Whichever comes first for you, the chicken or the egg, this book shows you what to do next. In this hands-on, easy-to-use guidebook, longtime chicken breeder and poultry expert Christine Heinrichs tells you everything you need to know to raise chickens in your backyard—from laying out the yard and designing a coop to choosing breeds, caring for chicks, egging, sexing, and butchering. Whether you’re interested in rare breeds or the garden variety; whether you want to show your chickens or serve them, this brightly illustrated, clearly written guide will prove an indispensable resource.
How To Raise Chickens
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
The Country Today (Eau Claire, WI), March 28, 2007
“No matter if you’re a neophyte in animal ownership or a seasoned farmer with years of experience, you’ll learn something in these ‘how-to’ books. Best of all, they are approved by the FFA, which means you can feel good about handing them to your future farmer.”
Midwest Book Review, April 2007
“How to Raise Chickens is a comprehensive manual for novice and experienced chicken raisers … an all-inclusive guide, written in straightforward terms to be accessible to readers of all backgrounds … an absolute ‘must-have’ for anyone considering the practice.”
Backyard Poultry Magazine June/July 2007
“This book is thoroughly modern and comprehensive. It is highly recommended.”
Garden.org, Oct. 27, 2007
“Since tasting rich, flavorful scrambled eggs fresh from an Oregon friend's flock, I hanker to raise a few chickens myself. Christine Heinrichs' How to Raise Chickens - Everything You Need to Know (Voyageur Press, 2007; $19.95) is more than a primer. It's brimming with fascinating history and anecdotes, as well as helpful details – from breed types to caring for chicks to showing your special bird. The photos introduced me to colorful language describing bird varieties: Naked Necks, Ameraucana hen with muffs, Black Breasted Red bantam rooster, large crested Silver Laced Polish pullet, and many more. An enticement for the health conscious: eggs from free-range chickens have considerably more vitamin E, beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids and half the cholesterol of commercially raised eggs, notes Heinrichs.”
ANIMAL PEOPLE, animalpeoplenews.org, Oct. 29, 2007
“The utilitarian titles and the Future Farmers of America logo on the covers of How To Raise Chickens, How To Raise Cattle, and How To Raise Horses conceal and camouflage a wealth of indications inside about how profoundly animal advocacy is beginning to influence animal agriculture.”Small Farm Today, July/Oct 2007
”This is a good overall book to encourage people to get into the chicken business … Lots of colored charts cover history, facts and chick lore.”
“I had not yet bought Christine Heinrichs’s 2007 book, How to Raise Chickens, a plainspoken guide for people who might not ever have seen a live chicken, which keeps selling more and more copies”.
Susan Orleans, The New Yorker
From the Back Cover
Whether you want to raise 5 chickens or 50, whether you have a 40-foot city lot or a 40-acre farm, the expert advice in this hands-on guidebook makes it easy for you to get started raising a healthy flock. Whichever comes first for you, the chicken or the egg, this book will show you what to do next. Longtime chicken breeder Christine Heinrichs explains all the helpful DOs and important DON’Ts—from choosing breeds and caring for chicks to housing, feeding, breeding, culling, and showing. This brightly illustrated, clearly written guide will prove an indispensable resource for anyone interested in raising their very own flock.
Easy-to-follow advice helps you to:
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Now let’s get started and don’t forget to have some fun!
Author/licensor info:
Since 1928, the National FFA Organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, has been dedicated to agricultural education. Today, there are more than 490,000 members in 7,210 chapters in all 50 states as well as 5,000,000 alumni around the country.
The contents of this book were reviewed and approved by Dr. Clint Rusk, Purdue University Associate Professor of the Youth Development and Ag. Education Department, in accordance with industry standards.
Author Christine Heinrichs is the publicity director for the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities. She is a rare-breeds advisor to numerous zoos, museums, and living-history farms and works closely with the Poultry Press monthly newspaper. Heinrichs and her brood make their home in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Shana
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This book covers pretty much everything about raising chickens on a small scale, down-to-earth level. It covers feeding, coop requirements, showing, basic breeds, nutritional requirements, needed equipment and raising day old chicks. I've read so many chicken raising books and most of them cover the same areas that this book does. Though, this book earns 5 stars because of the chapter on chicken medications. I really found this chapter very helpful. Whereas, most of the books I've read on chickens tell symptoms and what might be wrong; this book has the Antibiotic (ie Terramycin, Aureomycin or Sulmet) & other medications and then tells exactly which one should be used to treat what and what other common meds can be used for chickens.
This colorful book is put together on glossy, flexible paper stock that will definitely survive repeated reading or referencing. The photo's are also very good. Even if you have other chicken raising guides, it's worth adding this one to your collection.
