A couple of clucking hens scratching around in the back garden might not be to everyone’s taste, but the delicious eggs your chooks provide most certainly will be. Raising your own chickens is simpler than you’d think – and the equally simply-titled Chickens by Suzie Baldwin is a great place to start if you’re considering welcoming some feathered friends into the family.
Chock-a-block with fantastic photography, Chickens is full of advice, from what to look for, whether you’re buying chicks or laying hens; how to choose, transport and house your birds; the day-to-day tasks involved in keeping and rearing happy hens; learning to read their behaviour; and what to do if they stop laying or become ill. There’s a handy glossary and resourse list to take the mystery out of your new pets and, of course, the obligatory celebrity endorsement in the form of Joely Richardson’s foreword on the satisfying feeling you get popping out to the garden for your fresh eggs every day. Chickens by Suzie Baldwin, Kyle Books, €17.99.
