|
Browse categories
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!!
A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!!
A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended
Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book.
Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good!
This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover.
Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it.
Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!!
A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended
Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book.
Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good!
This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover.
Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it.
Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses.
Disappointing and lightweight, 18 Apr 2008
A little bit funny in places and an occasional insight but by and large poorly written and forgetable.
Feathery fun... and a little bit more., 02 Dec 2007
Like other reviewers here, I thought this book was very entertaining, hugely humerous, and very warmly written. It is not a soppy recollection of chicken tales, but an open and honest (yes, and funny - but how could a book about these fabulous birds fail to be funny?) look at how one man has had his life affected by his feathery pals.
Chapter 2 starts with the words: "The sort of chicken-keeping we were embarking on can be summed up in three words: 'twee' and 'middle class." And I read those words with recognition, not embarrassment. My two ex-Tesco hybrid waifs are currently strutting their stuff around our ill-prepared garden, and laying an average of 9 eggs a week between the two of them.
This book is for people like me. I have recently ordered 2 more copies of this for my newly chickenified friends. Why? Because of its honesty. Because of the little snippets of chicken care secrets. Because of the kindness in this book. Because it's worth its weight in eggy gold!
Laugh out loud funny -- and a few lessons to boot, 04 Sep 2007
I don't recommend reading this in bed next to a spouse who has to get up for an early commute. You could be laughing so hard, you may not be forgiven. I haven't had such a good time reading a book in I don't know how long... terrifically witty & many laugh-out-loud moments.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information.
Eggcellent, 21 Apr 2006
My only criticsm of this book was that it was too short. It is an entertaining tale of keeping chickens, don't expect to learn to much from it for that I'd reccomend Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens but for those still wonderimg about weather to get chickens or not this will make your mind up.
Hen and the art of chicken maintenance, 30 May 2004
This was a really funny book, it had me laughing out loud all the way through but you would have to keep hens for it to be really relevant. A good read and I picked up a few bits of good adviceand felt I had learnt a little about chickens but not an information book.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!!
A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended
Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book.
Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good!
This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover.
Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it.
Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses.
Disappointing and lightweight, 18 Apr 2008
A little bit funny in places and an occasional insight but by and large poorly written and forgetable.
Feathery fun... and a little bit more., 02 Dec 2007
Like other reviewers here, I thought this book was very entertaining, hugely humerous, and very warmly written. It is not a soppy recollection of chicken tales, but an open and honest (yes, and funny - but how could a book about these fabulous birds fail to be funny?) look at how one man has had his life affected by his feathery pals.
Chapter 2 starts with the words: "The sort of chicken-keeping we were embarking on can be summed up in three words: 'twee' and 'middle class." And I read those words with recognition, not embarrassment. My two ex-Tesco hybrid waifs are currently strutting their stuff around our ill-prepared garden, and laying an average of 9 eggs a week between the two of them.
This book is for people like me. I have recently ordered 2 more copies of this for my newly chickenified friends. Why? Because of its honesty. Because of the little snippets of chicken care secrets. Because of the kindness in this book. Because it's worth its weight in eggy gold!
Laugh out loud funny -- and a few lessons to boot, 04 Sep 2007
I don't recommend reading this in bed next to a spouse who has to get up for an early commute. You could be laughing so hard, you may not be forgiven. I haven't had such a good time reading a book in I don't know how long... terrifically witty & many laugh-out-loud moments.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information.
Eggcellent, 21 Apr 2006
My only criticsm of this book was that it was too short. It is an entertaining tale of keeping chickens, don't expect to learn to much from it for that I'd reccomend Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens but for those still wonderimg about weather to get chickens or not this will make your mind up.
Hen and the art of chicken maintenance, 30 May 2004
This was a really funny book, it had me laughing out loud all the way through but you would have to keep hens for it to be really relevant. A good read and I picked up a few bits of good adviceand felt I had learnt a little about chickens but not an information book.
Brand new 4th edition, 28 Mar 2007
This is the new textbook for student VN's the third edition has been replaced to coincide with the new syllabus for Veterinary nursing by the RCVS.
The BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing, 4th edition has been thoroughly revised to meet the needs of today's veterinary nursing students and will also remain a favourite refresher resource for qualified VNs. While maintaining the high standards set by previous editions of Veterinary Nursing, it incorporates the new Veterinary Occupational Standards and expert knowledge. New topics include Nursing Models and complementary therapies. For ease of reference, the 4th Edition has been re-organised, grouping chapters in a more logical way. The book has been expanded, with new illustrations and the addition of colour to assist the student. It remains the core textbook, with essential information to enable Veterinary Nurses to deliver effective veterinary nursing care.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens. Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry! Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant. Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book. Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health. Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle. Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone. A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for! Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!! A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book. Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good! This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover. Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it. Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses. Disappointing and lightweight, 18 Apr 2008
A little bit funny in places and an occasional insight but by and large poorly written and forgetable.
Feathery fun... and a little bit more., 02 Dec 2007
Like other reviewers here, I thought this book was very entertaining, hugely humerous, and very warmly written. It is not a soppy recollection of chicken tales, but an open and honest (yes, and funny - but how could a book about these fabulous birds fail to be funny?) look at how one man has had his life affected by his feathery pals.
Chapter 2 starts with the words: "The sort of chicken-keeping we were embarking on can be summed up in three words: 'twee' and 'middle class." And I read those words with recognition, not embarrassment. My two ex-Tesco hybrid waifs are currently strutting their stuff around our ill-prepared garden, and laying an average of 9 eggs a week between the two of them.
This book is for people like me. I have recently ordered 2 more copies of this for my newly chickenified friends. Why? Because of its honesty. Because of the little snippets of chicken care secrets. Because of the kindness in this book. Because it's worth its weight in eggy gold! Laugh out loud funny -- and a few lessons to boot, 04 Sep 2007
I don't recommend reading this in bed next to a spouse who has to get up for an early commute. You could be laughing so hard, you may not be forgiven. I haven't had such a good time reading a book in I don't know how long... terrifically witty & many laugh-out-loud moments.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information. Eggcellent, 21 Apr 2006
My only criticsm of this book was that it was too short. It is an entertaining tale of keeping chickens, don't expect to learn to much from it for that I'd reccomend Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens but for those still wonderimg about weather to get chickens or not this will make your mind up. Hen and the art of chicken maintenance, 30 May 2004
This was a really funny book, it had me laughing out loud all the way through but you would have to keep hens for it to be really relevant. A good read and I picked up a few bits of good adviceand felt I had learnt a little about chickens but not an information book. Brand new 4th edition, 28 Mar 2007
This is the new textbook for student VN's the third edition has been replaced to coincide with the new syllabus for Veterinary nursing by the RCVS.
The BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing, 4th edition has been thoroughly revised to meet the needs of today's veterinary nursing students and will also remain a favourite refresher resource for qualified VNs. While maintaining the high standards set by previous editions of Veterinary Nursing, it incorporates the new Veterinary Occupational Standards and expert knowledge. New topics include Nursing Models and complementary therapies. For ease of reference, the 4th Edition has been re-organised, grouping chapters in a more logical way. The book has been expanded, with new illustrations and the addition of colour to assist the student. It remains the core textbook, with essential information to enable Veterinary Nurses to deliver effective veterinary nursing care.
Beekeeping for Dummies, 01 Aug 2007
I always thought that the Howells series were for techno dudes. So I was amazed to see this title. And what an excellent surprise it is. This is one of the best guides to the keeping of bees, anywhere in the world, I've read. It's informative, honest, helpful and entertaining. Thus making bee keeping an achievable and enjoyable pastime. Everyone should read this, even if you don't ever get the bees. Warning - Bears, 27 May 2005
This is a super book, I am a beginer and although this book is limited in detail it is idea for the beginer. This book concentrates on one type of Hive, the lanstroth, which world wide is the most popular hive, but in the UK most beekeepers use the national, but this make no diffrence at all they are based on the same principals. It gives you practical advice, on silly things that you dont want to ask, i.e. how do you start your smoker and, what is a smoker. The book is very easy to read and comprehensive, for keeping bees on a small scale this is the book I would happily recormend, and fequently refer to. If you do really get into bees the British Bee Keepers (to whom i now belong) recormended reading - Ted Hoopers Bees & honey. This is the next stage, this book covers everything there is, although again you will find that most of the bee keepers will frequently disagree with both books. Oh and the bears, this is refered to as a common problem it appears that bears do like honey. The book is rather clear on this that you should protect your hives from bears.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens. Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry! Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant. Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book. Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health. Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle. Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone. A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for! Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!! A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book. Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good! This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover. Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it. Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses. Disappointing and lightweight, 18 Apr 2008
A little bit funny in places and an occasional insight but by and large poorly written and forgetable.
Feathery fun... and a little bit more., 02 Dec 2007
Like other reviewers here, I thought this book was very entertaining, hugely humerous, and very warmly written. It is not a soppy recollection of chicken tales, but an open and honest (yes, and funny - but how could a book about these fabulous birds fail to be funny?) look at how one man has had his life affected by his feathery pals.
Chapter 2 starts with the words: "The sort of chicken-keeping we were embarking on can be summed up in three words: 'twee' and 'middle class." And I read those words with recognition, not embarrassment. My two ex-Tesco hybrid waifs are currently strutting their stuff around our ill-prepared garden, and laying an average of 9 eggs a week between the two of them.
This book is for people like me. I have recently ordered 2 more copies of this for my newly chickenified friends. Why? Because of its honesty. Because of the little snippets of chicken care secrets. Because of the kindness in this book. Because it's worth its weight in eggy gold! Laugh out loud funny -- and a few lessons to boot, 04 Sep 2007
I don't recommend reading this in bed next to a spouse who has to get up for an early commute. You could be laughing so hard, you may not be forgiven. I haven't had such a good time reading a book in I don't know how long... terrifically witty & many laugh-out-loud moments.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information. Eggcellent, 21 Apr 2006
My only criticsm of this book was that it was too short. It is an entertaining tale of keeping chickens, don't expect to learn to much from it for that I'd reccomend Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens but for those still wonderimg about weather to get chickens or not this will make your mind up. Hen and the art of chicken maintenance, 30 May 2004
This was a really funny book, it had me laughing out loud all the way through but you would have to keep hens for it to be really relevant. A good read and I picked up a few bits of good adviceand felt I had learnt a little about chickens but not an information book. Brand new 4th edition, 28 Mar 2007
This is the new textbook for student VN's the third edition has been replaced to coincide with the new syllabus for Veterinary nursing by the RCVS.
The BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing, 4th edition has been thoroughly revised to meet the needs of today's veterinary nursing students and will also remain a favourite refresher resource for qualified VNs. While maintaining the high standards set by previous editions of Veterinary Nursing, it incorporates the new Veterinary Occupational Standards and expert knowledge. New topics include Nursing Models and complementary therapies. For ease of reference, the 4th Edition has been re-organised, grouping chapters in a more logical way. The book has been expanded, with new illustrations and the addition of colour to assist the student. It remains the core textbook, with essential information to enable Veterinary Nurses to deliver effective veterinary nursing care.
Beekeeping for Dummies, 01 Aug 2007
I always thought that the Howells series were for techno dudes. So I was amazed to see this title. And what an excellent surprise it is. This is one of the best guides to the keeping of bees, anywhere in the world, I've read. It's informative, honest, helpful and entertaining. Thus making bee keeping an achievable and enjoyable pastime. Everyone should read this, even if you don't ever get the bees. Warning - Bears, 27 May 2005
This is a super book, I am a beginer and although this book is limited in detail it is idea for the beginer. This book concentrates on one type of Hive, the lanstroth, which world wide is the most popular hive, but in the UK most beekeepers use the national, but this make no diffrence at all they are based on the same principals. It gives you practical advice, on silly things that you dont want to ask, i.e. how do you start your smoker and, what is a smoker. The book is very easy to read and comprehensive, for keeping bees on a small scale this is the book I would happily recormend, and fequently refer to. If you do really get into bees the British Bee Keepers (to whom i now belong) recormended reading - Ted Hoopers Bees & honey. This is the next stage, this book covers everything there is, although again you will find that most of the bee keepers will frequently disagree with both books. Oh and the bears, this is refered to as a common problem it appears that bears do like honey. The book is rather clear on this that you should protect your hives from bears.
Good beginners book, 22 May 2008
This is a lovely book for the beginner, since there are lovely colour photos and bite size information covering what you need to know to get into keeping chickens. It is limited, in that once you have your chickens you probably want to have more information and there are only a limited amount of breeds covered but the lay out is reader friendly, digestible and sufficient for the novice to make a good start. Then the fun begins! The book does relay the real joy of keeping chickens and the benefits for children. Well worth reading before getting started on buying coop, hens etc.
The best introduction to keeping chickens we've found, 23 Jan 2008
We've been keeping chickens for a couple of years now, and we wish we had this book when (or even before) we started out. It has information on all aspects of keeping chickens, from coops and enclosures, avoiding health problems, integrating with the existing family, feeding, etc. The text is well-thought-out and clearly written, and the pictures with their associated captions add even more information. Buy this book before you dive in and get your first chook. If you're already a chicken-parent, buy it anyway and keep it to hand always!
Excellent - well worth the price, 01 Nov 2007
If you are thinking about keeping chickens everything that you need to know is in this book. Absolutely excellent!!
This is just the book I was looking for! Highly Recommended!!, 04 May 2007
Ideal book for anyone who is thinking to keep chickens! Great introduction to all aspects of keeping chickens with just the right depth covering everything from housing, litter materials, feed types, chicken well beings, natural vs artificial fertilised eggs incubations, chicken breeds... etc etc.. All these are explained in plain English together with excellent colour photos to maintain reader interest throughout the book. Did you know that chickens need to eat sand or grits to help digestions? I did not before reading this book! All in all, a great book which is both entertaining and educational to read before keeping your first chicken in your backyard! Definately a 5-Start for this book!!!
A good introduction to keeping chickens, 24 Nov 2006
I've just started looking into keeping chickens in my back garden and found this book really helpful - from picking the right breed to how to house and care for them. It's clearly set out with sound advice and the large colour pictures of the different breed types are great!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Great Stuff, 17 Jun 2008
I got this wee book and after reading it knocked together a hen house, bought 3 hens and never looked back.
Whilst the book is short it tells you all the basics you need to know about keeping hens.
Not happy, 19 Jun 2007
I'm loathe to criticise any National Trust/Country Living puplication, but I expected so much more from this book. The book does give a good introduction to Hen keeping, but it is very basic, and is a TINY little book, not much bigger than the size of a notebook. The synopsis on Amazon also said there was "stunning photography"...there is not one single photograph in the book, just a few sketches and hand-drawn illustrations(perhaps I have received the wrong book?!?....) Ok...so the title does point you in the direction that it will "inspire" you, and the book does make you want to rush out and buy a chicken asap, but the book is just so small! If you were seriously going to keep chickens for the first time, you would need much more information than this book provides. Ditto for another book in the series "Beekeeping"...also a letdown. Sorry!
Fabulous, 11 Feb 2007
Practical but witty and easy to use, this book gives brilliant advice on keeping chickens. Using first hand experience, it gives the basics for anyone considering keeping a few hens. I've seen the review copy and it is brilliant.
Basic information for beginners but some stuffing and vague about important detail in parts, 09 Aug 2008
A standard work often provided in starter kits and it covers the basics in a simple easy to read fashion. Katie Thear is an experienced keeper and she includes some useful tips she's picked up from her own experiences. However I find the subject poorly researched and the information rather sketchy in places and lacking in consistency. It's rather like she has written it just from her own knowledge and experiences only. Some areas she dwells on in uneccessary detail for beginners needs while others which need a more detailed explaination are just skimmed over. There's also some uneccessary padding with brief chapters on showing and breeding which aren't of much interest to beginners and don't contain enough detail to enable anyone to get involved anyway. She has written a book on incubation so I suspect if you want to expand your hobby to breeding you can read that. The chapter on breeds is probably more comprehensive than beginners need and covers far more breeds than is really neccessary. If you are going to cover breeds their suitability for beginners should be at least be discussed but it reads a bit like a indiscriminating ragbag list of breeds she has come across with each breed being described in an inconsistent manner. It only gives a passing coverage to raising birds for the table and really is aimed at keeping layers. The index is just attrocius making it useless as a quick reference. Having said all this it does contain some sound advice for beginners from an experienced keeper though it falls well short of a decent reference book.
Good info but few colour pics, 17 Jul 2008
This book has a fair amount of good information but disapointingly it has mostly black and white pictures - which seems very old fashioned these days. It has a large section on purebreeds which I think could've been reduced in order to make way for more of the useful information on care and/or health.
Heritage breeds not mentioned, 23 May 2008
This book is okay and gives a good amount of information. However, it would have been good to mention that there are so-called heritage chicken in most countries. These chicken breeds are endangered and many countries have special programs of conserving them. It is, of course, nice to have dozens of fancy chicken breeds to choose from but it would be a good thing to remind people that own, national, culturally and historically important heritage breeds should always be the priority. Also, those are the chicken breeds that are most accustomed to local climate. For example, in Scandinavian area, there are many breeds that survive in harsh conditions and like to go out even in the snow. It is of course understandable that a small book cannot review all the breeds in the world. However, just a small note of the existence of heritage breeds would encourage people to search for more information on the topic. Other than that the book is okay and I really like the general tone of promoting self-sufficient lifestyle.
Great starter book, 17 Oct 2007
Very helpful book if you're thinking of keeping chooks in your back garden, all basic information you'll need, I found though that a lot of space was given over to the different breeds which could have been used for more details on looking after chickens, but would recommend it to anyone.
A great book & British too!, 24 Aug 2007
There are a lot of great books out there for beginners, but most of them are American, so the resources pages are not helpful to those of us starting out in the UK.
This book is published by Broad Leys, who are a small independent British publishers specialising in books for smallholders, homesteaders, poultry keepers and organic gardeners.
Exactly what I was looking for!
Best Basic Pig Book for Small Scale Pigkeeping, 05 Aug 2008
I've read at least 10 pig books in the past couple of years, but this gets my vote as the best one for the small-scale pig keeper. Covers everything you need to know (including what to do if you have to raise piglets without the mother's help, something a surprising number of books ignore) without going into too much mind-boggling detail. There are a lot of great pig books out there, but most of them are aimed at pig farms. This is more geared towards the smallholder, pet pig owner or hobbyist. And isn't the pig on the front cover just great?!!!
A Worthwhile buy, 19 Nov 2007
If you're new to pig keeping this is a good book to start with, very good sound advice offered which will help you through those first nerve wracking weeks of pig keeping. Mine is somewhat tattered and coffee stained and well thumbed. Highly recommended
Breathtaking..., 20 Apr 2008
I picked up this book as an "add on" to other biographical writing I was studying for a Creative Writing Course. During the course I didn't get chance to read it; I have seen and heard about Monty Roberts work and decided to read the book for pleasure.
It's an incredible story told simply and with great warmth. There are no pretensions - he just tells it how it is and is very generous with his description of his techniques and the highs and lows of his life's work. This is his (and his familys) story, his journey and his observations on this most noble of animals and their language. It's a mark of incredible generosity that he has put it down in words.
I have been brought up with horses and understood how you treat them with respect and care; in later life I have had very little contact with them. If I ever return to riding I shall approach it from a more gentle, more respectful perspective.
This is not good writing - it's great writing told with great humility and style. It is a privilege to have an insight into his life, passion and work; he comes across as he does in the interviews I have seen as an ordinary man with extraordinary insight, skills and judgement.
He is quite simply unique, as is this book.
Fantastic book, 08 Jan 2008
Not sure if it helps to be into horses but I loved this book. It's the first of the Monty Roberts books I have read and will now be getting the others. Hope they are just as good!
This man is fantastic!!, 26 Dec 2007
Monty Roberts is inspirational. I have admired his work for many years & since learning more about his methods he has helped change (invaluably for the better)the relationship I have with my own 'problem horse'. I could not put this book down. When you read his life story and learn how hard Monty has worked to get where he is today you`ll admire him even more! This book is essential reading for every horse owner/ lover.
Really enjoyed it!, 12 Jul 2007
I love horses anyway so i knew i would like this book before i even picked it up. I thought it was a fantastic read and i just couldn't put down!. I'm not normally into autobiographies but found this one was very well written. Rather than starting from when Monty was young until present day, he interjected other stories along the way top break it up e.g. the visit to the Queen.
The only reason i have rated 4 instead of 5 stars is because there were a couple of instances where i wasn't quite sure if what he was describing was true or poetic licence e.g. the fact his old teacher met up with him years later and remembered the assignment he had written on setting up a horse training facility. Seemed a little 'cheesy'.
On the whole however i really enjoyed it.
Fantastic and Amazing Read, 15 May 2005
I really enjoyed reading Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts' work is just amazing. I do not have my own horse but when I do I will know how to treat them better now and to understand them move. I could hardly put the book down as I just wanted to know what he done next. I highly recommend reading this book as it really is such a pleasure to read. I have also read 2 other Monty Roberts books - The Horses of my Life, and Shy boy, both are great also, hearing about his life with horses.
Disappointing and lightweight, 18 Apr 2008
A little bit funny in places and an occasional insight but by and large poorly written and forgetable.
Feathery fun... and a little bit more., 02 Dec 2007
Like other reviewers here, I | | |