Caughey - Kids guide to keeping chickens: best breeds, creating a home, care & handling, fun & crafts

To my own chicks, Jacob and Madeline

First and foremost, I would like to thank my family for their love and support throughout this entire process. Thank you to my husband, Peter, for his willingness to always pick up a pen and reread this book a million and one times. Thank you to my children, Jacob and Madeline, whose energy, ideas, and spirit embody this book. Thank you to Tilly and the rest of our feathered family.

Thank you so much to all the supporters of Tillys Nest and my endeavors over the years. I am so lucky to have you all along on my journey. Thank you to Dawn at Treats for Chickens for all your help in the kitchen. You are my chicken soul sister. Thank you to Pam and Alexis at Sensational Silkies by Blake for teaching me so much about showing chickens. Thank you to my dear friend Lauren for believing in me and this book. Thank you to all of my chicken friends who let me photograph their beautiful coops, yards, and creativity in the garden. Thank you to Barks and Bubbles for sharing their natural pest repellent with us for our dog, Sara, and now our chickens.

A special thanks to all the kids whose photos appear in these pages: Shea; Alan and Mia; and Gracie, Madelyn, and Spencer, as well as to the kids who answered my questions about keeping chickens: Aislinn, Alexis, Edison, Haddie, and Xavier. Id also like to thank photographer Joe Keller and his assistant, Jeff Stiles, for taking such wonderful pictures.

Thank you to the entire team at Storey Publishing who helped me to create this beautiful book. And last but not least, a special thank-you to my amazing editors, Deb Burns and Lisa Hiley, and art director, Jessica Armstrong, for believing in me and helping to make this book a reality.

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would move across the country from Los Angeles to Massachusetts and take up backyard chicken keeping, I probably would have told them that they were crazy. Why in the world would a city girl like me do such a thing? Well, I did move to Cape Cod and I soon realized that I was constantly spotting chickens and their paraphernalia. I saw chickens at our local pick-your-own farm and roaming in peoples yards.

Then a friend invited me to meet her flock: a colorful group of about 20, including a vibrant rooster, hens with poufy headdresses, and hens with speckled feathers. After my tour of the coop, her run, and the entire setup, I was smitten. With a gentle nudge from my friend, who offered to take my chickens in case it didnt work out, I placed my order. Six chicks were delivered to our doorstep just in time for the kids summer vacation.

We could not get enough! We sat in the garage on a beach blanket peering into the brooder for hours. We watched them sleep standing up. We watched them become best friends with the digital thermometer. We enjoyed their interest in the newspaper photo that they unearthed while scratching in the shavings. We just fell in love with our six little fluff balls.

Several years later, chickens have become an integral part of our family life. We have laughed, cried, said goodbye, and learned so much. The chickens have helped us reevaluate our lives. Somehow our vegetable garden has tripled in size. We have taken up beekeeping. We plan our vacations around our chickens. After a long day, we look forward to relaxing with the hens. We worry about them as we do about our dog. I knew my husband had finally come to love the flock too when he came in one evening after locking them up and told me, You know, I really would miss those girls if they were gone.

This book shares the adventures that my children have experienced with our backyard flock. We have discovered that not a day goes by without the chickens making their way into our daily activities. I hope that this book will not only inspire you to keep a flock of your own but also inspire you to take time and spend some quality moments with your family.

As you embark on your own journey, you will quickly discover that there are many ways to provide food to your flock, supply water, house them, and raise them. The best advice that I can give you is to do what works best for your climate, your backyard situation, and your lifestyle. Oh, and one word of warning chicken keeping can be very addictive!

Most folks begin keeping chickens primarily for the eggs. Why wouldnt you want a pet who can deliver breakfast to you every day, no matter what the weather?

And with their bright, electric-orange yolks and perky egg whites, fresh eggs cant be beat. Eggs from your own chickens taste better and are healthier for your body. But as people begin to explore the idea of keeping chickens, they find other reasons why chickens are great.

For one thing, you dont need much room to have a couple of hens. Chickens take up very little space, and whether you live in a big city, the suburbs, or the lush countryside, a small flock of hens can be tucked away anywhere. A small chicken coop can fit into practically any yard. Chickens are easy to care for and require a minimal amount of attention. Chicken-keeping supplies are readily available at feed stores, as well as at many hardware stores and also online.

Chickens are also part of the local food or locavore movement, which is sweeping the country in response to consumer demand for locally produced food, sustainable farming practices, and more self-reliance. As more and more people want to know where their food comes from, and want to be able to grow as much of their own food as they can, farmers markets, pick-your-own farms, and restaurants that use local ingredients are becoming increasingly popular.

But theres another reason that so many people are jumping on the chicken bandwagon these birds are just plain fun to have around!