Overview

Raise healthy and happy chickens Raising Chickens For Dummies, 3rd Edition shows you exactly how to get started on your own or improve the way you already raise your flock. The book gives you down-to-earth and easy-to-implement suggestions for raising healthy chickens in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. You’ll learn all about the different breeds of chicken, how to build and maintain your coops, relevant trends in chicken farming, and the essential products and technology that makes the process of raising chickens smooth and rewarding. You’ll also find the critical safety and health info you need to keep yourself, your family, and your animals safe from disease and harm. Inside: Must-know guidance on breeds of chickens and how they interact with one another Easy-to-follow info about preventing diseases that are transmitted to and by poultry and how to address health problems in your flock Helpful products and tech that keep your chicks warm, supplement your chicken feed with nutrients, and protect or automate your chicken coops A must-read guide for new and aspiring chicken enthusiasts everywhere, Raising Chickens For Dummies, 3rd Edition is a fun, organized, and up-to-date resource that’s packed with the most useful info you can apply immediately to raise chickens on your farm or even in your backyard!

Full Product Details

Author:   Kimberley Willis (Poultry breeder and enthusiast) ,  Robert T. Ludlow (Owner, BackYardChickens.com)
Publisher:   John Wiley & Sons Inc
Imprint:   For Dummies
Edition:   3rd edition
ISBN:  

9781394402144

ISBN 10:   1394402147
Pages:   384
Publication Date:   18 March 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 PART 1: GETTING STARTED WITH RAISING CHICKENS 5 CHAPTER 1: The Joy of Chickens 7 CHAPTER 2: A Chicken Isn't Just a Chicken: Your Guide to Breeds 17 CHAPTER 3: Buying Chickens 35 PART 2: CARING FOR YOUR FLOCK: GENERAL MANAGEMENT 53 CHAPTER 4: Coop, Sweet Coop: Choosing Your Chickens' Home 55 CHAPTER 5: Feeding Your Flock 83 CHAPTER 6: Controlling Pests and Predators 109 PART 3: SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS 125 CHAPTER 7: Managing Layers and Collecting Eggs 127 CHAPTER 8: Raising Meat Birds 153 CHAPTER 9: Keeping Chickens with Other Poultry 183 PART 4: KEEPING YOUR CHICKENS HAPPY AND HEALTHY 199 CHAPTER 10: Basic Chicken Biology and Behavior 201 CHAPTER 11: Preventing Problems 219 CHAPTER 12: Performing Chicken First Aid 245 PART 5: THE CYCLE OF LIFE: FROM EGG TO CHICK 273 CHAPTER 13: Making More Chickens 275 CHAPTER 14: Incubating Eggs and Hatching Chicks 293 CHAPTER 15: Raising Chicks 319 PART 6: THE PART OF TENS 343 CHAPTER 16: Ten Tips for Healthy, Stress-Free Chickens 345 CHAPTER 17: Ten Reasons Why Raising Chickens Is Awesome 351 INDEX 357

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Author Information

Kimberley Willis retired from the Lapeer County Michigan Extension office as a home horticulturist. She has written four books, including The Complete Idiots Guide to Country Living. Rob Ludlow owns backyardchickens.com, the largest chicken enthusiast site on the Internet. He is also co-author of Gardening with Free-Range Chickens For Dummies.

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