

Received the book quickly and read it immediately. I am looking forward to implementing the information as we prepare our new home for receiving our chickens this spring. I am also looking forward to putting in the garden with all of the suggestions given.

If for nothing but the photographs in this book, I consider it a worthy purchase. I'm always looking for inspiration and ideas for my chicken keeping ventures and this book definitely fits both categories. I really appreciate the graphic layouts and ideas that Ms. Bloom has presented. I now have dreams of a landscaped garden area just for my chooks. A lovely reference for years to come!

good

Great book. Borrowed from the library but liked so much I had to buy it. It's amazing how much great information is in this book. Written very well. I would recommend to anyone thinking of getting chickens or who already has chickens.

Okay, only partly joking about the picture comment! I've had chickens for some time and was looking for additional options for my current garden/yard set up. This book has great property options, plant descriptions/info and wonderful all round need to know information. I'd urge new chicken owners out there to also pick up Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. Enjoy!

I was excited to find this book. I love to garden and I love my chickens - but my experience this past year has not been positive with the two together. Making plans now, with the advice contained in this book, to create a chicken friendly garden/yard. In addition to information on gardening with chickens, this book contains wonderful information on coops and general chicken raising hints.

This author is wonderful....the information is helpful and very "very" easy to find when seeking a specific area for questions and answers.....I would recommend this one to anyone who even has "pet chickens"....thanks/cjs

This is a great book with beautiful pictures. The gardens are inspiring. I can't wait until I have chickens and can create a beautiful garden for then to roam around in. It is also very informative. I enjoyed learning about how to care for the chickens as well.

This is a great book, in information, inspiration, and spirit. Many lovely photos. As one of the other reviewers noted, it would have been helpful if one could see panoramic views of some gardens; however, even if the book isn't perfect because of it, I don't think that should take any stars off, particulary in that, as still another reviewer mentioned, there is so much unexpected supplemental material (such as housing, chicken breeds, chicken diseases, likely predators and how to deter them, etc.) making the book a good all-around resource on chickens. The author's love and respect of chickens in general is obvious, while still being practical.

This book is a full of information on how to merge chickens with your landscaping. We raised 10 hens this last year and have been struggling with this very problem. It's full of plant recommendations, wise advice, solutions and chicken management. You won't go wrong with this book!

This book has a wealth of information for anyone who wants to create a space where chickens and plants can happily coexist. It is also a good beginners' chicken resource - I have bought many books on chickens and this one has most of the information that the other ones have, and more. I love the colorful pictures too! It teaches you about different predators of chickens and how to securely house them. I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to keep free range chickens and a garden in the same space... Or for anyone looking to get started in backyard chicken raising!

Cover came off and pages fell out the minute I opened the book.

We just started raising chickens last year, and this year we needed to figure out how to have a garden and chickens together. This book is very good at explaining what the author has tried and discovered so we don't have to re-invent the wheel. Good pictures, good descriptions, good advice!

Very, very detailed and comprehensive reference for all chicken raisers

Enjoyed the book, having said that, the book is mainly about raising chickens. I mean everything about chickens! Some ideas on plant selections for gardening and how to protect small vulnerable plants, but mainly the book is about chickens.

Great book, full of tons of great ideas, we've already started planting new plants...an ongoing thing when you have free-range chickens as they can do a bit of damage to smaller plants.

I bought this book for one reason only-- the blurb claimed that the author had innovative and attractive garden fencing ideas for gardens with chickens. Anyone who has chickens will approach the topic of chickens in their garden with a healthy dose of skepticism. I've had chickens for years and love seeing them roam the yard. That said, they can trash ANY garden if they feel enthusiastic about it. I have five acres, with gardens on 1 acre-- about 1/4 of which are well-established perennial gardens that I'd like to protect. This book gave me absolutely nothing in that area. The author shows wire fencing draped over gardens, wood fencing that would be inconvenient to access your garden, and unattractive electric fencing. Any person with an ounce of common sense should already know some of the items the author covers-- like don't put chickens into a bed that is sprouting or full of tender young plants. Also, based on my experience with poultry you can NEVER know what plant they will decide is most attractive. For example, mint-- which I have in more abundance than I would like-- has generally been unappealing to my poultry, until this past year, when three little leghorn hens became obsessed with my spearmint patch and nearly decimated it. Chickens are just like anyone else, they have their little quirks and you cannot predict what plants they will take a liking to. I wish I had been able to examine this book first-- I would never have spent the money. I think this book would be a great book for a new chicken wrangler who is looking for a primer on the basics.

