Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics

I thought this was a basic book on keeping chickens. Not really advanced.

When I first started raising chickens, low many years ago, otherwise known as 6, I knew next to nothing about chickens, what was normal, what wasn't normal. There were books out, but they tended to be dry, and didn't have the questions that I was asking. They had a lot of info, just not the stuff I was looking for, such as whether to keep eggs refrigerated or not, how to deal with roosters, predators, and different kinds of chicken poop, which believe it or not, there are different kinds.

Oh, if only I had had this book back then.

For example, there is a chapter on predictors where she talks about losing half her flock to a dog, that got on her land. She then goes into details not only of what predictors to look out for, but what to do about that. One of the things she suggests is getting a rooster, and believe it or not, that has helped. But, surprisingly, she doesn't mention the biggest thing that has helped keep my hens safe from raptors (hunting birds that don't need to land to catch their food). I had the rooster, and he was good at protecting his girls, but we were losing one a day, for a while. It turned out having a rooster could only help so much. We tried a scarecrow, the striped all sorts of things. Finally, one of the hawks ate one of the local crow babies, and after that, the crows kept the hawks at bay. :)

I love how detailed Pam is, and also how personal she is. When she is talking about taking care of wounds, and such. She tells how she had to tend to wounds, and the story behind it.

So, you get an instructi0on book, as well as one woman's journey into backyard chickens.

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

Good basic book for starting with backyard chickens. It might be more basic than necessary but maybe that is what most people need.

Perfect for any chicken keeper. I have 6 laying hens and 5 babies right now. Even though I've read several books on chicken keeping this book had info that was new to me. I loved the way it is laid out and the pictures are beautiful!

As a chicken owner - I found this book a great resource. The author was very informative. I will definitely recommend it for purchase for our library.

I would like to thank Quarto Publishing Group – Voyageur Press for providing me with a free electronic RC, via Netgalley, in exchange for an open and honest review.

When I first started reading this book I was a little worried it was going to be too location specific to be of much help to me... As in, it is very obviously written for an American audience and that can sometimes make a book not that useful to me – an Australian reader...

BUT! I was totally wrong. I mean, yes there are areas of ‘Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics’ that were indeed location specific – like the predator section – but to be honest, that didn’t detract from the overall usefulness of this book.

For those who have not read my previous reviews, I am a chookie owner. I have six right now but spring is just kicking off here in the Adelaide Hills and so I hope to fix up the coop and figure out how to get me some more. Just don’t tell my husband. :-D

And so I am indeed qualified to give judgement on the usefulness of this book. And useful I did indeed find it. Yes there were sections I did skim a little as it was either something I already knew/ did or felt not relevant, due to my location - see how to deal with racoons. Goannas, snakes and red back spiders in the coop… would have been helpful (though I am pretty on to fixing those) but I can’t say racoons have even been a bother. Foxes on the other hand… hmmm, I best not tell my son the urine deterrent or he’ll be all over that… or have it all over everything. :-/

Oh, what? You suddenly realise I am a TMI reviewer?

So anyway, back to ‘Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics’. I found the majority of the book very interesting and extremely useful. Especially the ideas on how to increase your flock and what to do with egg eaters.

I have other backyard chicken books that go more into diseases, illnesses and natural remedies than this book did… but that is not saying it is lacking as it did cover a lot of the basics and important issues too.

All in all I found it a great little resource for those wanting to have some chooks in their family as ‘Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics’ will help guide them through to first few hurdles and then some.

As it is a resource book I will go into the layout, format, etc. It was okay, but please bear in mind that I was reading an electronic version and so any issues I had were mostly due to that format. The paper format will not have these issues… BUT! I did find it rather clunky and hard to read at times. Plus the pictures and little blurbs throughout the book did detract from what I was trying to read more than I wish they had. Again, if I had been reading it as a paper book these issues would not have existed.

Other than that it was a clear, concise, easy to read and easy to follow format and layout. Nice, clean, open pages and relevant pictures throughout made it into why I feel it would be an excellent resource book for those just starting out as being chicken parents.

Although I do feel ‘Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics’ is mostly aimed at new chicken owners or potential chicken owners, I did find it useful myself and I’ve own chickens on and off my whole life. I wouldn’t call myself a chicken expert, more someone who knows how to be owned by chickens. ;-) So I honestly do feel like it justifies the “beyond the basics” part of its title.

Would I recommend this book to others?

I think I would, you know? Despite the minor location specific issues, I loved the personal stories and touches Ms Freeman added to the book and feel it makes it a good chook reference book to have. It’s not just a “how to” book, it’s written by a fellow chook addict who is there to help. So, yes, a book I can see myself recommending.

Would I buy this book for myself?

I would be sorely tempted to you know… For the same reasons as above. The personal touches help the reader connect to the book and the passion for chooks. I also found the blog style “how to” writing style easy to follow and learn from so could honestly see myself buying this as a reference book to go with my others.

In summary - a good, easy to follow guide to helping you raised backyard chickens.

Wish I had this book when I was new to raising chickens. The book is full if necessary information for keeping a happy healthy hen house. It answers questions that anyone new would need to know for proper care of the roots, but also gives a more intuitive understanding to the more advanced chicken keeper. I love how the author gives her own personal knowledge of her life with her feathered babies. Good book. A must have for anyone who has or is interested in raising chickens.

I've finished this title but haven't formulated a complete review of the material yet due to the nature of the book. When I do, I'll update this page to reflect my thoughts.

A lovely reference book for both a person new to chickens or someone more experiences needing advice. It's all here with a clear love of the hen and their quirks!

This is a well-written beginner's book on keeping chickens. As a teacher, I think that it gives an excellent idea of what keeping chickens is like -- even for students who do not have the opportunity to actually raise chickens.

Clever and beautifully arranged, Backyard Chickens Beyond the Basics, will thoroughly educate the new or future chicken owner. Pam Freeman does go beyond the typical How-To poultry book that fill the shelves at the library. You can even find a listing of hen breeds that typically go broody, meaning - will try to hatch eggs. This will save you time from researching individual chicken breeds to choose what type of relationship and purpose you wish to accomplish for your backyard flock.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.