{"id":42118,"date":"2024-05-06T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=42118"},"modified":"2024-04-29T09:57:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T16:57:42","slug":"backyard-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/backyard-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Backyard Chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because\u00a0the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Best for backyard beginners<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raising Chickens for Dummies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago we decided to join the growing backyard chicken movement. We knew zero about chicken raising. We were interested in keeping a handful of hens for eggs, so we didn\u2019t want info on raising flocks of them (how many eggs can you eat a day?). I read every book for backyard beginners I could find, and after studying ten of them, the one that was most helpful to us was Raising Chickens for Dummies<\/em>. It did the best job of anticipating our questions for a low-rent minimal approach. For instance, we had no desire to be cleaning chicken-shit every week, and we opted for deep bedding in the coop, a tip suggested by the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve had chickens for two years now, and the book is still answering questions. The author runs a website, Back Yard Chickens, that has very active forums where you can ask other backyarders questions not found in his book. The site\u2019s albums of photos of homemade coops proudly posted by members is very helpful and inspirational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you decide to graduate to larger flocks I would point you to the previously recommended book Storey\u2019s Guide to Raising Chickens, which is extremely comprehensive, but often more than a beginner needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our first egg!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Keeping our days-old chicks warm under a heat lamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BTW, I was initially skeptical I would be able to tell a difference with backyard eggs, but it\u2019s true. Backyard eggs do taste better; they are more\u2026well\u2026eggy. However, they won\u2019t be cheaper, even if you don\u2019t count your time. We kept our initial costs down by constructing a coop from scraps from a building site in the neighborhood (after asking permission). We had to buy the screening, which is double layered at the bottom (another book tip) because we have pretty serious predators around. We installed the previously reviewed automatic watering dish from the mail-order hatchery McMurray, which means that overall, the five chickens are very low maintenance. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Classic how-to<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not convinced you need a how-to book to raise chickens; they\u2019re pretty resilient and will eat damned near anything and still lay eggs. But the best reference guide we have is the Storey\u2019s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Demerow. Easy to read, full of information, and covers the whole range from hatching to keeping layers to raising meat birds to dealing with problems. \u2014 Mike Gunderloy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n