This book is beautiful and has beautiful pictures throughout the entire book. However upon arrival the spine was already pulled away from the cover.

Focus is on those near cities really great book. Did go in depth about chickens and using them in the garden with many different stories and showcase gardens. For those that want to try and have chickens really good book worth buying on kindle, maybe have hardcopy later.

I received the book yesterday afternoon and have already read most of it. It is exactly what I was looking for. I have a rocky hill in the back of my house where I would like to raise berries, bees and chickens. I want it to be useful as well as attractive. I am experienced at raising chickens but recently became interested in combining my love of chickens with gardening. The only one sorry about me buying this book is my Husband. He will be helping me construct my new hen house and garden. The pictures are nice because they demonstrate that chickens can compliment gardens and yards.

Great guide on how to let the chickens out

I loved the photos, it is interesting to see how others keep their yards and chickens. I wish I had more time to create my own little Eden. Definitely inspirational.

So I like chickens, pretty book, nice pics, simple with list of which plants work well, which don't. Topics where divided well, was able to read while waiting at the Doc. office. Will be handy when shopping for plants.

I am enjoying reading this book and planning my chicken garden. Lots of info.

This is it, folks. Wonderful stories, suggestions, photos from the champion of chickens in the garden.

This is the ideal book for someone wanting to start up with chickens in their yard, whether free ranging or not. It is informative and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and will no doubt go back to it time and time again to refresh my memory. I recommend this highly.

I really like this book because it gives you all the information you need to know on the plants and other areas of having chickens in your yard and had wonderful pictures of how to arrange the garden.

This book combines two of my favorite things: Chickens and Gardening...with numerous photos to drool over! And excellent information and tips! Is it Spring yet??? I can't wait to get out there! I have always been an avid gardener, and the decision to keep a few hens in my yard was a natural extension of that. New to chicken-keeping, with a small flock of 5 laying hens (now 7 months old) in a small suburban, almost urban, backyard, I have quickly become quite passionate about my new hobby! Even though I probably can't let my girls free-range the yard completely, this book has given me many ideas for chicken-friendly plantings and ways to better incorporate my coop and run into my property. The author lists plants, shrubs and groundcovers that can be grown for food/forage, as well as chicken-resistant plants that can add color to the garden, but are not likely to be eaten or trampled by your hens. This information alone is worth the price of the book. I've not seen a more comprehensive listing elsewhere, and the internet forums are filled with conflicting data/opinions as to which plants are edible or toxic. I'll also be re-seeding my "lawn" areas with what the author calls eco-turf, an ecological seed mix containing clover, that will provide excellent forage for my girls. The color photos throughout the book are so lovely that I know I'll be keeping this book close at hand for the remainder of the winter, as I plan and dream about creating my own, beautiful chicken garden this spring!

this is an interesting book but not suitable for me as i live in the country and yard alone is 20 acres so have a lot of room for free ranging or to build as i want. for those that have small yards this would be the book for them to get.

great

A good generalization for chickens and implementing into garden settings. Purchased more for ideas than following step, by step instructions.

I like gardening and I like having chickens. this book has great pictures and ideas for gardens w/ chickens. It's fun. I like having it and will likely refer to it before I let my gals roam my gardens for potental toxic plants.

My "can't do without" book for my free range chickens. Very informative for all aspects of raising chickens. Beautiful illustrations and ideas for your free range flocks of one to many. Highly recommend for all owners of our delightful chickens.

This is a fantastic view of what you can do to create a garden where your plants and chickens can thrive together and you still can use it fully for yourself and family. The pictures are outstanding and inspirational.

Beautiful Pictures, and Inspiring Ideas!! This book is not only informative, but also a pleasure to just look at the pictures. If you've ever raised chickens purely for the pleasure of it, then you know what I mean.

