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Getting Started With Your Working Chicken: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Backyard Eggs & Meat (Permaculture Chicken Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Anna Hess (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,428 ratings
See all formats and editions
Get ready for your new flock in thirty minutes or less!

This short, sweet, and self-sufficient guide shows beginners how to keep chickens as part of a rural or urban homestead. Learn everything you need to know to get started on your poultry adventure, with quick answers to frequently asked questions like:
  • What kind of chickens should I get?
  • Which color eggs are best?
  • How many chickens should I get?
  • Should I add a rooster to my flock?
  • Where should I get my chickens?
  • She's so cute! Can I name her?
  • When should I kill my chickens?
  • What infrastructure do I need to make my chickens happy?
  • What should I feed my chickens?
  • Should my chickens have a tractor, a coop, or be free range?
  • How much space do my chickens need?
  • How do I manage my working flock?
  • What is the chicken's place in the farm ecosystem?

"The author gives just what is needed to get started raising chickens." —- Veronica

"This is a quick little book packed with lots of good realistic advice." —- TSP

"A great first-read for anyone considering raising chickens. Lots of useful factual information for the experienced chicken keeper as well as for the beginner." —- pamela
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Permaculture Chicken
  2. Print length
    37 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    February 12, 2013
  6. File size
    5771 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Total Price: $6.98
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The author gives just what is needed to get started raising chickens." --- Veronica

"This is a quick little book packed with lots of good realistic advice." --- TSP

"A great first-read for anyone considering raising chickens. Lots of useful factual information for the experienced chicken keeper as well as for the beginner." --- pamela

"What a fun book to start with chickens. I like the photos of the chickens and the tractors. The breed list is very helpful also. The flow of the book is Interspersed with her dry humour. Love the children's book at the end." --- Mark D. Ellestad

About the Author

Anna Hess dreamed about moving back to the land ever since her parents dragged her off their family farm at the age of eight. She worked as a field biologist and nonprofit organizer before acquiring fifty-eight acres and a husband, then quit her job to homestead full time. She admits that real farm life involves a lot more hard work than her childhood memories entailed, but the reality is much more fulfilling and she loves pigging out on sun-warmed strawberries and experimenting with no-till gardening, mushroom propagation, and chicken pasturing.

She also enjoys writing about the adventures, both on her blog at WaldenEffect.org, and in her books.  Her first paperback, The Weekend Homesteader, helped thousands of homesteaders-to-be find ways to fit their dreams into the hours leftover from a full-time job.  In addition, a heaping handful of ebooks on Amazon serve a similar purpose.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004YQVLKO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wetknee Books; 4th edition (February 12, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 12, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5771 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 37 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,428 ratings

About the author

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Anna Hess

Anna Hess

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Anna Hess is a homesteader, writer, and blogger whose first paperback, The Weekend Homesteader, helped thousands of homesteaders-to-be find ways to fit their dreams into the hours leftover from a full-time job. Her complete works include:

Homesteading:

The Weekend Homesteader

Trailersteading

Growing into a Farm

Microbusiness Independence

Low-Cost Sunroom

$10 Root Cellar

Gardening:

Homegrown Humus

Bug-Free Organic Gardening (formerly titled "The Naturally Bug-Free Garden")

The Ultimate Guide to Soil (also available as four smaller ebooks as "Personality Tests for Your Soil," "Small-Scale No-Till Gardening Basics," "Balancing Soil Nutrients and Acidity," and "Soil Amendments for the Organic Garden")

Chickens:

Getting Started With Your Working Chicken (FREE ebook!)

Incubation Handbook

Pasture Basics

Thrifty Chicken Breeds

Building a DIY Chicken Waterer

Eating the Working Chicken

Download a free ebook and dive into a wealth of information when you join my email list at https://wetknee.com/free-books/

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,428 global ratings
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5 Stars
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Top reviews from the United States

MV
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the newbie
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
I started getting answers to my questions within a few minutes of reading. Awesome 👌

