When Julia Hollander agreed to buy her small daughter a rabbit, she had no idea that she would end up with two hens as well. Finding herself at the wrong end of a very steep learning curve, she then had to master the many skills of hen husbandry in short order, from what to feed them to how best to fox-proof a small urban garden.
Chicken Coops for the Soul is a record of the five years of trial & error that ensued, in which Julia charts the joys, challenges & inevitable moments of disappointment thyat face any aspiring poultry keeper. It's also a compendium of wisdom about the humble chicken that explains, among many other things, which breeds are most productive, why some hens lay double-yolkers, & how we have the Second World War to thank for our ability to tell newly hatched male & female chicks apart. Not to mention a considered discussion of where the first chicken (or egg) came from.
Fascinating & entertaining by turns, this is a book that will prove invaluable to the aspiring keeper & remind chicken aficionados why they became hooked in the first place.