THE BADASS CHICKEN KEEPER

The Bad Ass Chicken Keeper
A No-Bullshit Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy Backyard Chickens

Chickens are easy.

Until they aren't.

One minute you're imagining fresh eggs, happy hens and a peaceful little backyard flock.

The next, somebody is broody, somebody is limping, somebody has escaped, something is trying to eat them, and the chicken you were absolutely certain was female has just started crowing at 5:17 in the morning.

Welcome to chicken keeping.

The Bad Ass Chicken Keeper is the practical, straight-talking guide for anyone who wants to raise chickens properly - without the fluff, the fantasy-farm nonsense or the endless overcomplication.

Written with humour, personality and a genuine love of chickens, Slaya takes you through the things that actually matter: choosing the right birds, creating a safe and healthy home, understanding flock behaviour, keeping predators out, recognising when something is wrong and building routines that work in real life.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

• Choose chickens that actually suit your lifestyle

• Buy healthy birds and avoid bringing home problems

• Build a dry, well-ventilated, predator-resistant coop and run

• Get feeding, watering, roosts and nest boxes right

• Raise chicks without losing your mind

• Understand chicken behaviour and the pecking order

• Introduce new birds without creating a bloodbath

• Deal with roosters, broody hens and hormonal chaos

• Recognise illness, injury, parasites and genuine red flags

• Build sensible biosecurity and quarantine routines

• Know when home observation is enough - and when you need a vet

• Understand eggs, laying problems and egg safety

• Manage heat, cold, moulting and seasonal changes

• Prepare for holidays, emergencies and unexpected flock disasters

• Survive your first 30 days with chicks, pullets or adult birds

• Build a daily system that keeps your chickens healthy without taking over your life

There are also quick-reference tools, a symptom triage guide, a starter shopping list and a practical chicken-keeping glossary.

But this isn't just a manual.

At the heart of the book is something Slaya discovered after finally getting the flock she had dreamed about since childhood:

Chickens are never "just chickens."

They have friendships, rivalries, fears, confidence, routines, moods, grudges and enormous personalities packed into ridiculously small feathered bodies.

Spend enough time with them and you begin to understand their language.

A look.

A sound.

A change in behaviour.

The difference between I'm hungry, I'm annoyed, I'm laying an egg and:

EVERYONE PANIC - THERE IS A LEAF.

Being a great chicken keeper isn't about being perfect.

It's about paying attention.

Learning.

Getting your hands dirty.

Making mistakes.

Trusting your observations.

And becoming the person your flock can count on.

Whether you're planning your very first chickens or already have a coop full of feathered lunatics running your life, The Bad Ass Chicken Keeper will help you become calmer, more confident and far better prepared for whatever your flock throws at you.

You don't need to have been born on a farm.

You just need the willingness to learn.

Welcome to the flock.

Now let's get badass.