Vilaubi Mars - Chick days: an absolute beginners guide to raising chickens from hatchlings to laying hens

CHICK DAYS

An Absolute Beginners Guide to
RAISING CHICKENS from Hatchlings to Laying Hens

Jenna WoginrichPhotography byMars Vilaubi
Diary entries and creative direction byAlethea Morrison

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Burns and Dale Evva Gelfand
Art direction, book design, and diary entries by Alethea Morrison
Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith

Cover and interior photography by Mars Vilaubi, except for Constance Bannister Corp/Getty
Images, page 13; Eggantic Industries-www.henspa.com, page 33 left; Adam Mastoon pages 14,
22, 2427, 29, 30, 74 middle, 75 (feather patterns); Drew Waters/Chicken Ark by Handcrafted
Coops/Handcrafted Coops.com, page 32

Illustrations by Grady McFerrin

Expert review by Cheryl Barnaba and Maryellen Mahoney
Indexed by Samantha Miller

Text 2010 by Jenna Woginrich

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.

Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com

Printed in China by Toppan Leefung Printing Limited
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-1N-PUBLICATION DATA
Woginrich, Jenna.

Chick days / by Jenna Woginrich; photography by Mars Vilaubi.
p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60342-584-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Chickens. 2. Chicken breeds. 3. Eggs. I. Vilaubi, Mars. II. Title.

SF487.W795 2011

636.5dc22

2010029325

For Diana, who handed me my first hen JW

To Alethea and Xavier, who put as much into this book as I did. MV

chapter 1
First Things First:
WHY CHICKENS

chapter 2 Next:
WHICH CHICKENS

chapter 3
HEN
HOUSING

chapter 4
POULTRY PREP

chapter 5
WELCOME HOME, GIRLS

chapter 6
GROWING UP Weeks 27

chapter 7 From
CHICKS to CHICKENS Months 36

chapter 8
ITS EGG TIME

JENNA: Id first like to thank Diana Carlin, who got me all mixed up in this chicken business to begin with. Id also like to thank my parents, Pat and Jack, who may be the two most beautifully understanding and patient people a farm gal could ever know. Also, my brother, John, and sister, Kate, who are always willing to hear another chicken story.

I must surely thank Deborah Burns, my Storey editor, as well as Carleen Madigan, Dan Reynolds, Amy Greeman, Deborah Balmuth, and everyone else at Storey Publishing for their partnership in this book and books past.

Thank you to Doug and Nancy at the Wayside Country Store! Thank you to my neighbors Katie, Nancy, Doug, Allan, Suzanne, and Roy, who watch over me and make me feel part of our hollow. Thank you to James Daley, Phil Bibens, Noreen Davis, Paul Fersen, Eric Weisledder, and Tim Bronson, Orvis coworkers who helped with everything from loading chickens into the back of my Subaru to editing book proposals.

Always thank you: Kevin Boyle, Erin Griffths, Raven Pray Bishop, Sara and Tim Mack, Leif Fairfield, and Shellee and Zach. Thank you to Mary Ellen, my landlord, who turned the key to let this place happen. Id also like to thank everyone who became a part of Cold Antler Farms thriving online community and continue to push me to write and keep up with my own dreams every day.

And of course, very special thanks to Mars, Alethea, and Xavier, who shared their joy of new chickenhood with us in their photos and let us tag along as their own small flock grew up.

MARS: To Deb Burns, whose vision launched this book and nurtured it along the way; Pam Art, who tested the book in the field and was always there with encouragement; Dan Reynolds, whose enthusiasm is infectious; Deborah Balmuth and the whole editorial department at Storey for their constant support; Jenna, who inspired us to have chickens in the first place and who found just the right words for this book; Ilona Sherratt, for being the worlds biggest chicken lover; Al Whitney, the best neighbor a chicken could have; Maryellen Mahoney, for being our chicken mentor; GailDamerow, for writing our chicken bible.

Most especially, to Amelia, Honey, and Tilda, for being so patient with their paparazzi!

Welcome to the flock. Were going to visually experience the art of chicken raising by following three special Yankee birds from hatchlings to laying hens. Here in southern New England one young couple and their son decided to take on a whole new life, and they invited some chicksand usalong for the ride.

After relocating from San Francisco to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, Mars, Alethea, and their son, Xavier, soon got the chicken-raising bug and purchased three spunky day-old chicks from a local feed store. Without any prior poultry experience, this young family welcomed chickens into their stylish home (literally: a brooder was set up in the spare bedroom), making for some extremely local eggs. Thanks to Marss photography, well watch the chicks entire life cycle unfoldtailing them from their first days in their brooder to their first laid eggs half a year later.

If youre considering starting a backyard flock, follow along as the laying hens in this book grow up page by page and photograph by beautiful photograph. If you already have a pile of chirping babes under a heat lamp and are nervous as can be, relax; youll be fineand welcome to the club. And if you grew up with these fine animals and simply want to enjoy the experience all over again, welcome!

chick diary

Look for Aletheas tips and insights throughout the book, in Chick Diary entries that look like this.

Consider these three girls mentors that will show you the ropes when you order your first batch from the hatchery and then help you better care for your chicks when they arrive. Pull this book off the shelf to monitor and understand your own birds day by day. If you already have a very loud cardboard box in the bathroom and need to know what the heck to do next, weve got