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A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens
Covering everything from feeding, housing, and collecting eggs to quirky behaviors and humane treatment, Caughey’s engaging advice helps children understand the best ways to care for their chickens. Spark enthusiasm with creative activities like chicken forts and a veggie piñata for the flock, and feed more than the imagination with egg-centric dishes like Mexican egg pizza.
137 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 16, 2016
A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens: Best Breeds, Creating a Home, Care and Handling, Outdoor Fun, Crafts and Treats is a good book for newbies and people that just want to compare views. (and chickens)
Here are some fun facts and things this book includes:
(1) Never use chicken wire. Yes. It does keep chickens in, but it also invites the average predator in to the chicken brunch.
(2) A chicken pinata is a very nice little gift for chickens. Made from a cabbage and twine. It is good for getting chickens out of the coop.
(3) Interesting coops and runs are in this book. The book tells you the Pros and Cons of each coop and run.
(4) The different breeds of chickens that are good for eggs and good for meat.
(5) Fun treats for chickens and chicks.
(6) A guide to the diseases that can be found in chicks and hens.
(7) Cures for diseases and infections.
(8) Chicken egg sizes.
(9) Ways to check if the eggs are fertilized or not.
(10) Pros and Cons of free run chickens.
This book is helpful for us because we are taking care of a friend of the families chickens while they are away. I read this book the first night we had it. It is helpful if you want to start your own group of chickens.
-Jocelyn Kuntz
Here are some fun facts and things this book includes:
(1) Never use chicken wire. Yes. It does keep chickens in, but it also invites the average predator in to the chicken brunch.
(2) A chicken pinata is a very nice little gift for chickens. Made from a cabbage and twine. It is good for getting chickens out of the coop.
(3) Interesting coops and runs are in this book. The book tells you the Pros and Cons of each coop and run.
(4) The different breeds of chickens that are good for eggs and good for meat.
(5) Fun treats for chickens and chicks.
(6) A guide to the diseases that can be found in chicks and hens.
(7) Cures for diseases and infections.
(8) Chicken egg sizes.
(9) Ways to check if the eggs are fertilized or not.
(10) Pros and Cons of free run chickens.
This book is helpful for us because we are taking care of a friend of the families chickens while they are away. I read this book the first night we had it. It is helpful if you want to start your own group of chickens.
-Jocelyn Kuntz
March 12, 2023
I looooooooove chickens!!!!!!!!!
March 5, 2015
Rating: 5 Star Highly recommended!
I read this as a pre-release e-book provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
This was both a delightful and very informative book which would be good for anyone - children as well as adults - who are looking into beginning to raise chickens for pets or eggs.
Included are the real considerations one must think about when deciding whether to raise chickens, including looking at local ordinances, not becoming a nuisance to their neighbors, planning ahead for chickens, and easy-to-understand descriptions on the responsibilities for caring for those chickens, complete with photos of someone performing the daily chicken-care which will be required. It goes through the anatomy of a chicken, to the life-cycle of a chicken from when it's hatching up to end-of-life issues. It briefly describes health conditions which chickens can get, how to avoid or correct some of those, and when to seek help from a veterinarian, and how to find an appropriate one.
A "Top 10" list of breeds for kids is included. This describes 10 common breeds of chickens, as well as some of the features of those breeds, and some considerations - especially climate. This makes looking at chicken breeds a lot easier - especially for children - than looking through catalogs at feed stores or in typical books on poultry management. It also suggested ways to get baby chicks of the desired breed.
The book includes a large section of housing for chickens - from day-old chicks through adult chickens, and how much space they will require. This goes from the abstract of where and how many as not to cause a problem, to descriptions of types of housing which chickens can use, down to detailed instructions for building such a structure. Included are clear instructions to get the help or approval of an adult in making, or deciding where to situate a chicken coop. Free-range chickens are also discussed.
As a library director in a farming community which has active 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) clubs, with youngsters in those clubs looking for projects they can do, I certainly intend to be recommending it to children and their parents and mentors who are looking for animal-related projects to do. A growing number of people move to the country, including where I live, and want to raise chickens, after years of not raising chickens, or who have never raised chickens. While this is a children's book, and it is written quite understandably and is an appropriate book for such an adult as well. Many of these people live outside of town on farms and ranches, and a small number of chickens may be kept by people in town.
I will also use at least one, probably more, of the chicken-related or egg-related arts-and-crafts described in the book in a program.
I raised chickens in the distant past, and I learned quite a bit of things. This book makes me want to have some chickens again!
I read this as a pre-release e-book provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
This was both a delightful and very informative book which would be good for anyone - children as well as adults - who are looking into beginning to raise chickens for pets or eggs.
