Importance of Topsoil 31
Chickens as Direct Deposit Fertilizers 34
Build Soil with a Rotating Chicken Tractor 37
Sheet Mulch Instead of Cover Cropping 38
Chicken Enhanced Raised Beds 39
Chickens as Mulch Cleaners and Compost Spreaders 40
Deep Mulched, Multiple Rotating Runs 41
Chicken Condo Case Study: Joseph Martinez 43
Garden Chicken Fencing 47
Fencing Types You Can Use with Chickens 49
Other Ways to Protect Plants from Hens 51
Perimeter Fencing 52 Poultry Portals 54
Vegetables Above; Chickens Below: Trellises 54
Fruit and Nut Trees 54
Mushrooms and Chickens 55
Mulches and Chickens 56
Chickens in Woods & Shrubs 56
Deep Litter in Outdoor Runs 56
You Want Earthworms – Lots of Them 57
Soil Acidity or Alkalinity (pH) 57
The Problems with Rotary Tilling 58
Poultry as Pesticiders 60
Chickens and Honey Bees 63

3Growing Food for Chickens 66
General Observations on What Chickens Eat and Do in a Garden 68
What Attracts Chickens to Forage?
68 Using Fencing as Feeders
70 The Value of Vertical: Chickens with Raised Beds and Trellis 70
Lawns as Mini-pastures 71
Growing Sprout Gardens for Feed 73
Growing Soil with Hens 74
Are They Getting Enough Food? 75
Hen Heated Cold Frame and Green House 75

4Creating Compost and Garden Soil 79
Types of Compost 81
Backyard Garden Composting with Chicken Manure 82
Composting Pet Manure 88
How Compost Kills Pathogens and Self-sanitizes 89
Compost Moisture, Aeration and Fermentation 90
Turning Compost Piles 91
Compost Pile Shape & Size 91
Compost Sites 91
When is Compost Done & What is It? 91
Compost Equipment 93
Do It Yourself Composters 95
Summary of Steps for Successful Composting 98
Composting for Restaurants and Others 102
Case Study 1: Restaurant Residue Recycling in a Market Garden 102
Case Study 2: Recycle for Restaurants & Groceries 103
Commercial Urban Composting as an Alternative to Landfills 104
Case Study 3: The Vermont Compost Company 106

5Chicken Housing, Furniture & Interior Design 112
Protection from Predators On, Under, and Above Ground 117
Hen House Location, Location, Location 117
Coop Requirements 117
Severe Weather Protection 121
Hen House Flooring 122
Coop Interior Design & Furniture Essentials 122
1. Waterers 123
2. Feeders 132
3. Nest Boxes 136
4. Nest Box Bedding & Liners 139
5. Floor Bedding 139
6. Roosts and Perches 142
7. Pop Holes 144
8. Ramps to Pop Holes & Ladders to Roosts 145
9. Dust Box (Chicken Spa) 145
10. Flat Surfaces in a Coop 147
11. Lighting 147
12. Heating 148
13. Runs, Fencing & Backyard Day Ranging 149
14. Tools and Supplies for Chicken Care. 149
Coop Building Materials and Green Design 149
Daily Hen Care 150
Vacation Care 151

6Feeds and Feeding Micro-flocks 152
How Chickens Eat 153
How Much Does a Chicken Eat? 154
The Healthy Hen Diet 155
Feed Presentation: Pellets, Crumble, Meal, and Mash 157
Commercial Feed 158 Home-made Chicken Feed 162
Make Scratch from Scratch 171
Grit and Calcium 172

Feed Formulations 173
Seasonal Adjustments of Poultry Rations 174
Sprouting Grains and Peas for Feed 176
Grazing for Feed 179
Storing Feed 181
14 Ways to Cut Feed Costs 183
How to Tell if a Chicken is Getting Enough Food 188

7Chicken Quest: How to Find Your Flock 189
Cold Climate Considerations 191
How Long to Keep a Hen? 192
Where to Buy Chickens 193

8Raising Heritage Chicken Breeds in the City 197 Definition of a Heritage Breed 199
Definition of a Heritage Breed Egg 200
Which Heritage Chicken Breed is Right for You? 201

