Starting with a brief history of chicken keeping, and ending with a gorgeous selection of farmhouse egg recipes, The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook is a must have for newbie and chicken keepers, alike.
Not only is it gorgeous, with full color photographs and beautiful graphics, The Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook is chock full of great information for every chicken keeper!
This post contains affiliate links.
The Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook
What you’ll learn from The Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook:
- Chicken History
- Terminology
- Chicken Breeds
- Hatching and Purchasing Chicks
- Raising Chicks Naturally
- Caring for a Broody hen and her chicks
- Feed and Diet
- Coops and coop maintenance
- Using herbs in chicken feed and on pasture
- Preventing and treating common health issues
- Herbal treats for chickens
- Selling your eggs
- Chicken breeding 101
- Involving your family in chicken keeping
- Farm house Egg recipes
Why We Love it
I wish I’d had this book when I first started raising chickens. The chapter on raising chicks naturally, alone, is worth its weight in gold. In this chapter, Amy walks us through chick development week by week, explaining what to expect from your babies as they grow, and how to care for them at every stage.
When we first started raising chickens, we had very little information to go on, and the few books we had covered more about adult hens than tiny chicks. I wish I had known what herbs and supplements to give my chicks at an early age to prevent issues later on, and it would have been so helpful to know what to expect week by week when we were nervous newbie chicken keepers!
Amy goes on in the book to explain how to raise your flock naturally, with recipes for coop cleaners, instructions on how to ferment chicken feed, and how to prevent and treat common illnesses and injuries, naturally.
This is vital information for any chicken keeper. You know that phrase, “You are what you eat?” Well, in this case, you are what your chickens eat! The eggs you’ll be serving for breakfast are certainly affected by what you feed your chickens and the environment they live in. The Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook teaches you how to raise those birds as naturally as possible, so the eggs you’ll eat are top notch!
How it Differs from other chicken keeping books
Prevention, prevention, prevention. While plenty of the chicken keeping books on the market will tell you how to treat common illnesses and issues, this one puts such a big focus on prevention, we think it’s a must have.
Of course, things will happen to your chickens that are out of your control, but so much of the health and happiness of your flock is in your control. Taking steps to prevent illness and injury will save you so much hurt in the long run.
Amy thoroughly explains exactly what feed, supplements, treats, and herbs to feed your flock to keep them in the best shape. She outlines how to use rotational grazing and free ranging to cut down on parasites and how to protect your flock from predators before they strike. The book even describes the perfect chicken coop setup to maintain flock health.
This book gives you exactly the tools you need to prevent issues before they pop up, completely erasing the stress of the unexpected.
The Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook is a true champion for beginner or seasoned chicken keepers, and its one I’ll be glad to have in my wheelhouse for many years to come!
thuoc ga da
Monday 9th of September 2019
I was disappointed there were so few symptoms listed for Marek’s. other sources have listed leg weakness, loss of balance, also. Thanks for a very informative article