This was a delight to read- I learned so much, started deeper research for my own purposes and got totally lost in the world of raising chickens. Chock full of incredibly detailed info and great photos- brought a lot to life for me, and highlighted things that I never would have considered on my path to keep chickens!

Not the book you want

This is an update of a book originally published for Future Farmers of America (now the National FFA Organization) in 2007. I don't have a copy of the first edition but I suspect that if I did I would find that outside of the new (and poorly written) introduction, the update consists mostly of inserting textboxes containing various factoids and an attempt to incorporate backyard chickens into what had been a book for young farmers.

While there is no doubt that this book contains lots of information in it's 200+ pages, I found the choppy writing and disorganized presentation too unpleasant to dive in very far. The list of breeds is far too long and scrambled to give much practical information. Even more information on breeds is scattered in text boxes in other sections, e.g. which breeds are considered to be "broody", which do best in colder climates, and elsewhere.

The book is divided into large sections with subsections running right after each other without much rhyme or reason. For example the subheading "Getting Started" (which is about where to buy your stock) follows without a break directly after the many pages listing breeds. Any differences in font size for these subsections are not visible in this ARC.

Layout choices make the text even more confusing. I found the order of presentation illogical. For example, there are segments on antibiotics in feed presented in at least 4 locations. The antibiotic information is not clearly presented either and will leave the reader confused and unable to decide whether to use antibiotics or not. Organic production, which is not feasible for all situations, but is well within the scope of backyard operations, is presented as potentially dangerous to birds and humans.

The sections on coops, housing, and feeds are grossly inadequate. There are weird, outdated bits on genetics tossed in.

There are many, much better chicken rearing books available.

How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need to Know is an updated re-release of a guide from 2007 for the FFA. Reformatted and updated, this edition was released 8th Jan 2019 by Quarto on their Voyageur imprint. It's 216 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

The FFA textbooks and guides have always been high quality and sensibly written in my opinion. Between them and the Storey's publications, folks wanting to increase their food security and independence have a rich selection of good guidance at their fingertips.

This book on chickens covers literally everything I could think of to ask. We've had a home flock for years and even looking through my garden journals and notes, I couldn't find any problems we've encountered which weren't discussed in this guide.

There's a lot of information here. Happily, it's very logically divided and there's a complete cross-referenced index. There's also a resource list (slanted toward North America) with some online resources.

Well written, no-nonsense, scientifically accurate, and complete, this is a really solid resource for both beginner and experienced keepers.

Five stars.

This book is not for the faint at heart. There is a lot of meaty detail here. If you are looking for a practical, step-by-step guide for raising a small group of chicken in your suburban backyard, I would say that this book is more than you need. It’s fascinating, thorough, and complete – but it is a lot of information that I think the average backyard coop keeper does not need/desire. There is a brief history of chickens, including breeding, culture, and art. There are details on the specific classifications and breeds. The origins of chickens are quite fascinating – but there are a lot of chickens from a lot of different places! There is an entire chapter on selection, breeding, and culling. And yet another chapter on showing – both eggs and chickens! All of this is followed by a chapter on health – and addresses diseases as well as parasites.

As a novice with very little knowledge of raising chickens, I was looking for information that would help me keep from making expensive mistakes, This one fills the bill. My husband and I decided we wanted to have a small flock of chickens, no more than 10. We did not want to waste our time and money by not gathering some information first. We found that just talking to neighbors with chickens did not give us enough information to start. When I saw this book was endorsed by the FFA, I was impressed enough to start reading. I'm really glad I did. From start up to established practices, the book gives you clear and easy to understand guidance that will help you succeed. I'm very glad I read this book before I ran out and just started buying what I thought I needed. It's a great reference book for chicken owners. I'm sharing my new found knowledge with all of the old timers now.

This might not be as flashy as some of the books on backyard chickens, nor may it have as cool pictures, but I have to say I never seen such a thorough book on everything, and I do mean everything you would need to know.

It also goes into great detail abouat the breeding, and how there are currently some rare breeds, that people are getting just to the fun of it.

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There was a cute page on all the phrases we use everyday. There was also the coolest thing I have seen about having lights in coops so that chickens lay more int he winter. The author says, well,yes you can do that, but remember that all chickens are born with as many eggs as they will ever have, and if you make them give them all up when they are young, you will miss out on the larger ones they will lay as they get older.

The guide I practice, if a little dull. But, a good reference guide.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.