Book Review: Gardening with Free-Range Chickens for Dummies

Believe it or not chickens are great gardeners. I have quite a few chickens and I used to put them into my little garden to help weed, fertilize and manage pests. This book by Bonnie Jo Manion and Rob Ludlow is a simple introduction to gardening and chicken basics. If you are familiar with raising chickens but would like to know more about gardening with them or you are an active gardener and are about to get chickens this would be a good book for you

The first chapter Joining Forces: Companion Gardening with Chickens has some very helpful information on various types of free-range methods. The book definition for free-range “as allowing chickens to access their outdoors freely with sun and soil, and with the ability to forage freely for their natural diet in a sheltered and protected plant landscape.” For me the key word is “protected”. I happen to believe that if your birds are out and about we have a responsibility to make sure they are safe, therefore if your garden does not have a fence around it please keep an eye on your birds.

Also included in this book is a simple overview of chicken breeds, what you need for a healthy coop, what to expect when you get new birds, in addition to garden basics.

Here’s the thing about chickens and gardens, chickens are great helpers but they can also take over a garden. As far as they are concerned the garden is theirs. It is a little difficult for them to differentiate weeds from seedlings and everywhere they look is an opportunity for a dust bath. Even having your chickens in your garden for a few hours each week is beneficial for both the birds and the garden, but there comes a point when they are no longer helpful.

This book is a super helpful starting point for both the basics for chickens and gardens. I would completely recommend it as part of a library for gardeners with chickens.  

Review of - Chickens in Five Minutes a Day

Chickens in Five Minutes a Day by Murray McMurray Hatchery

Raising, tending and getting eggs from a small backyard flock.

Murray McMurray Hatchery has just published this nice simple book about caring for chickens “In five minutes a day”. The main point of this book is – caring for hens is not complicated and doesn’t have to take a lot of time, 5 minutes a day. As Mr Huseman and employee at the hatchery says “The task of raising chickens at first seemed daunting, especially because I didn’t grow up on a farm. We only had a dog. I remember thinking what are we getting into? But it’s easy. The chickens just need food, water and shelter. That’s it”

The book has a nice seasonal guide for raising chickens and also a daily guide, below are some of the steps outlined in the book:

Watering – “Your chickens need access to clean water every day” I would add, even in the dark cold frozen winter. It can be a challenge in the winter making sure the hens have access to water 24 hours a day. I use a heated dog bowl to ensure this.

Feeding – “A balance chicken feed that is stored in pest – proof containers and housed near the coop for easy access”. I would also add consider adding some diatemaecous earth to your feed to help manage lice. Simply toss a small amount on your feed when loading it into your pest proof container.

Collecting – “When your chickens start laying eggs, you should check the nesting boxes in the coop at least once a day for fresh eggs”. When I go to the barn I simply take a peek in to see if there are any eggs. Just a note that hens need lots of light in order to lay eggs. We have clear panels in the roof of the barn so that even when the hens are in the inside coop, not out in the outdoor run, they are exposed to natural light.

Observing – “Good backyard farmers get to know their chickens and can spot lethargy, loss of appetite and other symptoms that might be the first signs of illness”. This is a very important part of raising hens. Knowing and understanding your hens is critical: are they broody, do they have lice, is anyone on the bottom of the pecking order, are the nesting boxes clean, is the coop completely safe (no holes in the fence for predators)

My favorite section in the book is "Choosing your Chickens". There are some very useful tips in this section for example, what is the right sized flock for your backyard?, Which chickens are best for you and your location, and breeds listed by temperament, multi colored eggs or exotic looking birds. Honestly I want all of them. I have 32 birds of various breeds, bantams, standards, good egg producers, roosters, you name it I probably have it and it all works out.

Obviously, the section titled “Everything you need to know for those first few weeks” is very very complete, this is a book from MurrayMcMurray after all. If you are considering getting chicks, get this book. This section of the book gives you critical, life saving information on how to care for your new birds: Pasting up, how to introduce them to water, huddling, pecking order. Read this chapter, then read it again to make sure you have it all. 

There are only a few things I might think twice about. One is on page 110 "Tips for Protecting Your Chickens from Pests and Predators". This is a very critical part of the book, in fact I think one of the most important. I don't have much patience when neighborhood dogs attack and injure hens. I think it is our number one task to keep our chickens safe, at all times. So I would recommend chain link instead of chicken wire. Where I live a fox or coyote could easily get through chicken wire. Keep your hens safe and happy.

Review of HOMEGROWN HONEY BEES @storeypub

 This is a great book for getting started with beekeeping. It is organized very simply and is jam packed with great photography.

A few of the chapters are titled:
Why bees?
How do I get started?
The first month.
The first season.
Congratulations and condolences.
As you can see from the chapter titles the book is very practical but also weaves in a bit of humor. There are many very scientific focused books out there (my favorite is The Beekeeper's Handbook by Diana Sammataro - you have to have this book in your beek library). Homegrown Honey Bees is quite different which makes beekeeping seem very fun and not so intimidating. On page 66 there is a page about the 'gear' you will need to consider for beekeeping - the title is "Gorilla Suits and Other Inappropriate Dress". I actually think it would be awesome to tend bees in a gorilla suit.

The chapter I found most useful, as a rookie, was the Varroa Mite chapter. I have read quite a bit about Varroa, and seen them but for some reason I still feel as if I don't know anything about them.  They are mysterious. This book has a chapter with four bullet points for what to look for, this was incredibly helpful: Lots of brood cell cappings with small holes, indicating dead pupae, bees that are stunted or have shriveled wings (accompanied by very good pictures).

Lastly, throughout the book are pages dedicated to Urban Beekeepers from New York to New Mexico. These profiles of beeks are very interesting because it is fascinating to see and understand how other people tend to their hives. I am going to keep this book in my bee kit.