Chickens, ducks and bees are the most likely candidates for the first-time livestock owner - especially if you live in the town or have only a small amount of land. This book is full of sounds practical advice and looks at exactly what you need to get started: the equipment, housing, space and feed. It also covers the responsible care and management of the breeds most suitable for the smaller garden.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Chickens, Ducks and Bees; Keeping animals for food; Why times are changing; Why chickens, ducks and bees?; Keeping animals won't save you money; Three great reasons for keeping animals; Teacup philosophy; Becoming more self-sufficient; Chapter 2: Organising the Garden for Livestock; Finding out all you can before buying your livestock; Hens; Ducks; Bees; PART ONE: CHICKENS; Chapter 3: Introduction to Chickens; The hen and what she needs; Having time to look after your hens; Eating the meat; Using the feathers; Enjoying fun and companionship; Clearing up poo; Enjoying new-laid eggs; What do your chickens need?; Do you need a cockerel?; Where to put your hens; Housing your hens; Siting the hut; Spare housing; Stopping your hens fighting; Temperature; Clipping wings; A word about sickness; What do hens really enjoy?; Checking that you have permission to keep hens; Dispatching your hens; Getting advice; Chapter 4: Handling Your Hens; Why would you want to hold your hens?; How to hold a hen; Releasing your hen; Using a carry box; Chapter 5: How To Feed Your Hens; The importance of protein; The best ways of delivering food; Feeding hens in the city; Pellets or mash; Using a gravity feeder; Providing water for your hens; Providing calcium in your hens' diet; How much do chickens eat?; Providing the 'extras'; Chapter 6: Housing Hens; Providing ventilation; Materials; Nesting boxes; Providing perches; Providing a litter tray; Providing a big enough run; Siting the hut; Moving the position of the hut and run; Storing food; Using a broody box; Building your own chicken hut; Introducing hens to their new home; Inroducing hens to each other; Chapter 7: How To Keep Your Hens Healthy and Clean; Cleaning the hutch; Don't over-disinfect; Cleaning the nest boxes; Cleaning feeders; Chapter 8: Choosing your Birds; What are the advantages of keeping a cockerel?; How to buy hens; Breeds suitable for everyone; Chapter 9: How To Recognise When Things Are Going Wrong; Apple cider vinegar (ACV); Other additives; Hens sitting in the corner, hardly feeding or drinking; Hens with feathers missing; White encrusting at the base of the feathers; Birds with scaly legs; Lots of diarrhoea and hungry birds; Pale combs and reduced egg production; Wheezing birds; Chapter 10: What Makes a Chicken Tick?; The chicken gut and how it works; How hens make eggs; The moult; Broodiness; Crumbs; What are you going to do about cockerels?; Caring for your hens around the year; PART TWO: DUCKS; Chapter 11: Introduction to Ducks; Good gardeners; What you need to keep ducks; Housing your ducks; Feeding your ducks; Using your ducks for meat and eggs; Handling ducks; Duck life; Chapter 12: Feeding Your Ducks; Organising your ducks' diet; Finisher pellets; Providing water; Allowing your ducks to forage; Offering oyster shell; Making grit available; Providing extras; Chapter 13: Housing Ducks; Making the housing strong; Waterproofing the duck house; Siting the duck house; Lifting the hut; Roosting; Nesting; Fumigating; The run; Chapter 14: Keeping Ducks for Eggs; Choosing ducks for egg production; What's the egg like?; Where your ducks lay; Storing duck eggs; The good duck egg guide; Cooking with duck eggs; How do ducks lay eggs?; Chapter 15: Duck Breeds; How to buy ducks; Buying in trios; Choosing your ducks; Keeping bantams; Chapter 16: Duck Diseases; Tips for healthy ducks; PART THREE: BEES; Chapter 17: Beekeeping; Chapter 18: Bee Anatomy; The respiratory and circulatory system; The exoskeleton; Wings and legs; The head; Inside the bee; The sting; Differences between the castes; Chapter 19: Getting Started; Asking for advice from experienced beekeepers; Wearing protective clothing; Using a smoker; Buying a hive tool; Using buckets; Blowtorch; Feeders; Varroa control requirements; Choosing the hive; The brood box; Rearranging the furniture; The supers; The lid; The stand; A mentor; Races of bees; Castes of bee; How to buy bees; Chapter 20: The Beekeeping Year; Warm way/cold way; The development of bees; Orientation flights; Chapter 21: Beekeeping Techniques; What are you looking for in the hive?; Establishing whether there is room for expansion; Feeding; Hefting; Using other feeds and applications; Swarming and supersedure; Marking a queen; Collecting honey; Returning the frames; Chapter 22: Bee Diseases; Problems with bee genetics; Why bees contract diseases; Varroa; Foul brood; Small hive beetle (aethina tumida); Nosema; Wax moths; Chalkbrood; Stone brood; Tracheal mites; Viral infections; Sacbrood; Chilled Brood; Index.
