Keep Chickens!: Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces

I absolutely love this book! I currently have two hens, two pullets and one rooster. This book has been the most helpful of the three books I bought after getting my fine feathered freinds. I also bought Storey's guide to Raising Chickens and The chicken Health Handbook, both by Gail Damerow. Both books contain a lot of great information, however, they are both directed at folks who raise chickens for profit either for their eggs or their meat or both. However, Mz. Kilarski's book contains much of the same information, but from a pet owner's point of view, which is exactly what you need if only keeping a few birds. This wonderful book gives the owner insight into a chicken's personality such as what to look for when your pullets are getting ready to lay their first egg. I am now on "first egg watch" with one of my pullets. None of the other books provide that information. This book is both personal and personable, which is exactly what a person who keeps chickens as pets needs. It shows that Mz. Kilarski not only loves keeping chickens, but she loves her chickens as well, which is how I feel, so I could really relate to the book. It is also an entertaining read, not dry and clinical and the pictures at the back are just beautiful. Thank you Mz. Kilarski!!

This is my favorite book about raising chickens in an urban backyard, and I've read quite a few books on this subject. You can truly feel the joy and smile from the author and it certainly made me thinking about chickens day and night! This book has beautiful pictures, very thorough and detailed info on raising and caring for chickens, and a lot of knowledge that only poeple who LIVES with chickens can share. Some readers critisize the book for being 'personal', well, what would you prefer-- a dry text book, or a book that has feelings, that comes from real life experience and that you can't put down?? An update- thanks to this book, we got three baby chicks in January and now have three beautiful chickens in our backyard. They have given us so much joy, just like how the book described!

As well as being an incredibly fun read, this book gives you all the basic information you need to begin keeping chickens. I was so happy to read that I am not suffering from temporary insanity, but just one of the large number of "city-folk" who have responded to their back-to-the-past desire to raise their own eggs. Additionally, I was happy to learn that there are others who enjoy the endless and relaxing entertainment provided by the antics of these industrious birds and even go so far as giving names to their chickens. This book is full of interesting chicken information and even covers some of the very basics of terminology (so we city folk can use words like 'pullet' instead of calling them 'young girl chickens'). I highly recommend this book.

This has got to be the best books on keeping just a few chickens I've seen. Not only is it full of good advice and information, it has a firm grip on the very personality of chickens. I live in a very rural area where we can have huge flocks of chickens if so desired, so for me keeping chickens in a small area isn't an issue, but for those who have to keep an eye to the laws regarding keeping livestock in urban areas, this book has all the information anyone would need. I would caution the reader to check out the local ordinances for keeping chickens, though, because the list in the back of the book could be outdated. This book, along with Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, should be on the bookshelves of everyone who keeps chickens...whether two or three urban chickens, or a small flock of 50 birds or so. (As a warning, if you're keeping chickens for eggs and as pets, skip the processing section in the Guide to Raising Chickens.)