Raise Happy Chickens

Is this the right book for me?

Raise Happy Chickens and Other Poultry is a quickly accessible but authoritative guide, suitable for total beginners, that provides all the information you need to start keeping your own chickens.

Telling you which breed of bird lays best and providing useful guidance on housing, equipment and the necessities of day-to-day care, it meets all the needs of anyone who dreams of a garden full of happy, clucking birds. It also goes beyond just chickens to other types of poultry, and gives advice and practical guidelines on housing, with full explanation of key areas like welfare, behaviour and diet.

Raise Happy Chickens and Other Poultry includes:

Chapter 1: Chickens
Which breed is best for you?
Buying
Handling chickens
Start-up costs and other considerations
Housing
Routines
Feeding and watering
Health, welfare and behaviour
How to cope with a broody hen
Selling eggs: the regulations
What to do when you want to go on holiday
Breeding your own stock

Chapter 2: Ducks
Which breed is best for you?
Buying
Handling ducks
Start-up costs and other considerations
Housing
Routines
Feeding and watering
Health, welfare and behaviour
How to cope with a broody duck
Selling eggs: the regulations
What to do when you want to go on holiday
Breeding your own stock

Chapter 3: Geese
Which breed is best for you?
Buying
Handling geese
Start-up costs and other considerations
Housing
Routines
Feeding and watering
Health, welfare and behaviour
How to cope with a broody goose
Selling eggs: the regulations
What to do when you want to go on holiday
Breeding your own stock

Chapter 4: Turkey
Which breed is best for you?
Buying
Handling turkey
Start-up costs and other considerations
Housing
Routines
Feeding and watering
Health, welfare and behaviour
How to cope with a broody turkey
Selling eggs: the regulations
What to do when you want to go on holiday
Breeding your own stock

Chapter 5: other breeds – guinea fowl and quail
Guinea fowl
Quail

Chapter 6: Meat production
General principles
Slaughter
Plucking and hanging
Processing and cleaning
Trussing

Chapter 7: Diseases, problems and general troubleshooting
Free-range poultry diseases
Common problems and some causes
Common diseases by age
Life expectancy
Description of major diseases

Chapter 8: Cooking with eggs
Favourite recipes

Learn effortlessly with an easy-to-read page design and new added features:

Not got much time?
One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.

Author insights
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author’s many years of experience.

Test yourself
Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.

Extend your knowledge
Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of chicken keeping.

Five things to remember
Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.

Try this
Innovative exercises illustrate what you’ve learnt and how to use it.