The choice of henkeeping books is bewildering – especially if you’re just starting out. When we were planning for the arrival of our little flock it was tricky to know which was the best to buy, and as a result we bought more than we needed and got thoroughly confused.

It turned out that there’s really not that much you need to know about keeping hens. As long as you know how to house them, what to feed them and how to diagnose a few simple ailments you’ll be OK.

If you can get all that in fewer than 100 pages, all the better.

That’s where this slim book excels. A very quick read, it’s beautifully produced, small enough to keep to hand, and contains pretty much everything you need to know. Better yet, it’s written by a back yard hen keeper, who has only two hens of her own, so you know she’s coming from the same place as yourself.

It’s the only book in which I remember reading anything about checking the deeds of your house and notifying your council (both essential) before buying your hens, and its ‘year in a hen house’ section walks you through your first few months of looking after chickens. Settling them in, gaining acceptance from your existing pets, clipping their wings, chicken-proofing your garden… it’s all covered here in sufficient, but not excessive detail.

The only thing we’d add is a shopping list of essentials you really need to get in before your chickens arrive, but that’s a small point, and not enough to rob it of a five-star rating.

I wish we’d had this book before we set out on our own chicken-keeping adventures.

Price £6.99 RRP (£5.49 from Amazon)
Author Jane Eastoe
ISBN 1843403587

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3. The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow: review