This is a really appealing book aimed at the newbie. The author is clearly experienced and fond of her chickens. I've read a lot of beginner books which carefully avoid the negative aspects of keeping a home flock. I was impressed to see the author did not sugar coat those potentially frustrating and discouraging occurrences. It's better to be aware and prepared to protect your garden plants from your chickens (and your chickens from potential harm as well).
The book is laid out sensibly and divided into two main parts: Before and After one acquires chickens. The preparatory(before chickens) sections include why and how-to tutorials, including a pretty spiffy DIY coop plan. The husbandry (after delivery) sections cover aspects of keeping such as raising chicks, feeding, eggs, behavior, and health.
The ebook version has a handy interactive table of contents and hyperlinked extensive references at the end sorted by chapter. There's also a short alphabetical glossary.
Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This title is available in the KU subscription.
I adore the humor and lighthearted tone of the author's writing. The science and husbandry aspects are sound, but she has such an accessible and whimsical tone that it elevates the whole book for me. (She calls eggs 'butt nuggets' which still slays me).
No single book is the absolute undisputed chicken bible. This one covers all the main aspects and I couldn't find any particular deficiencies except for possibly the lack of photographs (there aren't any). The tutorial diagrams for coop construction are well drawn and perfectly understandable. It would be a good, upbeat general primer for people considering adding chickens to their home setups, as well as a good guide to get new chicken wranglers through their first fraught months as owners.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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