If you're a first-time chicken keeper, you are likely researching books on raising chickens and overwhelmed. We narrowed the list down to five of our favorite backyard chicken keeping books. Are you picking up chicks from your local feed store? Are you collecting broken eggs? Do you need advice on chicken DIY treats? What about coops? All of these questions are answered by these wonderful experts.
Enjoy these wonderful resources, I have two flocks of chickens and swear by these five books!
1. Epic Eggs by Jennifer Sartell
This title was released in 2017 by Jennifer Sartell and is one of the best books for chicken keepers that are just starting out! She talks about mixed flocks, breeding chicks, and egg anatomy. Available for $7.00 in paperback.
2. How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need To Know by Christine Heinrichs
This book covers everything from breeds to housing. One of our fave chapters is health and care as there are a lot of chicken illnesses. This is available for $35.20 in paperback. We used this resource to choose our cold-hardy chickens.
3. Backyard Chickens, Beyond the Basics by Pam Freeman
Adjusting for the seasons is one of the best chapters in this book. We also learned a lot about predators and potential threads you need to watch out for! Even owls are bad news. This book is available for $9.02 in paperback.
4. Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele
The author, Lisa Steele, is a wonderful influencer when it comes to chicken keeping. Fresh Eggs Daily covers literally every important topic you can think of. She has been raising backyard chickens for many years and knows all the in's and out's when it comes to health care, egg production, managing a small flock and laying hens, nesting boxes, the best breeds, chicken biology, chicken farming, gardening with chickens and so much more!
Available for $17.71 as a hardcover.
5. 101 Chicken Keeping Hacks from Fresh Eggs Daily: Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for You and Your Hens by Lisa Steele
This is her recent release and it's a gem! There are so many hacks that are very DIY in nature and she's wonderful at preparing you on how to treat health problems naturally if you manage a small flock or live on a small farm.
There are herbs for egg-laying hens that help prevent soft shell eggs! This is one of the best chicken raising books we've seen. A backyard flock needs treats and enrichment so they're kept busy and they don't end of pecking each other out of boredom. This isn't a "guide" but it's literally a collection of what's she learned over the years! Our editorial staff has healthy chickens because of Lisa Steele. We look at this as THE chicken health handbook.
There are so many books for chickens but these five are some of the best guides to raising chickens. I also have some books just on chicken coops and what it takes when it comes to keeping chickens. The books I refer to regularly include topics like brooders, how hens lay eggs, incubating chicks, and barnyard basics.
Have you read any of these? Any challenges as a chicken keeper that have come up? Please leave comments below!
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