Build a better life for your chickens! Join Lisa Steele, chicken keeper extraordinaire and founder of Fresh Eggs Daily, to learn how to build just about everything you might need for your coop, run, or farmhouse kitchen. Whether you're a DIY novice looking for an easy win or a more experienced builder looking for chicken-specific projects, you've come to the right place! The chapters are packed with a variety of ideas, covering every skill level: The Basics: Lisa will tell you what tools you absolutely need, the ins and outs of pallets, and a few special skills, like how to transfer lettered designs to wood. Quick and Easy Projects: Get started with projects that take minutes or hours, not days! From a decorative cutting board coop sign and paned window coop mirror to more functional projects like a clothespin herb drying rack and dropping board, you're sure to find the right starter project. Handy Projects: Ready to take on a slightly more challenging build? Try the removable coop ladder roost, boot tree stand, feed dolly, chick-sized jungle gym, or chicken-proof herb garden. Pallet Projects: What's better than DIY projects? DIY projects made from free wood! Use pallets in all forms (whole, partial, and boards) for the projects in this chapter. Make a coop tool holder, chick roosting bar, swinging bench, feeding station, coop shutters, compost bin, and so much more. Weekend Projects: More time doesn't necessarily mean frustrating or too difficult. The ambitious, yet easy-to-follow, projects in this chapter include a sliding barn coop door, a-frame integration pen, and a roadside egg stand. No matter what you need for the coop-or what your chickens might want you to build first!-you're sure to have fun as you create a coop and run that's the envy of your neighbor's flock.

Author Lisa Steele is one of the most trusted voices in small-flock poultry keeping. Her first book, Fresh Eggs Daily, was all about healthy, natural care for chickens. Now comes Duck Eggs Daily, an equally valuable guide to raising ducks for eggs and companionship. This is also a book for chicken keepers who want to add ducks to their flock. While ducks can live happily with chickens, ducks are different in many important ways. Steele provides an information-packed, beautifully photographed how-to for raising - and living with - happy, healthy ducks. She examines every aspect of her ducks' lives, including duck houses and pools, health care, duck behavior and blending ducks into a chicken flock. She provides a breed chart and a selection of favorite recipes using duck eggs. What's behind the fast-growing interest in raising ducks? An increasing awareness of the superior nutrition and taste of duck eggs (compared to chicken eggs) and a desire for a personal connection with the foods we feed our families. Foodies and chefs are embracing the appeal of duck eggs. And many doctors recommend duck eggs for people allergic to chicken eggs.

More than ever, Americans care about the quality and safety of the food they eat. They're bringing back an American tradition: raising their own backyard chickens for eggs and companionship. And they care about the quality of life of their chickens. Fresh Eggs Daily is an authoritative, accessible guide to coops, nesting boxes, runs, feed, and natural health care – with time-tested remedies from a fifth generation chicken keeper who has more than a decade of experience under her belt following her own simple and practical advice. Lisa Steele promotes the benefits of keeping chickens happy and well-occupied, and in optimal health, free of chemicals and antibiotics. She emphasizes the therapeutic value of herbs, edible flowers and natural supplements to maintaining a healthy environment for your backyard flock. Her tips and advice will benefit the first-time chicken keeper and seasoned veteran alike. This is one of those "especially for now" kinds of books, when food security is appearing on our to-do lists.