Book Review: Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s Recipe For Raising Chickens

I felt with the recent sharing of the information from “Small Town Living” contributing author Lacy Razor of razorfamilyfarms.com about how to care for baby chicks(here), that it was the perfect time to tell you all about this wonderful little book.

“Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s Recipe For Raising Chickens” was first published in 1975. Nancy Rekow recorded Minnie’s stories (including  over 60 years of experience of raising chickens) on a tape recorder, and then worked with Minnie to bring this wonderful bit of information to the public on how to properly care for chickens.

Now in its 3rd publication, this is a bit of country wit and wisdom that you will not want to be without. Whether you aim to raise chickens in your city backyard or on a farm, this book is full of wonderful advice. Written in an easy to read down-home style, the book feels just like  you are sitting across the table with an old friend; one who has wonderful, useful advice to share.

The book covers the nature of the hen towards her eggs, nest, and babies, and how she works tirelessly to care for her chicks and to protect them once they have hatched.

It also covers baby chick care, room and board for chickens, how to ensure that your hens will lay eggs in the morning, along with such topics as  the molting of chickens, testing eggs for fertility, and the virtues of the bantam hen.

I found the book to be very fascinating in that one can tell without a doubt that many years of observation and learning have gone into the pages of this book.

For example Minnie shares such things as:

Learning the position that a hen will face her nest according to the amount of sun it will receive during the day. Why a hen will pluck her chest feathers while making a nest, and the actions of a hen during nesting and while off the nest during her daily break, and even how to keep chicks in your house (temporarily of course).

Even though I have raised chickens before, I learned a few things in the reading of “Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s Recipe For Chickens” that I had never known before about them.

I learned how to make a substitute feed for baby chicks if I happen to not have chick starter mash on hand. I also learned just how many baby chicks a bantam hen can cover in the nest (you’ll have to read the book to find out).  I also had no idea that sometimes chickens will drink milk, if one has milk that has soured chickens will drink it, and they seem to enjoy it. I also learned what types of foods they won’t eat. I now know that if I decide to grow onions, peppers, cabbage, or citrus fruits that those items will be safe from the chickens.

This is a book that if you are new to the world of raising chickens, or even if you have been raising chickens for a little while, you will want to have on hand for the wonderful advice it imparts.  The best of which is  as Minnie would say… “The main thing is to keep them happy.”

“Minnie Rose Lovegreen’s Recipe For Raising Chickens” is available through NW Trillium Press at: http://www.nwtrilliumpress.com/

Or Phone: (206) 842-6908  to request an autographed copy  of the book.

Tags: backyard chickens, book review, chicken raising, chickens, Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens, raising baby chickens