An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens Quotes

“You don’t want one cold night to be the end of the lovely chickens you call by name. So continue to harden them off in steps. When nights are chilly, leave them in their pen all day, and bring them indoors to a temperate brooder to sleep. Replace the old 250-watt heat lamp with a 75-watt bulb, and let them learn about cooler nights in stages.”
― Jenna Woginrich, An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens: Watch Chicks Grow from Hatchlings to Hens

“Australorps are an Australian invention. Hailing from a heritage of Rhode Island Reds and Black Orpingtons, along with a few other high-production breeds, these black birds are serious about laying and have a reputation for high production and sweet temperaments.”
― Jenna Woginrich, An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens: Watch Chicks Grow from Hatchlings to Hens

“When your birds are three to six weeks old, place them on the kitchen floor and let them mill about for a minute or two. Then drop a hat in the middle of the floor. The hens will shrink down or run; the males usually lift their heads and look around. It’s their most basic protective instinct shining through.”
― Jenna Woginrich, An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens: Watch Chicks Grow from Hatchlings to Hens