Included are the real considerations one must think about when deciding whether to raise chickens, including looking at local ordinances, not becoming a nuisance to their neighbors, planning ahead for chickens, and easy-to-understand descriptions on the responsibilities for caring for those chickens, complete with photos of someone performing the daily chicken-care which will be required. It goes through the anatomy of a chicken, to the life-cycle of a chicken from when it's hatching up to end-of-life issues. It briefly describes health conditions which chickens can get, how to avoid or correct some of those, and when to seek help from a veterinarian, and how to find an appropriate one.
A "Top 10" list of breeds for kids is included. This describes 10 common breeds of chickens, as well as some of the features of those breeds, and some considerations - especially climate. This makes looking at chicken breeds a lot easier - especially for children - than looking through catalogs at feed stores or in typical books on poultry management. It also suggested ways to get baby chicks of the desired breed.
The book includes a large section of housing for chickens - from day-old chicks through adult chickens, and how much space they will require. This goes from the abstract of where and how many as not to cause a problem, to descriptions of types of housing which chickens can use, down to detailed instructions for building such a structure. Included are clear instructions to get the help or approval of an adult in making, or deciding where to situate a chicken coop. Free-range chickens are also discussed.
As a library director in a farming community which has active 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) clubs, with youngsters in those clubs looking for projects they can do, I certainly intend to be recommending it to children and their parents and mentors who are looking for animal-related projects to do. A growing number of people move to the country, including where I live, and want to raise chickens, after years of not raising chickens, or who have never raised chickens. While this is a children's book, and it is written quite understandably and is an appropriate book for such an adult as well. Many of these people live outside of town on farms and ranches, and a small number of chickens may be kept by people in town.
I will also use at least one, probably more, of the chicken-related or egg-related arts-and-crafts described in the book in a program.
I raised chickens in the distant past, and I learned quite a bit of things. This book makes me want to have some chickens again!
May 10, 2017
If you have kids (and maybe even if you don't) and are getting chickens this book is the best! I feel like it's simple and eye catching enough for my kids to read something and understand what needs to be done while being in depth enough to provide you with all the information. My 6 year old has spent a good couple hours pouring over this. My 8 year old is so excited about the "treat recipes." Even with the all knowing internet this book has been an invaluable resource as we start our chicken journey.
August 28, 2017
We recently got baby chicks, and to get the kids interested in them, we had them get books about raising chickens out of the library. Most of the ones they found were almost picture books. But this one stood out as looking like it was more thorough, so I decided to read it too, and I'm glad I did. Despite being a book for children, it has a lot of information. Basic, because of the age range, but since I never raised chickens before it was all a good starting point for me. I would recommend it to anyone who, like me, finds themselves in the unexpected role of chicken owner.
April 19, 2023
This book is amazing.
We just got our chicks and read this book every night for story time for the month before getting them, and it really prepared us for things I wouldn’t have thought about. We have other more intensive books, but for someone like me who has a hard time learning if it’s not entertaining, this was perfect. Perfect for me and perfect for my 6 year-old. (Our chicks our now 4 weeks old and going strong and this is our first time trying to raise any)
We just got our chicks and read this book every night for story time for the month before getting them, and it really prepared us for things I wouldn’t have thought about. We have other more intensive books, but for someone like me who has a hard time learning if it’s not entertaining, this was perfect. Perfect for me and perfect for my 6 year-old. (Our chicks our now 4 weeks old and going strong and this is our first time trying to raise any)
November 12, 2017
Loved it! I have kept chickens most of my life and this book has taught me so many things I never have known. This will have a place in my household for a very long time. I highly recommend this to experienced and first time chicken owners alike.
April 28, 2020
This is exactly what my kids (and I) needed as we researched how to care for chickens as we prepared to have some in our own backyard. Informative and yet simple enough not to be overwhelming. Highly recommended!
March 2, 2025
Not only laid out simply and straightforward, but also has great crafts and activities as well as recipes for eggs! I used it, as an adult, for an easy to read 1st Guide for basics when all others were checked out in the library. Got all I needed to from it!
November 4, 2016
This is a fun book for both children and adults. It is packed full of projects and opportunity to learn. Beautiful illustrations too. Lots of recipes for both chickens and humans.
February 27, 2017
Excellent guide for kids and adults on raising chickens.
May 31, 2020
This was the perfect book for my kids (and me!) as we embarked on raising 8 chicks. My kids are so eager to make the chickens treats when they’re older, and to try some of the chicken crafts. I would have preferred more detail about some of the topics, but then again, I have the internet. 😊
September 15, 2021
Learned a lot from this little book. Lots of fun projects to try with the kids too!
