Homestead Chicken Resources – Everything You Need for Your Backyard Flock
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Homestead chickens are a great small scale protein option for meat or eggs, and don’t require a huge investment in time or materials to get started. I’ve teamed up with a number of my blogging friends to pull together this awesome list of homestead chicken resources to help you with everything from hatching your own eggs to predator patrol and chicken diapers (yes, they exist). There’s information on coops and runs, feeds and foraging, roosters and broody hens.
We also include plenty of posts about the “why” as well as the “how” of raising chickens, as well as the tough stuff like dealing with sick chickens and harvesting chickens for meat. If you have a topic that’s not covered, please ask, as I’m sure someone in the group has a post that can help. Enjoy!
Chicken Books
There are around a bazillion chicken books out there, but I wanted to highlight a few that I have in my personal collection.
Chickens from Scratch by Janet Garman of Timber Creek Farm
Chickens from Scratch: Raising Your Own Chickens from Hatch to Egg Laying and Beyond
This is a quick and easy introduction to the basics of chicken raising. Covers everything bringing your chicks safely home to general flock management, with troubleshooting tips for the basic stuff that runs flocks “a-fowl”. A great starter chicken book.
Chickens in 5 Minutes a Day from Murray McMurray Hatchery
As would be expected from a book by Murray McMurray, there’s lots of “chicken eye candy” in this one. Filled with photos and helpful illustrations, this book is a great pep talk for anyone considering chicken ownership. My favorite parts – 10 pages of breed profiles with photos near the end of the book, and the double page spread of coop illustrations.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition
One of the classics of chicken care, this recently updated tome covers a wide and detailed spectrum of chicken information. some less commonly covered topics include managing a breeder flock, which is important for those who truly wish to be self-reliant; and exhibiting your chickens, which can be a fun and rewarding hobby for the whole family.
Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin
This book hails from Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, the icon of small scale family farming that’s good for the soil, the critters and the consumers. This book is built for function, not looks. the text looks like it was tapped out on a typewriter and the photos are black and white. That said, you can’t argue with Mr. Salatin’s success and his willingness to experiment to hammer out a system of rotational grazing that houses different species on the same pasture to the benefit of them all. The old Polyface Farm newsletters included in the appendix are like peeking into a time capsule.
The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery
I first encountered Harvey’s writing in Mother Earth News and Countryside magazines. When I saw that he finally put together a book, I knew we had to get a copy. Of particular note:
- Detailed diagrams of chicken anatomy, inside and out
- Step by step photos of nest box building
- Step by step photos of dust box building
- Step by step photos of an A-frame shelter
- Step by step photos of butchering
- Detailed explanations of how he uses his chickens to improve his garden
- Growing your own chicken feeds
Get Your Chicken Supplies Here
And finally, the Monster List of All Things Homestead Chicken from my site and many of my blogging friends.
Baby Chicks, Broody Hens and Starting a Flock
Printable Incubation Chart from Reformation Acres
Incubating Eggs from One Ash Farm and Dairy Homestead
How to Get Started with Baby Chicks from The Flip Flop Barnyard
Buying Chicks At The Feed Store from Our Life Out Here
Started Chicks and Ducks from Claborn Family Farms at Homestead Honey
3 Reasons to Let your Broody Hen Hatch her Chicks from Homestead Honey
Chicken Coops and Runs
6 Mistakes I Made in the Chicken Coop (And How You Can Avoid Them) from Attainable Sustainable
Pallet Project: Build a Cheap Chicken Run from Attainable Sustainable
Chicken House: Coop Cleaning with Kids from The Homestead Lady
Chicken Nests and Eggs
Free DIY Nest Box Plans for Your Chicken Coop from Linn Acres Farm
Chickens and Eggs: Why Your Hens Refuse To Lay from The Frugal Chicken
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What are those spots in my farm fresh eggs? from The Prairie Homestead
Egg Carton Labels and Animal Welfare from One Acre Farm
Chicken Predators
Poultry Predator Identification: A Guide to Tracks and Sign from One Acre Farm
Predator Proofing Your Chicken Coop and Run from One Acre Farm
Hen House: No Foxes Allowed! from Urban Overalls
Think Your Chickens Are Safe? Think Again! from Lil Suburban Homestead
How to Fox Proof Your Chicken Coop by My Pet Blog
Chicken Feed and Foraging
Feeding Chickens on the Cheap from Attainable Sustainable
Starting Your Own Meal Worm Farm – Your Chickens Will Thank You! from Lil’ Suburban Homestead
How Much Food Does a Chicken Need to Eat? from Timber Creek Farm
DIY Grazing Boxes from Attainable Sustainable
Chicken Health and Wellness
Bird Flu Busters – 5 Strategies for a Healthier Flock
Non-invasive Bumblefoot Treatment: Success Stories from One Acre Farm
Wood ash and DE, the dust bathing dream team from Murano Chicken Farm
How to Rid your Chicken Coop of Flies from Imaginacres
Help! My Chickens are Molting from Timber Creek Farm
Clipping Chicken Nails from Murano Chicken Farm
Chicken Diapers from Murano Chicken Farm
Chicken Saddles from Murano chicken Farm
Meat Chickens
Meat Chickens – Best Breeds, Care, and Troubleshooting Tips from Common Sense Home
Raising Meat Chickens: Caring for Chicks from The Toups Address
Processing Chickens for Meat
Pastured Chicken at The Elliott Homestead
General Chicken Care, Tips and Ideas
Top 7 Tips for First time Chicken Owners from Common Sense Home
How to Raise Chickens Cheaply – Small Budget? No problem. from Common Sense Home
How I Trained My Chickens from The Coastal Homestead
How to Train Chickens to Come When Called from One Acre Farm
Backyard Chickens 101 – Questions to Ask Yourself Before Jumping In! from Ever Growing Farm
5 Things You Shouldn’t Admit After Buying Chickens from Urban Overalls
5 Ways to Put Your Chickens to Work For You from Attainable Sustainable
Introducing New Chickens to the Flock from Montana Homesteader
The Pros and Cons of Raising Chickens in the City from Imagineacres
9 Reasons to Raise Chickens from The Flip Flop Barnyard
10 Things About Raising Chickens You Won’t Read in Books from Imaginacres
Chicken Husbandry by Zac’s Garden
Of Mice and Hen from Urban Overalls
And finally, a word of warning about the dangers of backyard chickens. 😉