A detailed guide to grow chicken DIY...... a wonderful book for animal lovers who want to grow chicken of their own........

This book has useful project instructions for people who have chickens, and many could also work for 4-H or Scout troops that want some practical projects (if they cannot keep chickens themselves, they might know people who could use the projects.). Some schools might want an incubator, chick brooder, or a compost bin. And everyone can enjoy egg recipes!

An informative book of interesting and useful projects for the beginner or intermediate chicken keeper who has some DIY in them.
Each project has a clear explanation of the purpose with a serving of interesting info and variations to try. However while the step-by-step instructions are understandable it would have been more helpful to have more detailed photos especially when you are unsure which way is which. At the. very least it would have been great to have a closeup view of the finished product

This book is a must for anyone with chickens and who enjoys a bit of DIY. I think the two often go together, as if you’re someone who likes to produce your own eggs then you’re generally someone who enjoys being self-sufficient. All the projects in this book are achievable, especially with such clear instructions and helpful photos. Some can be completed in an hour while others may take three or four.
The authors invite you to either follow the instructions to the letter, or make adaptations and adjustments as you see fit for your own particular little flock. They encourage recycling and customisation in all their projects.
There are four sections:
Why DIY: the aims of this book are to help you save money by making things for yourself.
Basic tools and skills: from hammers and tape measures, to circular saws, you get the lowdown on what you need. You can manage with very simple straightforward tools, but electric ones make life quicker and easier. There’s advice on techniques such as cross cuts, and accurate measuring and marking, and handy and very sensible safety advice.
A look at the history of chicken keeping: this provides a nice little interlude before we roll our sleeves up and get busy, and very much gets the point across that improvisation to reflect the economic climate has always been part of keeping chickens.
And finally the projects. Each on is graded as to difficulty (many are beginner level) and gives an idea of how long it will take to make. They’re varied but they’re all extremely useful.
First up is a chicken tractor, not as in a farm machine for your chook to drive, but a movable chicken run. These are so handy.
Dust-bathing area: a great and hygienic treat for your chooks, and it will stop them digging holes in the flowerbeds.
Feeder/waterer: made from drainpipe parts, this is inspired. Chickens are messy eaters, and this has the benefit of keeping the food clean too.
Compost bin: to get the benefits of all that chicken compost, mixed with kitchen scraps
Egg incuabator: This is an advanced project, but looks a very interesting one to try.
Nest boxes: my chickens pointedly ignore any nesting box I give them and lay wherever they please, but I’m hoping that these might tempt my girls to be good.
Egg candler: this is a box design which provides a secure base for the egg you’re examining.
Chicken roost: a sturdy, movable roost that satisfies their psychological need to roost off the ground at night, and helps keep their feet healthy. Adapt this for the number of chickens you have.
Dropping board: this fits below the roost to catch all that night-time poop.
Chick brooder: to keep your hatchlings nice and cosy.
Quarantine habitat: chickens get sick from time to time and here’s a comfy cage to keep them isolated and unstressed in.
Collapsible chicken run: a foldable run, easy to move around, for when you need to keep your chickens contained.
Chicken ramp: to give your chickens easy, non-slip access to any elevated area, such as a raised coop door.
Chicken swing: delightful! A swinging roost, that’s really simple to make.
5-gallon bucket next boxes: a very quick and easy nesting box.
Egg hod: an egg-collecting basket with wire mesh sides and bottom. You don’t have to worry about all of your eggs in this as it will keep them undamaged.
Grazing box: allows your chickens to graze at plants without totally destroying them.
Wading pool: a paddling pool ramp for hot days.
Chicken sweater- knitting pattern: this is just for fun to make your chooks look pretty, but could come in handy in short spells for a chicken that’s suffering at the beak of an overzealous cockerel.
Egg recipes for when you’re getting overwhelmed with eggs!
I was delighted to see a helpful index at the back – so many books don’t bother with these yet they’re an essential feature of a non-fiction book.
This is a fabulous book, full of great ideas. It’s beautifully thought and out and presented and if you keep chickens then you could really do with this book on your shelf. It would make a fantastic present for any chicken lovers in your life.
I received a free copy of this book and have voluntarily reviewed it.
Chicken DIY: 20 fun-to-make projects for happy, healthy chickens
Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson
Paperback €13,64 $19,99 £14,99
This book is a must for anyone with chickens and who enjoys a bit of DIY. I think the two often go together, as if you’re someone who likes to produce your own eggs then you’re generally someone who enjoys being self-sufficient. All the projects in this book are achievable, especially with such clear instructions and helpful photos. Some can be completed in an hour while others may take three or four.
The authors invite you to either follow the instructions to the letter, or make adaptations and adjustments as you see fit for your own particular little flock. They encourage recycling and customisation in all their projects.
There are four sections:
Why DIY: the aims of this book are to help you save money by making things for yourself.
Basic tools and skills: from hammers and tape measures, to circular saws, you get the lowdown on what you need. You can manage with very simple straightforward tools, but electric ones make life quicker and easier. There’s advice on techniques such as cross cuts, and accurate measuring and marking, and handy and very sensible safety advice.
A look at the history of chicken keeping: this provides a nice little interlude before we roll our sleeves up and get busy, and very much gets the point across that improvisation to reflect the economic climate has always been part of keeping chickens.
And finally the projects. Each on is graded as to difficulty (many are beginner level) and gives an idea of how long it will take to make. They’re varied but they’re all extremely useful.
First up is a chicken tractor, not as in a farm machine for your chook to drive, but a movable chicken run. These are so handy.
Dust-bathing area: a great and hygienic treat for your chooks, and it will stop them digging holes in the flowerbeds.
Feeder/waterer: made from drainpipe parts, this is inspired. Chickens are messy eaters, and this has the benefit of keeping the food clean too.
Compost bin: to get the benefits of all that chicken compost, mixed with kitchen scraps
Egg incuabator: This is an advanced project, but looks a very interesting one to try.
Nest boxes: my chickens pointedly ignore any nesting box I give them and lay wherever they please, but I’m hoping that these might tempt my girls to be good.
Egg candler: this is a box design which provides a secure base for the egg you’re examining.
Chicken roost: a sturdy, movable roost that satisfies their psychological need to roost off the ground at night, and helps keep their feet healthy. Adapt this for the number of chickens you have.
Dropping board: this fits below the roost to catch all that night-time poop.
Chick brooder: to keep your hatchlings nice and cosy.
Quarantine habitat: chickens get sick from time to time and here’s a comfy cage to keep them isolated and unstressed in.
Collapsible chicken run: a foldable run, easy to move around, for when you need to keep your chickens contained.
Chicken ramp: to give your chickens easy, non-slip access to any elevated area, such as a raised coop door.
Chicken swing: delightful! A swinging roost, that’s really simple to make.
5-gallon bucket next boxes: a very quick and easy nesting box.
Egg hod: an egg-collecting basket with wire mesh sides and bottom. You don’t have to worry about all of your eggs in this as it will keep them undamaged.
Grazing box: allows your chickens to graze at plants without totally destroying them.
Wading pool: a paddling pool ramp for hot days.
Chicken sweater- knitting pattern: this is just for fun to make your chooks look pretty, but could come in handy in short spells for a chicken that’s suffering at the beak of an overzealous cockerel.
Egg recipes for when you’re getting overwhelmed with eggs!
I was delighted to see a helpful index at the back – so many books don’t bother with these yet they’re an essential feature of a non-fiction book.
This is a fabulous book, full of great ideas. It’s beautifully thought and out and presented and if you keep chickens then you could really do with this book on your shelf. It would make a fantastic present for any chicken lovers in your life.
I received a free copy of this book and have voluntarily reviewed it.