Made me feel like I could make my future free-range chickens safe and happy. Great book.

thanks

For what is essentially a photo book, this doesn't handle being opened very well. I sat down to read my book the day after it arrived. However, about 20% into it my book fell apart. The binding isn't appropriate for this type of book. There isn't enough space between the binding and the content, so you apparently open the book too wide.

gift

Now I just need to strategize my own chicken coop beautification plan! Love this book, gorgeous photos and fantastic ideas. Now if I can just find the additional time to implement some of my ideas. :)

Great book with lotsa great information and great photos to boot. Great price too. I am currently still in the process of reading it. Taking in the great information a little at a time.

My husband wants to start raising chickens and he purchased this book. He has read over it several times and is VERY excited about getting started this spring with baby chicks. He says the book is a wonderful chicken resource guide.

Good content in the book but binding fell apart.

Fabulously written book and pictures and plot plans are excellently done. Sparked many ideas for me! Can't wait until spring to begin paths and plantings.

Very helpful ideas

So glad I got this book! Will keep it for future reference as I landscape around my chickens. So much great info. Anyone with chickens should have this one on hand!

This amazing book has transformed the way I keep my chickens. They've gone from running around in a small yard full of straw to a 3-paddock system rotating between grass, our vegetable garden, and a flower garden that I never would have planted if it were not for this book. I saw Jessi speak at Mother Earth News Fair in Pennsylvania and by the end of her speech my notepad was full. This girl knows chickens. I highly recommend this for absolutely anybody that has chickens or wants them. It will completely change your perspective on chicken habitats!

I read lots of chicken books and lots of garden books so there wasn't anything new for me. Someone new to chickens and gardens might find it worthwhile.

Good information

a backyard to strive for ~ complete with my feathered friends!

Great book for beginner chicken owners. Gives the basics and illustrates wth clear photographs. A very good book for anyone who intends to start raising chickens.

The content of the book is good, but it is difficult to read due to the very small fonts used. The main font is about a size 9 (far smaller than you'd expect to see in a good quality book), the font describing the photos is ridiculously small. Each featured garden in the book begins with white font, on RED background. Not easy to read in the larger font used at the top, but almost impossible in the small font used after the first paragraph. The white and red creates a mild "vibration" effect which makes the page unnecessarily difficult to read. The page is irritating to read because of the vibration effect. I would love to be able to ENJOY this book. I find myself skimming it rather than curling up to really get into it, because of the difficulty in reading much of it. As I said, the content is good, though it feels a little redundant in places. The plant lists are helpful, but would be more helpful if some of the less familiar plants listed as bearing edible fruit were labeled as to whether the fruit was edible to people, or poultry, since the distinction is not always the same. I think this book is a good option information-wise for people wanting to free-range chickens in limited spaces that they need to use for more than just that purpose, as long as you don't mind the small print.

I needed the book . They charged me for digital , never took charge off...

Clear, informative and just plain fun to read. Big thumbs up!!!

I love the content of this book. The pictures are wonderful and it's full of useful information about getting started with chickens in your garden. The only reason it has 4 stars instead of 5 is that the day after it was delivered the binding fell apart. The cover is completely off the pages now and I have to re-bind it to keep it usable.

Great book.

I have used this book over and over, and have loaned it to a friend who got a lot of ideas too. We raise chickens and gardens, so this has a lot of information about how to make them work together.

This book was exactly what I was looking for! Filled with creative and safe ideas to occupy and entertain chickens as well as keep them healthy and strong. We are currently in the process of adding many of her ideas to our yard.

My chicks arrive at the beginning of June. The book will help me create a happy and healthy environment for them.

we plant a garden every year. now, I will also plant just what my chickens want! this book offers it all. highly recommend

Very pretty pictures and not only good ideas for your garden, coop but for chickens too. I throughly enjoy this book.

Super fast service.......Love my new Chicken Gardens Book ..... A perfect book full of inspiration for in planning more garden spaces for my beautiful "girls"...Thanks

More of a narrative and a review of examples than a how-to, but it was a good and helpful read nonetheless.

A nice fantasy. I went out to Home Goods and bought a ceramic chicken for the kitchen, but I loved the book.