January 5, 2022
I loved this book! It gave me all the info I needed to take care of my friendly chickens. There is nothing bad about this book from my perspective.
July 2, 2022
amazing book! Plenty of beautiful images and very useful tips. Highly recommended
July 23, 2023
Hands down the best chicken book I've ever read, it keep you interested and had nice pictures an graphics, had interesting facts and things I never knew. Highly recommend for all ages!
August 9, 2023
GREAT book!! 👏👏👏
January 13, 2024
Awesome buff for any beginners looking into starting a chicken coop has all the basic information for you to understand the 101
August 3, 2024
I really liked that you just read the book and then you can go have fun with your chickens and try out what you learned in the book.
April 20, 2025
Turns out the best and most helpful book on raising chickens that I've read is this one. For kids! Back to the basics! Kids really enjoyed it too. They are PUMPED.
February 21, 2017
A book that won a prize.
February 7, 2015
If you have ever considered keeping chickens in your back yard, you really need to read this book! It tells about the author, a ‘city girl’, and her family being introduced to keeping chickens and how they now love doing so. It goes through all the steps to help set up your own flock, from choosing the best chickens, rearing them, looking after them and everything else you might need to know to rear and care for your own chickens. There’s even sections on chicken crafts, cooking with eggs, glossary, resources and an index to help the reader find out all they want to know. The guidance is cautionary as well as enthusiastic. It helps make the minimum requirements clear and warns to check local rules and regulations before actually getting any chicks. It also tells about the daily routine tasks that are necessary to keep the chickens safe and healthy.
Throughout out this comprehensive book there is lots of information - such as an annotated diagram to show the names given to different parts of a chicken’s body, details about different feathers and chicken combs, the top ten breeds for children and lots, lots more! Interspersed are the opinions of different children who keep chickens, sharing information about what they like about doing so. There are also Quick Chick Facts, too and recipes for treats to feed to your flock.
A superb resource for any family considering keeping chickens. The content is well organised, facts shared in a detailed but interesting way and it is well illustrated by photographs, diagrams and pictures. Guidance is given on all aspects of keeping chickens and the final sections give fun ideas for crafts and delicious recipes to try. This book would also be a great resource for any class or school considering keeping chickens as part of their curriculum.
Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Throughout out this comprehensive book there is lots of information - such as an annotated diagram to show the names given to different parts of a chicken’s body, details about different feathers and chicken combs, the top ten breeds for children and lots, lots more! Interspersed are the opinions of different children who keep chickens, sharing information about what they like about doing so. There are also Quick Chick Facts, too and recipes for treats to feed to your flock.
A superb resource for any family considering keeping chickens. The content is well organised, facts shared in a detailed but interesting way and it is well illustrated by photographs, diagrams and pictures. Guidance is given on all aspects of keeping chickens and the final sections give fun ideas for crafts and delicious recipes to try. This book would also be a great resource for any class or school considering keeping chickens as part of their curriculum.
Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2015
Did you know that chickens do indeed make good pets? Unbelievable you say? Well, take the word of Melissa Caughey, award winning blogger of Tilly’s Nest and HGTV.com gardening contributor. She has taken ten years of experience with her own backyard flock and shown just how easy and entertaining it is to take care of chickens. And then Caughey has taken it a step further where other chicken keeping books have yet to go. SHE HAS WRITTEN THIS BOOK FOR YOUNG READERS, ACTUALLY WRITTEN IT FOR KIDS- making this title perfect for family reading!
Full color photography & lively illustrations throughout make this a title both educational and easy to use. Great detail on everything from choosing the best types of chickens, creating a safe coop, how to care and feed your chickens, and how to safely handle and train your chickens (yes, it can be done!). Information on how to start composting, how to plan and plant a chicken friendly garden for free ranging, and even diagrams of a chicken’s anatomy,digestive system & how the chicken embryo develops & hatches from the egg.
And young chicken keepers have contributed to the title in a Q&A piece found throughout the book called, “Why I Love Chickens.” Kids will enjoy reading what their peers enjoy about keeping chickens.
Caughey also includes recipes and craft projects to round out the book for librarians and teachers alike. This title is certain to please the farm to table crowd eager to start their own flocks, farmers market shoppers, 4-H Clubs and even homeschoolers looking to add science and home economics to their children’s studies.
Full color photography & lively illustrations throughout make this a title both educational and easy to use. Great detail on everything from choosing the best types of chickens, creating a safe coop, how to care and feed your chickens, and how to safely handle and train your chickens (yes, it can be done!). Information on how to start composting, how to plan and plant a chicken friendly garden for free ranging, and even diagrams of a chicken’s anatomy,digestive system & how the chicken embryo develops & hatches from the egg.