This colorful book is put together on glossy, flexible paper stock that will definitely survive repeated reading or referencing. The photo's are also very good. Even if you have other chicken raising guides, it's worth adding this one to your collection.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For much of 2006, Christine Heinrichs worked on this, her first full length book. As a matter of fact, I even had the opportunity to preview a chapter or two and give my input. I always knew Christine was an excellent writer; however, this book surpassed all my expectations. Truly, Christine has done a vital service for backyard poultry enthusiasts and in the process has made the SPPA proud by her contribution. The book carries the endorsement of the largest agricultural organization in the United States: the FFA. Primarily geared toward the beginner, it carries a wealth of valuable knowledge that makes it an excellent reference work for the mature poultry fancier as well.
The first three chapters focus on the history of the domestication of the chicken and the various heritage breeds available for the enthusiast today. Christine's concentration is on pure bred fowl: specifically those breeds of fowl which are not composite in nature. She divides the presentation of the breeds by the appropriate class as listed in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection. Christine also gives a listing of the bantam breeds and their respective classes based upon the American Bantam Association's Bantam Standard. Thus, she introduces the novice to the Standard and infuses the need for breeding to the Standard from the beginning.
In her fourth chapter, Christine formally introduces the reader to the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities (SPPA). Actually, she mentions the SPPA and several of its officers several times in the preceding chapters through direct quotations. This chapter focuses on obtaining quality stock. As we all know, for the beginner and, at times, for the long time breeder this is the most difficult hurdle to overcome; especially as it concerns quality stock of rare breeds of poultry.
Chapters five, six and seven focus on the essentials of keeping chickens with the chapters dedicated to housing, feeding and flock management respectively. For the FFA member or novice poultry fancier this area constitutes the second largest hurdle following the location of quality stock. How often we have all known people who have jumped head first into the raising of chickens without adequate preparation only to run into a multitude of problems with a short time. Often the result is that potential fanciers leave the raising and rearing of poultry simply because they were unprepared. Christine addresses all the major needs of any flock owner in an easy to understand manner; whereby, even the beginner is able to gain a wealth of knowledge within a few short pages. Added to her excellent advice are magnificent picture of adequate housing, feed, and healthy flocks.
Her next three chapters focus on perpetuating one's own flock through basic breeding strategies, hatching chicks and selection of future breeders. The presentation of the very complex strategies available for the breeder are guided by the old principle of breeding best to best as guided by the Standard and basic health of the birds. Christine's approach is based upon the need in our high-tech agricultural society for a return to sustainable agricultural practices. At every turn in our post-modern world we find family farms being overwhelmed by industrial agricultural practices based upon the needs of conglomerate agricultural companies whose focus is on quantity production. Christine's desire is to instill the youth of our time with the need for more wholesome agricultural practices that are good for the land, the farmer and ultimately the consumer. This can best be achieved through sustainable agriculture as practiced by family farms.
Christine concludes the final chapters of this excellent book by examining the issues of showing, maintaining healthy flocks and the ever growing arena of legal issues that surround the raising and keeping of poultry. With the ever-threatening issues of Avian Influenza and flock identification breathing down the backs of poultry producers these chapters are indispensable in their sound advice and common sense approach. Christine wades through the media hysteria of Avian Influenza and presents biologically sound arguments to the poultry producer for the continuation of small flocks in America.
As a breeder of poultry, I found the book to be accurate in its portrayal of all aspects of keeping backyard chickens. Christine's common sense approach to chickens was absolutely refreshing. Several of the books on the market today give the impression of the need for a Master's degree in poultry science before one should take the plunge into this fascinating aspect of animal husbandry. I have already found myself returning to the pages of How To Raise Chickens several times during this hatching season. I highly recommend this book to all poultry fanciers be they beginners or long-time breeders.
The first three chapters focus on the history of the domestication of the chicken and the various heritage breeds available for the enthusiast today. Christine's concentration is on pure bred fowl: specifically those breeds of fowl which are not composite in nature. She divides the presentation of the breeds by the appropriate class as listed in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection. Christine also gives a listing of the bantam breeds and their respective classes based upon the American Bantam Association's Bantam Standard. Thus, she introduces the novice to the Standard and infuses the need for breeding to the Standard from the beginning.
In her fourth chapter, Christine formally introduces the reader to the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities (SPPA). Actually, she mentions the SPPA and several of its officers several times in the preceding chapters through direct quotations. This chapter focuses on obtaining quality stock. As we all know, for the beginner and, at times, for the long time breeder this is the most difficult hurdle to overcome; especially as it concerns quality stock of rare breeds of poultry.
