Jenna Woginrich - An Absolute Beginners Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens: Watch Chicks Grow from Hatchlings to Hens

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

Cover and interior photography by Mars Vilaubi, except for Constance Bannister Corp/Getty Images,

Illustrations by Grady McFerrin

Expert review by Cheryl Barnaba and Maryellen Mahoney

Indexed by Samantha Miller

This book was previously published under the title Chick Days.

Text 2010 by Jenna Woginrich

Ebook production by Slavica A. Walzl

Ebook version 1.0

December 21, 2021

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

For Diana, who handed me my first hen JW

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

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 Griffiths, 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; Gail Damerow, 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 chicks and us along 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 unfold tailing 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 fine and welcome to the club. And if you grew up with these fine animals and simply want to enjoy the experience all over again, welcome!

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 your back, too. Regardless of where youre at in your chicken-raising dreams, these three hens will help you understand just how easy chickens are by seeing their development right here on the page and knowing whats in store for you over the coming weeks of your chicks lives.

Jenna, Cold Antler Farm

W hy raise chickens? Because theyre the pet that makes you breakfast. They bring home good food and belly laughs. Chickens are quirky, beautiful, and oddly clever. They come in countless colors, shapes, and varieties, and theres not a culture on the planet that doesnt raise them. These hardy birds will teach you basic livestock handling and amaze you with their individual character traits. More good news: They dont break the bank. A handful of chicks will cost less to purchase than a large pizza and require less effort than your house cat.