And young chicken keepers have contributed to the title in a Q&A piece found throughout the book called, “Why I Love Chickens.” Kids will enjoy reading what their peers enjoy about keeping chickens.
Caughey also includes recipes and craft projects to round out the book for librarians and teachers alike. This title is certain to please the farm to table crowd eager to start their own flocks, farmers market shoppers, 4-H Clubs and even homeschoolers looking to add science and home economics to their children’s studies.
January 16, 2015
Did you know that chickens do indeed make good pets? Unbelievable you say? Well, take the word of Melissa Caughey, award winning blogger of Tilly’s Nest and HGTV.com gardening contributor. She has taken ten years of experience with her own backyard flock and shown just how easy and entertaining it is to take care of chickens. And then Caughey has taken it a step further where other chicken keeping books have yet to go. She has written this book for young readers, making this title perfect for family reading!
Full color photography & lively illustrations throughout make this a title both educational and easy to use. Great detail on everything from choosing the best types of chickens, creating a safe coop, how to care and feed your chickens, and how to safely handle and train your chickens (yes, it can be done!). Information on how to start composting, how to plan and plant a chicken friendly garden for free ranging, and even diagrams of a chicken’s digestive system. And young chicken keepers have contributed to the title in a Q&A piece found throughout the book called, “Why I Love Chickens.” Kids will enjoy reading what their peers enjoy about keeping chickens.
Caughey also includes recipes and craft projects to round out the book for librarians and teachers alike. This title is certain to please the farm to table crowd eager to start their own flocks, famers’ market shoppers, 4-H Clubs and even homeschoolers looking to add science and home economics to their children’s studies.
Full color photography & lively illustrations throughout make this a title both educational and easy to use. Great detail on everything from choosing the best types of chickens, creating a safe coop, how to care and feed your chickens, and how to safely handle and train your chickens (yes, it can be done!). Information on how to start composting, how to plan and plant a chicken friendly garden for free ranging, and even diagrams of a chicken’s digestive system. And young chicken keepers have contributed to the title in a Q&A piece found throughout the book called, “Why I Love Chickens.” Kids will enjoy reading what their peers enjoy about keeping chickens.
Caughey also includes recipes and craft projects to round out the book for librarians and teachers alike. This title is certain to please the farm to table crowd eager to start their own flocks, famers’ market shoppers, 4-H Clubs and even homeschoolers looking to add science and home economics to their children’s studies.
March 19, 2015
Don't let the name of this book fool you -- even if you don't have kids, this is an excellent book for a new chicken keeper who loves their chickens. I got so many ideas to make treats for my hens, and to make their lives more fun. The author truly understands the loving relationship we can create with our chickens.
That being said -- if you do have kids - this book is a must - especially if your kids can read it prior to the first chicks moving in. They will have a blast treating their flock. More importantly, they will learn all about hens - from their anatomy to proper feeding and care. There are crafts and recipes for kids to do too.
A delightful book - great information - vibrant photos - as the host of the internet based Chicken Show - this book is one of my favorites for all round chicken care for those of us who consider chickens pets. Love, love, love it.
That being said -- if you do have kids - this book is a must - especially if your kids can read it prior to the first chicks moving in. They will have a blast treating their flock. More importantly, they will learn all about hens - from their anatomy to proper feeding and care. There are crafts and recipes for kids to do too.
A delightful book - great information - vibrant photos - as the host of the internet based Chicken Show - this book is one of my favorites for all round chicken care for those of us who consider chickens pets. Love, love, love it.
November 2, 2015
I picked this up in the children's section of my library and read it for fun. Someday I'll get to try chickens and when I do I'll have to reread this. This is children's non-fiction at it's best -- color pictures, broken up text boxes, clear information. It includes information on choosing a flock, housing them, raising chicks, feeding, eggs, what to do with sick chicks, training chickens, but also crafts and recipes, all mixed up with treats for chickens and interviews with kids who have raised chickens.
January 28, 2015
I've always wanted to keep chickens and this book might have tipped me over the edge to getting some! This comprehensive book tells you everything you might ever want to know about keeping chickens. The text is engaging without being condescending. It's in short pieces with lots of gorgeous pictures and illustrations. I loved this one.
February 14, 2015
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 26, 2015
I really love this book...I read a lot of chicken books and this one really gets it right. It hits on the care and the keeping, but also the fun and the philosophy of backyard birds, family and forging a relationship with our husbandry environment.
Great for adults and kids!
Great for adults and kids!
February 13, 2016
Children's nonfiction books are fantastic, and this one is no exception. Informative, interesting, lots of pictures, readable format, and the author kept everything brief and straightforward. I'm buying this for my library.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews