Your backyard can be the source of the best eggs and meat you've ever tasted. The answer is chickensendearing birds that require but a modest outlay of time, space and food.

As they learned to raise chickens, Gail Damerow and Rick Luttmann came to realize the need for a comprehensive but clear and nontechnical guide. Their book covers all the basics in a light and entertaining style, from housing and feeding through incubating, bringing up chicks, butchering, and raising chickens for show.

Throughout Chickens in Your Backyard, Gail and Rick express their wonder at the personalities of chickensthe role of brash protector played by roosters, and the instinctive motherliness of the hens. Given some freedom and attention, these birds can become much more than the egg-and-meat machines of commercial hatcheries and broiler factories. Chickens provide backyard farmers with enjoyable pastime, as well as a supply of good food.