From detailed reference resources to memoirs, comprehensive guides and go-to-manuals for beginners and experienced chicken keepers alike, the books and magazines listed here present a wide array of chicken information and inspiration.
Reference & Guides
Damerow, Gail. The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference. Storey Pub., 2012.
Complete with breed descriptions, common medical concerns, and plenty of chicken trivia, this illustrated A-to-Z reference guide is both informative and entertaining. Covering tail types, breeding, molting, communication, and much more, Gail Damerow provides answers to all of your chicken questions and quandaries.
The Backyard Chicken Keeper’s Bible
Ford, Jessica. The Backyard Chicken Keeper’s Bible: Discover Chicken Breeds, Behavior, Coops, Eggs, and More. Abrams, 2023.
With detailed visuals of the top backyard chicken breeds– as well as notable chickens and keepers around the world and throughout history– readers will discover more about starting and caring for their own home flock, plus the best equipment and resources to keep them happy and thriving, how to create chicken-friendly gardens, coops, and runs, and how to become better animal advocates.
The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens
Schneider, Andy G. The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens: Everything You Need to Know—and Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Backyard and Urban Chickens. Revised edition. Quarry Books, 2017.
Renowned poultry personality Andy Schneider shares his expertise in this comprehensive common-sense guide for beginners and urban chicken keepers. Full of practical advice, from building a coop, to breed selection, nutrition and keeping a healthy flock, this accessible guide covers all that’s needed to keep chickens in your own backyard.
The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens
Mormino, Kathy Shea.The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens. Voyageur Press, 2017.
Kathy Shea Mormino’s practical, down-to-earth approach and common sense methods guide newbie, veteran, and aspiring chickeneers alike through all aspects of small-flock care… from buying chicks to healthcare, feeding, egg production and much more.
Memoirs & Fiction
Danovich, Tove. Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them. Lightning Source Inc, 2023.
An immersive blend of chicken-keeping memoir and culture reporting by journalist Tove Danovich, revealing the hidden cleverness, quiet sweetness, and irresistible personalities of these birds, as well as the complex human-chicken relationship that has evolved over centuries. This glimpse into the lives of backyard chickens doesn’t just help our understanding of chickens, it casts light back on ourselves and what we’ve ignored throughout the explosive growth of industrial agriculture.
Waltner-Toews, David. A Conspiracy of Chickens: a Memoir. Wolsak and Wynn Publishers, 2022.
Veterinarian, epidemiologist and author David Waltner-Toews has travelled the world to combat avian flu, so when he receives a box of chicks on his birthday to begin raising his own backyard chickens, he’s not too worried about what could go wrong. In this wide-ranging memoir Waltner-Toews shares his joys and misadventures with the chickens, and reflects on our history and relationship with chickens, with the urban animals surrounding us and with the ecosystem that contains us all. Funny, wise and thought-provoking, A Conspiracy of Chickens is a book that takes chickens seriously and asks the reader to do the same.
The Woefield Poultry Collective
Juby, Susan. The Woefield Poultry Collective. Harper Collins Pub., 2011.
In The Woefield Poultry Collective, Canadian author Susan Juby tells a hilarious and heart-warming tale of fiction. When Prudence inherits Woefield farm she arrives full of idealistic plans, only to find the property hopelessly run-down and debt-ridden. Her enthusiasm and relentless optimism don’t fail her, as she attracts a motley crew of mis-fits to help bring new life to the farm. Through various ventures, from creative writing classes to showing fancy chicken breeds, the group members undergo their own emotional and physical recovery.
Magazines
Backyard Chickens
Backyard Chickens. EG Media Investments LLC., 2020-.
This annual guide from the editors of Hobby Farms and Chickens Magazine is geared to those starting or maintaining a small backyard flock, and includes breed guides for small spaces, preventative care and nutrition advice as well as quick tips from experts.
Chickens: the Essential Poultry Publication. EG Media Investments LLC. 2020-.
This annual issue offers expert advice on every stage of raising chickens, from selecting chicks to managing a flock. With in-depth articles and practical advice on bird nutrition, health, seasonal care, housing and security, breed profiles and community stories for anyone interested in sustainable living and poultry care.
Chicken Coops and Playgrounds. EG Media Investments, 2020-2024.
From Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines, this annual special issue concentrates on housing and enrichment ideas for chickens, with creative coop plans and inspiration for enhancing a flock’s environment.