Riding on the fast-growing popularity of a niche hobby, a new book co-written by several Iowans details how to raise chickens and get eggs from a small backyard flock.
Chris Huseman, with Murray McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, is one of the co-authors of the book “Chickens in Five Minutes a Day.” “Five of us from the hatchery that put all our knowledge together from our years of experience at the hatchery which is going on almost 100 years of being in business,” Huseman says. “It’s a guide for beginning chicken owners on how to raise and care for newly-hatched chickens.”
The motivations for raising chickens varies from people wanting to save money, to live healthier, to get more off-the-grid or for those who simply want farm-fresh eggs. Huseman says the 176-page book covers a host of topics. “How to chose what chickens you’re going to have, how to set up a brooder for raising the baby chicks, how to build the coops and what features you need in the coops, and up through when the chickens start laying eggs — what you’re going to need at that point,” he explains.
Learn more about the book at the company’s website: www.mcmurrayhatchery.com. The Webster City hatchery opened in 1917, with a client list that includes Martha Stewart, Oscar De La Renta and Oprah Winfrey.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)