Good book

gave her some new ideas about her chickens, put together well, good construction. Not much else to say, its a book about chickens in your garden, etc, not the next great American novel..

Good book on raising raising chickens and incorporates having a garden with appropriate plantings that are both healthy for its owners as well as our feathered friends.

Easy read.

Good product and price

Loved this book! Working on a chicken coup in our backyard garden. This is a great reference book. Learned lots from it and can't wait to finish and have our first delivery of eggs.

I'm always cautious about ordering books that have only 1 or 2 reviews, but I ordered this one anyway. It is awesome! The pictures are gorgeous! We just bought a small farm that has very little landscaping and this will be my guide. I like that this book is about designing the garden/yard from the beginning. It is written from the point of view of a gardener, who incorporates chicken keeping into the garden design, not a chicken person who manages to grow a few veggies on the side. I really want to get a few hens to help with garden pest control and composting, but I want my yard to be attractive too. This book shows you that this is possible. I love the garden layout ideas. With all the animals we have here already, I like that she includes a section on keeping chickens with dogs, cats, horses, goats, etc. There is also a section on using other poultry and water fowl in the garden. I also bought City Chicks, which is pretty good, but if I could buy just one book, Chicken Gardens would win hands down.

Very good book with a lot of good examples. We're in the process of making a coop for backyard chickens, so this book was very helpful.

Very well thought out. Want to start keeping chickens next year, but as much as pets and anything. Laying out our chicken garden now. The girls are going to love it.

This was a quick and informative read filled with practical insight for those new to back yard chickens. The book contains a number of full-color photos to help visualize what a chicken-friendly garden can look like. This was worth the price paid as it will become a frequently referenced resource for appropriate plants. coops, safety, and creativity.

Great book, love the concepts and tips

My husband and I both enjoyed this book. It had some interesting ideas. Some we will use and some we won't , but we totally liked the book.

Learned a lot from this book about what my chickens can and cannot eat! If you have a couple chickens and need more info - its a great resource to have!

Great book on chickens and gardening. I'm planning on making a coop this summer - and looking to set up my garden - just bought a new house, so this is the book I was looking for! :)

Not exactly what I expected. Book is mostly filled with great photos. If your looking to garden (high end) with chickens you'll find it resourceful I suppose.

Am researching raising chickens for eggs. I tend research a bit before I decide to do something requiring this much time and effort.

Amazing job! Impressive work in writing, covering all topics, and design layout!

Best book by far we have read on the subject! Beautifully illustrated and well written. I can't wait to get our gardens started this year!

Great book and the best part is I can have my chickens run free in the yard with all the suggestions from this book.

This book is chock full of useful information and wonderful full-color photos. I love it! I look forward to having chickens roaming in my gardens!

This is a good book with lots of good information. I enjoyed looking through it and will keep it in my library for a long time.

okay

informative book

A completely user-friendly book for a novice urban gardener. Ms. Bloom includes ideas for any level of commitment to raising free-range chickens.

Didn't get the chickens, but fun to read. Gave it to a friend who does have chickens

We live adjacent to national forest in Colorado and have foxes, hawks, and coyotes galor. The whole yard would have to be covered in chicken wire to have chickens like this.

Fast delivery and easy down load

What a wonderful read for a novice or experienced backyard chicken enthusiast alike. He advice and information is practical and explained well.

I love this book. Beautiful pics. Great content. Would love more from this author on this topic with more real life small gardens and chickens and coops!

This was a gift for my daughter who has started raising chickens. It's filled with great information and is beautifully illustrated.

Gave as a gift. Receiver LOVES this book. Said it is full of information she hadn't read online through her own research.

Excellent Service, Excellent Product as described. Thank you

Really great book for the beginner as well as anyone else that wants a good overview. The pictures are just wonderful and it is full of great tips for raising your own chickens as well as how to keep the rest of your yard looking nice while doing so! We love this book!!

Great book with a lot of good tips. It goes beyond the garden & landscape theme. Recommended for anyone interested in creating a chicken friendly landscaped yard.

I was looking for a book on free range chicken gardens. It arrived fast and was just what I needed. We are designing our orchard and want to free range our chickens. This book has it all.