Thanks for writing this book.
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Barbara
4.0 out of 5 stars Meat chickens
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2023
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The book is very short. Like a pleasant conversation with a stranger. It does not go into any details. A quick read.
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Bruce Andis
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Chicken Noobies!
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
Anna Hess breaks down the basics of owning your first flock of chickens with easy to digest, bite-sized nuggets of information. There are other books that go into greater detail -- indeed, Hess has other volumes that delve into more poultry detail -- but this one is a great starter for the starter flock. I've had three flocks of my own. I wish I'd had Anna's book when I started out.
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Michelle Doll
3.0 out of 5 stars Some major fallacies
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
One of the biggest lies I have seen told to novice chicken ranchers is that the girls start slacking off after a couple molts. Nothing could be farther from the truth! If you want to see for yourself, just weigh the eggs. Beginning at the, well, beginning, the hen will lay every day more or less. After her first molt (which can look quite terrifying for a novice. Who knew a hen wore so many feathers!), a hen will lay few but larger eggs. I was weighing mine as part of an experiment by Mother Earth News, and noticed that some individuals went from 6 a week to 5, but the total weight was the same. So, if you keep your flock healthy, give them supplemental protein (aka bugs/ meal worms) as needed and keep stress low, you will not notice any difference in overall "harvest". One of my elders, a 15 year old Americauna, laid eggs so large they didn't fit in the cartons (3.5- 3.7 oz!) She laid a steady 4 a week, helped wrangle babies, and was a calming presence in the flock. A predator got her one night, sadly. Killing a laying hen is akin to butchering a milk cow. If you have a laying issue, you may need to tweak the diet, get them a fan when it's hot, etc. Heck, I still sing to mine in the evening to settle them, just like I did when they were chicks.
Another issue I think is important is grit. City chicks may not have enough grit in their diet to digest non-kibble food (anything that's not dry chicken feed) so you may need to supply it for them. Your local feed store will have it.
Lastly, I think it is worth mentioning that your flocks' health largely depends on how clean you keep their area(s). Allowing feces to gather is just asking for trouble. Go through at least once a month and scrape, scrub, etc. any stuck on poop. I usually remove some of the hay & replace it with fresh. It makes great compost. I have dirt floors & use deep mulching. You will need to research & do what works best for you. I've heard of rinsable linoleum floors, even.
So, it's a mixed review, as you can see. I give it 5 out of 10 Unicorns, mostly because she advocates slaughtering of laying hens. If that part gets removed, I'd give it 8/10.
🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄
6 people found this helpful
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Larissa
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Perfect Guide For Raising Chickens!
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a really good book for beginners in chicken raising. I have raised chickens from chicks for many years and while they are the best experience that I have ever had, learning before you dive into chicken raising is a must. I wanted to read this book since after losing my chickens about a year ago, I am looking to get them again when we move to our new home. So I wanted to read up on which chicken breeds are good.

I have had the leghorns, silkies, Rhode island reds, and Americana. Out of the ones that I have had I love the Americana, and the reds. The reds are great birds for our climate. They are hardier to the colds. The book goes into details on the best egg birds and the meat birds. I do not kill them for food, just eggs. I grow to love them too much.

I really enjoyed the book, it reminded me all that I needed to do to prepare and is great explanatory guide to raising chickens. I recommend this book 100%.!
6 people found this helpful
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marriagecoach1
4.0 out of 5 stars A good primer for raising chicken for meat and eggs
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is an authoritative introduction to chicken raising for people who want to augment their groceries both in eggs and
in meat. The author makes specific recommendations on breeds best suited to egg laying and lower feed costs as
well as meat production. She also explains about selling eggs which can be a good hobby farm business.. The price
is right for this short book. I was impressed with the many pics for illustration included in this book as it is an ongoing rant for me
about Kindle books. The book could have been improved by professional editing as I found typos in the copy.

The reviewer is the author of the new Kindle book entitled: Sex Education For Adults Secrets To Amazing
Sex and Happily Ever After Too
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Edith Horgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Full of info
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read & very interesting. I learned a lot & want to now put it to use. Will be doing so next spring. Thank you for this book Anna. I plan to read other books by you also. I like the way you write. I also enjoyed the child's book. Very good!
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Kat NC
5.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023
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Perfect length, wonderful information, additional links included and stuff I hadn't actually thought of before. I'm thrilled to have found this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amanda Baughan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Really helpful and interesting. Lots of information but not boring. Can't wait for mine to arrive! Thanks to the author.
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SilverDart
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Thanks for this valuable information
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Michael Calleja
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and lots of information
Reviewed in Australia on July 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
I'm thinking of getting some chickens this book has made it easier for me to decide which ones are best for my family and other facts about chicken keeping I had not thought about.
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Sally A. S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Quick Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
I'm a quick reader so got through it in 20 minutes. Some really concise advice. Brief but to the point. E.g. Don't name livestock. Brutally honest voice of experiance. Sensible but too short. (No mention of pests except racoons! Maybe they're in the other books in the series.)
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
I never received this
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