Keeping Chickens

by Liz Wright

Published 1 March 2011
In the last few years, poultry-keeping has enjoyed massive growth, with heavy TV coverage featuring chefs such as Jamie Oliver. It is another symptom of our weariness of mass-produced, tasteless supermarket food - the appeal of being able to nip into the back garden to get fresh eggs for breakfast, knowing that the hens have been well kept, fed and loved. This highly practical book is aimed at beginners to the hobby and will explain everything you need to know to get started keeping chickens, from how to choose, house, feed and handle them to how many eggs they will lay, their affect on the local ecosystem and protection from foxes.

Learn how to set up your own smallholding, grow your own fruit and vegetables, rear chickens, pigs, lambs and other livestock, and manage their pasture, to help you create a sustainable, organic lifestyle. This excellent new guide brings the heart of the land to your table, with advice on how and where to buy, how to maintain it and how to take things further, whether it is acquiring more land, adding value to your produce or expanding into horses and donkeys. Packed with tips and hints on how to prepare for the whole year, season by season. With case studies and examples throughout. A companion title to Keeping Chickens and Keeping Bees.