Reviews by backyardcelia

i might be biased, because i read this book while looking at the caribbean sea, but i loved this book. usually i skim a book and then read it cover to cover... not this book, i read it page by page, cover to cover... twice. and that was before we got our chickens. it made me confident in my decision that i had already made(we were just about to get the chicks) it made me think seriously about what other poultry might fancy me.... i mean, i had never thought i'd keep chickens, so why not rethink other birds as well... we have the space, we have the commitment, so sky's the limit!

this book is where i got the notion to absolutely have a pond dug (we have not done it yet, but it takes me a while to do my research... and part with our money!) this book made me decide against our originally intended future guinea hens, and so we thought about ducks for the first time. it also made me think that my peacock dream could be a reality. if this book were hard covered i would have given it 5 stars!

i was excited when i received this gift, but it honestly wasn't what i expected. (i like a little order to my random information! still,) in my opinion, it is well worth the price for the illustrations and mark twain's chicken vocabulary alone. it's a handsome little, red cloth, nicely bound book, nice for any chicken enthusiast to have laying around! (my only personal complaint, there's no room to write in a border anyplace). i'll give it 3 stars !

i received this as a birthday gift when my husband and i were contemplating chicken keeping. a good portion of the book is your standard chicken breed dictionary. the rest is filled with bite sized information... in other words, it doesn't get too deep. i totally agree with TamTurkey's review, if you are looking for a book & you've already decided that you are going to keep chickens (and you are only buying one book), you probably ought to get a different (or another)book. you will want something that gets more into the nitty gritty! this is much more a picture book, but a very thoughtful one, concerned with most of the basics.
if it were the only book you read, you may be surprised suddenly when it's not all sunny side up (this is NOT like several other chicken keeping books i own; complete with graphic infestations, "crime scenes", natural disasters, etc!) for example, there is no "predator" in the index of this book!
i give it 3 stars, in part because i truly think the subtitle is misleading ("getting the best from your chickens"... it might be better called, getting to know some of the best about chickens)

i bought this in a pinch (unexpected weather) and before reading any reviews... i didn't see too many alternatives. i haven't had any luck with hanging feeders or waterers, in general they seem to be messy for me, so i cannot complain about that... but, when it arrived i was baffled by it's design.
however it did not take long to get used to filling it (even if my hose is not frozen, i use a jug to fill it) and flipping it (you have to be mindful of where you place it when filling, otherwise you immediately end up with dirt or snow in the dish!), while i wouldn't fill it in the coop and it is rather heavy when full, it is fine for the price and most importantly it is effective!

me & the girls give it a 3star experience