Although the pictures in Chicken DIY are nice, the projects have been around in book and internet form for years. Now, I will say this book adds an uncommon twist to the how-to do for your chicken genre, it includes a knitted sweater pattern, a compost bin plan to put the coop debris, plus egg recipes such as custards, deviled eggs and tortes. But again, nothing new, just redressed and bundled together in one book. Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

I will preface this with the fact that we live on a homestead and have raised chickens for 6+ years. I was hoping this book would give me some great, new ideas on things I can do for my birds. Instead it was very basic and, unless I needed to learn to use a hammer or saw, were all things that I could easily either figure out or find free tutorials online. Disappointed.

Samantha and Daniel Johnson are the authors of Chicken DIY: 20 Fun-to-Make Projects for Happy and Healthy Chickens. I expected these to be more silly than useful, but I was wrong. This book is full of wonderful chicken projects for both new and long time chicken owners. Both of the nest box projects were well designed. I think my favorite was the chicken swing. I have several chickens that love to swing. A very close second is the grazing box, and I am curious to try the wading pool with my flock. This book gave me several ideas setting up our updated chicken house later this year!

A fun and straightforward read that will give you valuable tips on putting together the perfect set-up for your backyard chickens. This information is a must for those getting into the homesteading frame of mind that need a practical place to start.

I have had chickens for over six years now. I have had hawks eat them. I have had chickens run off and hatch their own brood of chickens, twice. I have had a skunk get into the coop. What I am trying to say is that while I may not be the most experience person with backyard chickens, I do know what is what with them.

I thought, when reading this book it would be all, been there, done that, have the t-shirt sort of thing, but it was not. I thought I was going to argue with the author when I saw that one of the projects was a chicken sweater, but I quickly got off my high-horse when I saw that she wasn't going to put it on the chicken longer than to take a picture, because, chickens don't need sweaters. I thought all the projects would be things that I had done before, but they were not.

Very cool book, with very clean instructions on how to make things for yoru chickens that you didn't even know you needed to make. Not only that, but reciepies in the last chapter, for when you have buckets of eggs and you can't eat them fast enough. (There are times when, in the height of the summer I have as many as 9 dozen boxes of eggs.).

There are some cool, unusual projects in here, amongst them, the wading pool (because in the summer chickens need to get their feet cool), the grazing box (because chickens will eat every bit of green to the ground, and this is a way to solve the situation) and a chicken swing.

Some things aren't really necessary if you have good hens, such a chicken brooder (as the hens are really good at keeping their babies warm), but hey, it is good to know how to make them.

So, this book would be recommended for both people just starting out and people who have had chickens for years, because, you never know what you might learn.

I love a book that teaches me something I didn't know before.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.