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• About the Authors
• Contents at a Glance
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• About This Book
• Conventions Used in This Book
• What You’re Not to Read
• Foolish Assumptions
• How This Book Is Organized
• Icons Used in This Book
• Where to Go from Here
• Part I: Getting Started with Gardening and Chickens
• Chapter 1: Joining Forces: Companion Gardening with Chickens
• Getting Down to the Roots with Keeping Chickens
• Defining the Free-Range Concept
• There’s No Beef About Chickens
• Creating Sustainability in Your Own Backyard
• Having Fun with Style and Structure
• Chapter 2: Preparing Your Garden for Chickens
• Planning Your Flock
• Providing a Healthy Environment for Chickens
• Providing Fresh Water, Food, and Treats
• Re-purposing Existing Structures for Chickens
• Chapter 3: Preparing Yourself and Your Family for Chickens
• Checking Out Chicken Chores
• Working with City Rules and Neighbors Needs
• Finding a Fit For Your Lifestyle
• Noting Regional Variables that Make a Difference
• Children and Chickens are a Natural Mix
• Adapting Chickens with Family Pets
• Chapter 4: Creating Your Space for Free-Range Chickens
• Looking at the Lay of the Land
• Knowing What to Expect from Free-Ranging Chickens
• Creating a Chicken Utopia
• Part II: Designing a Chicken-Friendly Garden
• Chapter 5: Creating a Safe and Smart Garden Space: Landscape Material Ideas
• Setting the Landscape Stage
• Laying the Foundation: Handling Hardscape
• Layering the Landscape: Adding Softscape
• Water Is Key
• Fencing Is King
• Chapter 6: From Garden to Pasture: Perfect Plantings for All Your Needs
• Creating a Layered Landscape
• Choosing Plants That Are Functional
• Chickens in Pastured Open Areas
• Chapter 7: Growing Good Eats for Chickens and People
• Practicing Good Sense in an Edible Garden
• Food for You: Tips for Growing Vegetables
• Highlighting Chicken-Friendly Edible Areas
• Greens, Grains, and Seeds for Chickens
• Chapter 8: From Lawns to Poisonous Plants: Other Landscape Considerations
• The Lawn: To Be or Not to Be
• Getting Your Chickens to Do the Dirty Work
• Restricting Chickens from Certain Spaces
• Knowing Which Plants Are Poisonous to Chickens
• Part III: Chicken Care: Tending to Your Flock
• Chapter 9: Know Thy Flock: Understanding Chicken Behaviors
• Checking on Normal Chicken Behavior
• Training Your Chickens
• Handling Changes in a Flock
• Chapter 10: Caring for Chickens: Predators, Sickness, Injury, and Death
• Using Common-Sense Predator Protection
• Watching Out for Chicken Predators
• Dealing with Diseases and Parasites
• Dealing with Unexpected Chicken Injuries
• Coping with Old Age and Death
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• Chapter 11: Ten Common Chicken Problems Solved
• Discouraging Rodents
• Taking Care of the Poop
• Spending Less on Bedding
• Worming Your Chickens Regularly
• Denying Predators Access through Windows
• Getting a Rooster by Mistake
• Watching Out for Wet Areas
• Protecting Your Feed
• Creating Enough Shade
• Selecting the Right Chicken Breed
• Chapter 12: Ten Beneficial Tools and Aids to Have
• Making Use of Two Types of Thermometers
• Blending Compost with a Pitchfork and Putting a Small Rake to Use
• Storing Feed in a Clean Metal Garbage Can
• Employing a Sturdy Scoop for the Feed Bucket
• Making Sure Your Chickens are Secure with Locks
• Handling Tight Areas with a Hand Brush and Dustpan
• Protecting Yourself with Dust Masks
• Raising Chicks by Using a Brooder Clamp Heater
• Re-Purposing a Soft Baby Play Tent
• Training Chickens with a Pet Clicker
• Chapter 13: Ten Ways to Get Really Fancy
• Customizing Egg Cartons
• Collecting Eggs in a Specialized Bucket
• Measuring Up with an Egg Scale
• Going Digital with a Chicken Cam
• Playing It Safe with an Automatic Door Opener
• Providing Water Automatically
• Installing a Small Door within a Door
• Adding a Green Roof
• Jazzing Up the Chicken Coop
• Showing Personality with Rare Chicken Breeds
• Index