[Beetroot queen]

We are going to get chickens, we are in the process of building said run and house aka the mansion, I read a chicken keeping book last year but it didn't seem to make me feel anymore confident in knowing what and how to care for them so I am looking for a chicken bible, I want one with good pics too for the kids not me hehe

[helens-hens]

Hi there. I have the Haynes (same people that do the car manuals) Manual for chicken keeping (not sure if it is called exactly that - I am not at home at the moment) and also Starting with Chickens by Katie Thear. These are both quite well set out & informative.

You may also find your local library has a selection of books (that is what sparked my interest - I just happened to see a book about chicken keeping in Feb 2010, 2 months down the line we started keeping them and the rest is history as they say!).

It is good to read as much as you can on the subject in advance and really think out things like how many hens you want to have and how much space they are going to need. Do plenty of research on hen houses/runs before you start. This site is a wonderful resource of information and people are always keen to help if you have a problem.

Best of luck and welcome to the world of hens!

[gracie]

I have the Haynes which is excellent, however I was bought the Idiots Guide to Chicken Keeping, (the yellow and black books that you can buy in all good book shops) and it really is very informative and written in a truly understandable way. I found the Haynes informative but didnt always get down to the nitty gritty as the Idiots one does.

Probably get it from the library is you dont want to buy it as i think its nearly £15, there is hours of reading though so I think its worth having as its something you could continually refer to

[joyfull]

there is also this book that you might want to take a look at:-

http://www.allotment-garden.org/book/backgarden-chickens.php

[funkychook]

We are going to get chickens, we are in the process of building said run and house aka the mansion, I read a chicken keeping book last year but it didn't seem to make me feel anymore confident in knowing what and how to care for them so I am looking for a chicken bible, I want one with good pics too for the kids not me hehe

Idiots guide and Starting with Chickens by Katie Thear were brilliant books. Also just reading stuff on the Internet and joining forums. The guys on forums are experts and very helpful. I read loads before I started BUT I did get confused too because there is a lot of contradictory advice out there too.

Its a mine field of information out there, but like I said forums are brilliant for help. (Creep creep lol).

Oh I use hemcore rapport in the house its sooooooo easy to keep clean and the chooks love it, and it never smells. I poo pick their house every day, and rake over the run, and under their house they like to sleep sometimes in the morning, so i keep it with hemcore and straw and give it a good clean once a week and use Stalosan sanitiser to ward off bugs and stuff. Also once a week I was told to use apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon per pint of fresh water, keeps bugs and worms away.

I tell you what I never thought looking after chickens could be such fun, they are soooo funny lol and each one has its own personality. I have gone off eating it now not after they have made me laugh so much in the last 2 months lol and given me such lovely eggs even a double yolker.