Chapters five, six and seven focus on the essentials of keeping chickens with the chapters dedicated to housing, feeding and flock management respectively. For the FFA member or novice poultry fancier this area constitutes the second largest hurdle following the location of quality stock. How often we have all known people who have jumped head first into the raising of chickens without adequate preparation only to run into a multitude of problems with a short time. Often the result is that potential fanciers leave the raising and rearing of poultry simply because they were unprepared. Christine addresses all the major needs of any flock owner in an easy to understand manner; whereby, even the beginner is able to gain a wealth of knowledge within a few short pages. Added to her excellent advice are magnificent picture of adequate housing, feed, and healthy flocks.
Her next three chapters focus on perpetuating one's own flock through basic breeding strategies, hatching chicks and selection of future breeders. The presentation of the very complex strategies available for the breeder are guided by the old principle of breeding best to best as guided by the Standard and basic health of the birds. Christine's approach is based upon the need in our high-tech agricultural society for a return to sustainable agricultural practices. At every turn in our post-modern world we find family farms being overwhelmed by industrial agricultural practices based upon the needs of conglomerate agricultural companies whose focus is on quantity production. Christine's desire is to instill the youth of our time with the need for more wholesome agricultural practices that are good for the land, the farmer and ultimately the consumer. This can best be achieved through sustainable agriculture as practiced by family farms.
Christine concludes the final chapters of this excellent book by examining the issues of showing, maintaining healthy flocks and the ever growing arena of legal issues that surround the raising and keeping of poultry. With the ever-threatening issues of Avian Influenza and flock identification breathing down the backs of poultry producers these chapters are indispensable in their sound advice and common sense approach. Christine wades through the media hysteria of Avian Influenza and presents biologically sound arguments to the poultry producer for the continuation of small flocks in America.
As a breeder of poultry, I found the book to be accurate in its portrayal of all aspects of keeping backyard chickens. Christine's common sense approach to chickens was absolutely refreshing. Several of the books on the market today give the impression of the need for a Master's degree in poultry science before one should take the plunge into this fascinating aspect of animal husbandry. I have already found myself returning to the pages of How To Raise Chickens several times during this hatching season. I highly recommend this book to all poultry fanciers be they beginners or long-time breeders.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By N. Ferguson
Format:Paperback
Really good book! One of the best. Large format, nicely illustrated and comprehensive-- ideal for 4-H clubs and families thinking about keeping a few hens in the garden.
This book plus Gail Damerow's books "Chicken Health" and "Guide to Raising Chickens" would create a great starter library about chickens.
Need help choosing a the breed that matches your needs? 2 other books can help you determine which breeds are docile vs. aggressive, best vs. poor layers, calm vs. flighty, quiet vs, noisy, etc.. Those books are "Choosing and Keeping Chickens" and "Storey Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds".
This book plus Gail Damerow's books "Chicken Health" and "Guide to Raising Chickens" would create a great starter library about chickens.
Need help choosing a the breed that matches your needs? 2 other books can help you determine which breeds are docile vs. aggressive, best vs. poor layers, calm vs. flighty, quiet vs, noisy, etc.. Those books are "Choosing and Keeping Chickens" and "Storey Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds".
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Neat book
One of these years, I would like to have some chickens. This book has solved any nervous qualms I've had about having a small flock of birds. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Evan the Dweezil
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative
If hour looking for a quick read on your start up flock. This is a good place to start. Good luck!
Published 1 month ago by Chelsea K.
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to raise chix
This was an extremely informative book for me! I am still just novice. Any questions or quandaries I had took me to this book and I usually found a solution here! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Deni R. Hall
2.0 out of 5 stars
Basic information
Very basic stuff, but still worth the reading. We are just starting out with chickesn, so it has some useful information.
Published 5 months ago by Mooresh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book on chickens!
This book was amazingly informative and helpful. I highly recommend it. My son is into chickens, I'm not, but I sat and read it with him and we both learned a lot and have a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Marlena
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for any new comers
This was a great book and very informative . I am planing on raising some chickens and got this book first . It was a big help.
Published 14 months ago by Booker
2.0 out of 5 stars
NOT everything I need to know
If you are really looking for a book that has everything this is NOT the book. I am new to chickens. With all the great reviews I thought this would be the book for me. Nope. Read more
Published 18 months ago by bkjbfam4
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book to have!
After meeting Christine at a Poultry Show over a year ago, I am still using her book for everything I need for my chickens. Read more
Published 23 months ago by sandy hammond
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great comprehesive guide for chickens
I meant to read the book quite awhile ago. I've been raising chicken for over two years now, starting with a little yellow book and whatever I could find on the internet. Read more
Published on January 6, 2010 by M. McAlpine
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to raise Chickens
Great reference book. Good photos and charts. Covers all breeds. If you are in the Chicken Business it is everything you already know but it nice to see it presented so well and... Read more
Published on November 30, 2009 by 3p Farms
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