Whether you want to keep hens as pets who lay a few eggs or are aiming to end up with a larger flock and sell eggs at your gate, it is a very rewarding pastime.

This book is an expanded version of the notes I hand out to students who come on my Beginners Chicken Keeping course. I've kept chickens since childhood in a variety of settings - on a smallholding and in my back garden, selling eggs at the local farmers market and breeding birds for sale. I've been teaching on the subject for nearly a decade.

Chicken Keeping for Beginners gives a thorough overview of how to get the best out of your hens, with a look at choosing birds, housing, feeding and basic health-care.

Each chapter is summarised at the end with a handy quick-reference 'Essentials' paragraph.

A perfect introduction if you are thinking about keeping chickens.