9Brooding Peepers to Layers 208
Brooder Systems 209
1. Brooder Location 210
2. Dynamic Brooder Set-up 211
3. Environmental Control Systems 214
4. Brooding Water System 218
5. Brooding Feeding Systems 220 Brooder Checklist 221 Micro-Flock Brooder Journal 223

10Incubating and Hatching 238
Setting up your incubator 238
Buying Eggs to Hatch 240 The Hatching Process 241 Incubating: The Way of the Hen 245
Grafting Purchased Baby Chicks to a Broody Hen 251

11Be a Chicken Whisperer 255
The Chicken Language 256
A Day in the Life of a Hen 258
Pecking Order 259
How to Help Keep Peace and a Stable Pecking Order 262
Broody Hens (Sitting on Eggs) 263
Hens Morphing into Roosters 264
Integrating New Members Into Your Flock 265
Handling Chickens 266
Catching Chickens 267
Holding Chickens 271
Getting a Chicken Out of a Nest Box 272
Handling Pullets 273
Hens as House Pets 274
Therapy Chickens 275
Dealing with Aggressive Chickens 277
Seven Outrageous Chicken Tricks 278
1. Jumping Chicken Trick 279
2. Chicken Conversations Comedy 279
3. Funky Chicken Act 279
4. Lap Chicken Stunt 281
5. Dead Chicken Trick 281
6. Gallos Gynecological Exam Act 281
7. Hen as Platter Act 281

12Profitable Home Eggri-business 283
Your Eggs-traordinary Product 283
Income from Raising Pullets for Replacement Hens 289
Where to Sell Your Products 290
How to Advertise Your Products 292
Mind Your Own Business 295
Customer Service 298
Challenges in Egg Production and Sales 298
Egg Storage & How Long Eggs Keep 300
Legal Concerns 302

13Children and Chickens 303
Children Handling Poultry 304
Children Helping to Tend Poultry 306
Hatching Eggs as a School Project 306
Hens and Environmental Studies 308
Introducing Adults and Chickens 310

14Poultry Clubs & City Chicks Projects 312
Poultry and Garden Clubs 312
American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association 313
4-H Poultry Clubs 313
Poultry Blogs & Websites 313
Poultry Rescue 314
Local Abbattoir 314
Master Chicken Keeper Certification 314
City Chick Coop & Garden Tours 315
Poultry Club Blogs & Chat Groups 315
Local Poultry and Garden Clubs 315
Inter-disciplinary Poultry and Garden Clubs 315

15City Chicks Project Work Book 317
Poultry Project Goal 318
Learning & Skills Development Objectives 318
City Chick Micro-flock Worksheet and Information Tracking 321
Time & Task Tracking 323
Income 325
City Chick Production Indicators 325
Summarize Your Project 326

16Poultry Primary Health Care 327
Chicken Identification 329
What You Can do to Prevent Health Problems 332
Administering Medicine 336
The Towel Wrap to Secure a Bird 336
Oral Dose (Drench) 337
Giving a Chicken an Injection 337
Infectious Diseases in Poultry 338
Eye Problems 342
Worms (internal infestations) 344
Wounds 345
Feather Loss 345
Laying Problems 349
Foot and Leg Problems 351
Crop and Gizzard Problems 354
Disappearing Chickens & Eggs 356
Rodents as a Health Problem 357
Poultry Vices 359
How to End it All (Euthanasia) 365

17The Poultry’s Pharmacy 366
Poultry First Aid Kit Check List 367
Antibiotics 367
Eye Treatments 372
Topical Wound Treatments 373
How to Make a Comfrey Healing Salve or Balm 374
How to Make Sulfur Ointment 376
Treating Internal Worm Infestations 378
Symptomatic Support 379

18Get City Chicks Legal in Your Town 381
Major American City Chick Laws 381
The Saga of Getting Chickens Legal in Lexington, Virginia 383
Summary of Legal City Chicks Lessons Learned 398

19City Chick Predators 402
Protecting Your Flock from Predators 406

20City Roosters 408
Should Roosters be Allowed in City Limits? 410
Can Roosters be Kept Quiet? 410

Epilogue: The Chicken Have-More Plan Revisited 413 Glossary 430

Resources & Bibliography 437
Index 446

City Chicks: Employing Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Creators, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Suppliers

Table of Contents