The ChiCken whisperer’s Guide To keepinG ChiCkens 001-017_24937.indd 1 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 1 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) JJoobb::0044--2244991188 T Titiltele:R:RPP-C-Chhicikcekne nW Whihsipseprere’sr ’Gs uGidueid teo tKo eKepeienpgin Cgh Cichkiecnksens (Text) (RAY) #175 P DDTTPP::220044 P Paaggee:1:1 001-017_24937.indd 2 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 2 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:2 The ChiCken whisperer’s Guide To keepinG ChiCkens Everything You Need to Know … and Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Backyard and Urban Chickens Andy G. sChneider and dr. Brigid McCrea, ph.d. 001-017_24937.indd 3 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 3 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens #175 P DTP:204 Page:2 (Text) (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:3 [ Blue Cochin hen ] 001-017_24937.indd 5 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 5 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens #175 P DTP:204 Page:4 (Text) (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:5 ConTenTs Golden Bantam Chapter 1 Chapter 4 PowEr to thE PoUltrY: thE GrowiNG PrEP worK: GEttiNG YoUr hoME UrBAN ChiCKEN MovEMENt 8 AND YArD rEADY 52 Chapter 2 Chapter 5 hENoloGY: KNow thY hEN iNCUBAtioN: so YoU’rE for shE is GrEAt 18 EGG-sPECtiNG? 66 Chapter 3 Chapter 6 BACKYArD oUtlAws: ArE ChiCKENs thE Art of BrooDiNG: AllowED whErE YoU livE? whAt PrEPAriNG thE NUrsErY shoUlD YoU Do if thEY ArEN’t? 46 for YoUr NEw ArrivAls 78 001-017_24937.indd 6 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 6 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (Text) (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:6 Bantam Cockerel Chapter 7 Appendix hoME swEEt hoME: EGG ArtistrY: whAt to Do CooPs AND rUNs 94 with All thosE EGGs (BEsiDEs EAt thEM) 160 Chapter 8 sAfE AND soUND: ProtECtiNG rEsoUrCEs 165 YoUr floCK froM PrEDAtors 112 iNDEx 170 Chapter 9 NUtritioN: CoMMoN MANAGEMENt QUEstioNs AND sUGGEstioNs 122 PhotoGrAPhEr CrEDits 175 Chapter 10 ABoUt thE AUthors 176 illNEss AND AilMENts: PrEvENtioN AND trEAtMENt 134 ACKNowlEDGMENts 176 001-017_24937.indd 7 4/27/11 6:28 PM 001-017_24937.indd 7 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens #175 P DTP:204 Page:6 (Text) (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:7 Chapter 1 Power to the Poultry: the GrowinG urban ChiCken MoveMent There is a fasT-growing movemenT hatcheries started shipping out millions of sweeping across the world. it’s all about urban chicks to backyards everywhere. Local urban chickens, and thousands of people are joining chicken groups formed around the world, every year. and today have anywhere from 50 to more than 1,300 members. To keep up with demand, Keeping chickens in urban backyards is nothing feed-and-seed stores have increased store new and at one point, was quite common. The space reserved for poultry supplies, and a United states government, for example, encour- variety of books about urban chickens now aged it during the great Depression, when food food the market. andy even hosts a radio show, was harder to come by and a family had to “Backyard Poultry with the Chicken whisperer,” provide for its members. when small grocery during which he welcomes poultry experts from stores started popping up on every corner and around the world to share their knowledge. began carrying ready-to-roast chickens and clean, white eggs, the need for a small backyard who is responsible for the rebirth of the urban fock to feed the family dissipated. chicken movement? in our opinion, it’s the people involved in the green movement. The new urban chicken movement picked up steam in the mid-1990s, and went full speed ahead by 2002. websites such as www. backyardchickens.com, www.feathersite.com, and www.urbanchickens.net started to take off. 001-017_24937.indd 8 4/27/11 7:49 PM 001-017_C62802.indd 8 5/12/11 6:17 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (Text) (RAY) 05-C62802 #175 P DTP:204 Page:8 A backyard chicken coop in Los Angeles promotes a healthy lifestyle with fresher eggs and greener living. 9 001-017_C62802.indd 9 5/12/11 6:18 PM 001-017_24937.indd 9 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:0044--2244991188 TTiittllee:R:RPP--CChhicickkeenn W Whhisipspereerre’rs’ sG Guiudied eto t oK Keeepeipnign gC hCihcikceknesns (24937) Job:0044--2244991188 TTiittllee:R:RPP--CChhicickkeenn W Whhisipspereerre’rs’ sG Guiudied eto t oK Keeepeipnign gC hCihcikceknesns 05-C62802 #175 P DTP:20044 PPaaggee::88 (Text) (RAY) 05-C62802 #175 P DTP:20044 PPaaggee::99 The urban farming movement has grown substantially in recent years. PEoPLE Who LIvE A GREENER, more ecofriendly pot. Through local meetup groups, friendships form lifestyle eat healthier, for the most part. They tend to buy between people with absolutely nothing in common a large portion of their food locally, and they understand but keeping chickens for pets, eggs, composting, that there’s nothing more local than one’s own backyard. fertilizer, insect control, education, or meat. The Many already supply their families with homegrown movement is not based on economic status, age, vegetables from backyard gardens, so why not eggs gender, race, religion, ethnicity, political views, or any from chickens, too? other label. No stereotype fts the people who keep urban chickens. We like to say that we’ve never met The green movement may have initiated growth of a chicken keeper we didn’t like. the urban backyard movement, but people keep urban chickens for many reasons. In fact, the people joining the backyard chicken movement are quite the melting 10 The ChiCken whisperer’s Guide To keepinG ChiCkens 001-017_24937.indd 10 4/27/11 6:29 PM 001-017_24937.indd 10 4/27/11 6:28 PM (24937) Job:04-24918 Title:RP-Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens (Text) (RAY) #175 P DTP:204 Page:10