Homemade Living: Keeping Chickens with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock

I am writing to share my review of Keeping Chickens, by Ashley English. I LOVE this book! I grew up around chickens and loved gathering eggs when I was younger. When I moved away from the ranch, the last thing on my mind was someday having a place of my own and keeping a flock. Funny how things change.............My husband and I raise our own beef cattle. We have kids, horses, dogs and we just got baby chicks! I haven't been this excited in a long time. Though I grew up around chickens and learned a great deal from my granmother, I have forgotten a lot of that knowledge over the years. I'd been following Ashley's amazing blog and when I saw the title for this book, I knew instantly it was one that I wanted to purchase. I am an avid reader and enjoy the research process. I wanted to be well informed about what I was getting into. That said, I also love great pictures and photography! Ashley's book is spot on. It is artistic, informative and a very down-to-earth guide on getting started with chickens.The book offers a well written,concise account with pictures that deeply enhance the subject. Chapters inclue What to Consider, Selecting a Breed, Obtaining Chickens, Housing, Feeding, Hatching Eggs, Raising Chicks, Health and Wellness, Eggs, and my favorite........Recipes! Ashley has done her research and is obviously passionate about chickens.And there's more! Ashley is authoring the Homemade Living series which includes Canning and Preserving. I own that one too! These books are great resources for those just getting started or like me, returning to their roots. I'll be recommending these books to clients, students and blog readers who are interested in learning about and living a fantastic farm-based lifestyle! Way to go Ashley, you've done a terrific job! Robyn Johnston [...]

The books looks great, was made with recycled materials, and read well too. There's a lot of good information in this book.I unfortunately couldn't find much detail. Ashley seems to touch base on the most important topics, but leaves out common backyard chicken-raising problems, such as how to deal with flighty birds (how to clip their wings). Maybe the author doesn't agree with this practice (which is equivalent to trimming your cat/dog's nails, or cutting your hair), but she could've presented this information and allowed the reader to make their own decision.I was also a little put off by the "portrait of a chicken owner" that popped up every couple pages. This is the author giving a brief summation of a few people who own chickens and how they do things.I didn't find anything about my chicken's behavior. When I first saw my chickens lay down outside in the dirt and spread their wings (to sunbathe) I had no idea what they were doing. I've also observed them making what looks like yawning gestures. What does this mean? I can't find it in this (purportedly) definitive chicken-keeping book...The author says this book is all you need to know, but really, you can find out more information by doing the most basic internet searching. If you need to buy this book for your bookshelf, it wouldn't hurt. If you're looking for a reliable go-to resource for raising poultry, go to Backyard Chickens on the internet.

I bought this book when I was still fantasizing about being a chicken owner. I loved reading it and reading the "Portrait of a Chicken Owner" that told about the regular people who owned chickens. This is a great book and I cross referenc it often with the other books I have. I have 3 chicks and although I think this book was written more for people with a lot of chickens, it still is useful. I disagree with Ashley English who says you have to dedicate several hours a day to raising chicks. You don't. I have 3 chicks who are now 4 weeks old. They live in a big plastic bin in my dining room and I work fulltime. No, I do not spend hours on them. WHen I am home, I clean the water, which is always poop filled or shavings filled. I clean the bin twice a week and make sure they have food. We are handing them everyday so that they can be "humanized". Otherwise, I love the book and I love her entire "homesteading" series. Great author!

This is a great book for any first-time or novice chicken keepers, or someone interested in getting started with chickens. Covers basic chicken breeds, basic seasonal care, raising chicks, and comes with instructors for a chicken tractor. My favorite thing about this book is the eco-friendly aspect, from the author's personal perspective and experience keeping chickens down to the recycled paper pages and printing with agri-based inks. It's also a great reference tool, and the index is well organized; when I go to look something up, it's easy to find. As you become a more experienced chicken keeper, and for more in depth information on chicken health, pests, diseases and illnesses, you'll need another reference tool in your library (I love Gail Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook and Harvey Ussery's The Small Scale Poultry Flock), but this is a great starter for anyone.

My wife and I bought this book after we decided to raise chickens in our urban backyard. Thankful the book came before we picked our chicks up because we quickly realized that we were over our heads. We were lucky enough to get a pre-ordered copy of the book and now we both feel confident in our chicken raising abilities. I would have been lost without this guide.The book is very well written with lots of colorful pictures to make things clearer. There is so much useful information in this book and thankfully it is all presented in a very orginized manor that flows and is easy to follow. We read the book cover to cover and are now using it as a reference guide when we need to doulbe check something.This is money well spent! If you are going to keep a small flock of backyard chickens, you should buy this book.

Good book! Helpful. A few Things she suggests I’ve seen elsewhere as no no’s but otherwise good book

Love this book!!